Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-01-14
VINO arc Newspaper Patronsf

VINO 8fe Newspaper E8tfOmsf
We clip the following from the Boston
Herald, and commend Il to the careful pc
rusal Of our readers:
"There has been widespread miscon-
ception, very general and very popular
error, as well on the part Of the public as
on the part Of publishers, on the question.
And il appears to us that now is good
time, at the beginning Of the new year, to
examine the whole subject and determine
definitely who and what newspaper patrons
are, to the end that, if injustice has been
done, upon either side, new leaf may be
turned over with the coming in Of the
new year and the true relations between
publishers, their customers and the pub
lie, be placed upon a fair and equitable
basis. In the proper determination Of this
question, is involved the determination Of
the editorial and business policy which
each paper will pursue. 1 tft
The popular idea has been that ga con-
slant reader of your invaluable sheet" ia
subscriber from the commencement" ga
daily reader" have peculiar claims upon
the editor, which entitle them to crowd
their dull and prosy communications upon
his hands, and to be very indignant, to
consider themselves badly treated, and to
threaten to withdraw their patronage, if
the editor does not publish every line they
send Another popular idea has been
that acquaintance with an editor entities
man to use the columns Of the newspaper
to puff up himself or mutual friends and
to be very abusive and insulting if his
unreasonable demands are not complied
with. Another popular idea has been that
representatives of particular clique, par
ty, sect or interest, public or private, may
properly look to an editor to publish their
auarrels, and defend and sustain them in
columns Of editorial writing. on pain, if
they are refused, Of the withdrawal in a
body, of the particular interest that is Of
Tended Ea
Still another and the most prevailing
idea has been that an advertiser has a
right to puff in the editorial columns in
return for his liberal patronage in giving
an advertisement. This most pernicious
idea, which Eas worked great injury to
newspapers as well as to the whole adver-
Using community, has been fostered and
encouraged by publishers themselves, un-
til it has come to be a great and overshad-
owing nuisance. 1t has been carried so
far, the public have become nauseated with
it, and newspaper putt, because an ad-
vertisemcnt has been inserted, SO far from
being recommendation, is, as Capt. Cut
tie would say, "quite the reverse" But
certain advertisers have been long accus-
toned to this thing, they feel that they
are the worst used people in tha world, if
a puff or even q series of puffs, do not as
company every advertisement. Let us see
how this principle would work, carried in.
to general business transactions. We go
to the dry goods dealer and purchase a
good common dress for our wife and dc.
mand, as an acknowledgement Of our pat
ronage, silk dress for our daughter; we
purchase lot of lace and ribbons, and
ask the merchant to throw in a shawl
we buy seven pounds of sugar, and look
for box of raisins, at least; half peck
of onions, and want bushel of apples
a joint of pork, and expect rump of beef
to be thrown in. Does this look absurd
1t is the puff principle carried out to its
legitimate consequences. -
For ourselves, we have no doubt on the
subject of the proper editorial and bust
ness policy it is the duty of proprietors O.
newspapers to pursue. Il is to appropri.
ate their news and editorial columns Il
! public purposes. The advertising column,
are for the use of those who pay for them
and they have no right to expect gratu
itous use Of any portion Of the other col
umns. The advertising columns are oper
to whoever wants to say anything to thu
public. They can say what thep please
in their own way, in two lines or two col
umns, provided they pay the price demand
ed. BY rigid adherence to such a rul,
as this the columns of newspaper will b,
kept free of matters that are not of gen
I eral interest. By this rule no advertiser
, can complain that another has an undu,
advantage awarded to him; by this rul,
the only prominence one advertiser ha
over another is the greater extent Of hi
advertisement; By this rule we place read
ing matters by themselves, and by thi
' rule we are enabled to give the most gen
r eral satisfaction to reading customers anC
8 advertising customers, whereby we draw
from them more Of the sinews of bushes
than we should otherwise obtain, which
enables us to go on constantly improveinl
e our paper, constantly enlarging It's spher
, of influence, constantly increasing its cir
, culation and solid patronage. We at an,
rate, are satisfied as to the correctness 0
this course, and are persuaded that tn
, time is coming when newspapers generall
4 will find it for their interest and that o
their subscribers to adopt such prin
ciple."