The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-07-04

~TwO DOLLARS 4 TEAR IN ADVANCE
Such are terms to be found at the heat
of almost cvery Weekly Paper in the Coun.
try; but we fear few have sufficient regars
for the real meaning and import Of it. Lei
us examine then, and see If we cannot dis
cover in this fact, 1t least one great secret
connected with the success or failure of Sc
many who havs embarked in the business
of publishing Paper. :.
/ ssTwo dollars Year in adyance "Oh
no.. saws one man, 81 can never consent "a
pay for thing before get il. am willing
to subscribe, and hope YOU viii get along
successfully; but can't pay in advance
don't like the principle The publisher
| is induced TO take his name, because he
wishes to swell the list of his patrons: and
considering the position of the man. feels
that he can almost afford to give him the
paper, rather than not secure his influence.
So the publisher might go to every man
from whom he might reasonably expect a
ready Dollar or two only to bs repulsed
with 81 never subscribe for paper andpay
in advance"
| The Office has been bought and located
in the purchase Of the material he has per-
haps given all the ready money he possessed,
but still this was insufficient to furnish sll
| the requisites, and for the balance he gives
''Six months from date tlpromise to pay" )"
&c. Publication day arrives, and his paper
comes out, looking finely, and calls forth
many such remarks as these, 'scapital pa
per" ssGuess he'll do first rate;r appears
like good fellow" &C., &c. Thus il pass
es on, until after few weeks they only con-
slider that on such day ssThe Weekly In
telligencer" will make its appearance. Ev-
erybodv, at first, wishes he would do well;
but nobody is willing to pay Two Dollars a
Year in Advance. ..
Fortune. it is said, favors the brave: and
so our new aspirant for newspaporial hon.
| ors. by sacrifices or credits, is enabled to
send out his sheet on its errand of instruc-
ton and usefulness. Six months have now
elapsed, and the poor ma> finds himself with
only one ream of paper, when he should have
| two, no money when he should at least have
some, no credit. and to crown all, just about
this time in pops one of those little slips
which read 81 promise to pay" and alto
gether, makes upon his mind decided I'M
preston what's to be done? Ave, that is
the question, What is to be done?-Publica-
ton day arrives, and only half a sheet takes
the place of the ''capital paper" which six
months before was SO literally subscribed for
by its friends, who hoped it would succeed!
As a leading article you will find something
after this Sort
"APoLoGY.-Owing to some unaccounta-
Bile delay in getting our usual supply of
paper, we are this week obliged to issue on
" half sheet. We trust that such a neccs-
sty will not arise again. it being as un-
pleasant to ourselves, us it is to our read
ers."
Trace the column down and you will find
the true secret, embodied in polite but ur-
gent request for dehnquents to send in the
amount of their subscriptions, to enable the
publisher to meet the current expenses of
his paper. But alas no one chooses to
see the point of the thing, and many are
carelcssly reading it over, wonder that a
paper cannot be furnished without dunnins
its subscribers before the year is out. A
few months more of ''lingering torment"
and the paper ''gocs ups" leaving the pub
Usher burdened with any quantity of small
bills, which he is utterI Y unable to pay; -
while his subscription book is well filled
with the names of good men who ''took the
paper" but never pay for such things IN ad
vance. Some of them will doubtless con-
gratuate themselves on their good luck IN
not paying when they subscribed, as in that
case they would now be the losers 10 the
amount of half a years subscription. Silly
mortals you never stop to think that your
silly system has been the means of involving
a worthy man in debt, and at the same time
depriving yourselves of what might have
been a real benefit to you. Had every sub
scriber paid his two dollars a year in ad-
vance--the printer would have a capital
| upon which to work and you would by the
same means have insured yourself against
loss.
Equally injurious and fatal to the success
of any newspaper, zis the plan adopted by
some publishers; viz.,-Ohe dollar and fifty
cents in advance, or two dollars ut the end
of the year. The same objection we have
raised against the other system may be pre-
sented against this. If either plan has its
preferences, we should most certainly award
them to the first; for by that no delay is
| offercd-while by the last no payment can
be expected before the expiration OF the
year, except at the option of the subscriber.
| Suppose the year has terminated, and then
the printer makes an effort to collect III the
various amounts outstanding. Within his
own sphere this may be done, perhaps: but
outside of it he must be under the necessity
of sending or appointing an agent to do the
| business for him-who after few weeks
trial. reports that Mr.. A has gone to Cali
| fornia. Mr.. b. is dead. Mr.. &. has moved to
parts unknown, and when he comes to sum
up. be finds that of three hundred papers
sent abroad. two hundred have been to peo-
pie from whom. he will never realize one
single cent.
Not alone do the remaks above apply to
subscriptions, but to all departments of
/ labor connected with, and all benefits issuing
from the hands of the printer.
! In advertising there are many reasons
why cash system should be strictly adher-
ed to, but We will give only two of the mos,
prominent.
First-The publisher looks to the adyer-
tisement patronage. mainly, for his support
and profit. No country paper can sustain
itself solely upon the small amount Of mon
ey raised by its subscriptions, for in very
many casss the price got for tho printed
sheer is not equal to the cost of the paper
as it comes from the mill. 1t must then
follow that unless the publisher has sur
plus of cash capital. on which to rely during
the time of publication, this must be render
ed not rs business of profit, but of loss.
Second The advertiser should pay on
the first insertion, from the fact that the
moment the advertisement issues from the
Office. that moment it becomes of value to
the advertiser. Why then should the prin-
ter be asked 10 benefit others at his own
expense?
Finally. every thing requires it:-for car
rying on the printing business demands
more or less of cash, and upon the same
principle those who do business with the
printer should feel willing to give him fai,
proportion of cash--cnabling him to sustain
his paper upon responsible basis. The
Office must be paid for--paper must b,
bought--help must be obtained and paid
and yet subscribers, in too many instances
expect to have paper furnished to them
for ffty-two weeks in succession befor.
they on their part are expected TO give any.
thing in return.
The only remedy for all the fnuits ol
which we have spoken Of above seems To u,
to be this the adoption Of an iEyaYiabls
rule of payment in advance.-Printers
Cabinet.