Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-07-15
All About Newspapers.

The price Of the newspaper, in compar-
ison with ths5 cost of production, has
always been low : and while the white
paper was cheap and the labor for its pro-
duction was abundant and cheap also,
every body that had aspirations for polit-
cal prefcrmcnt, had an organ, In the
country these necessary institutions grew
up az q matter Of prime necessity. Every
county of any size or business aimed to
support one journal. Often these enter
priscs failed up in { few years. and the pub
Usher was obliged 10 seek living in some
other calling.
There are some pcculiari;ics about the
local press not Observable in the mc;ropo-
itan. In the great marts of trade. or i'll
the more considerable cities, the press is
free TO utter It's sentiments, and it is eE-
pccted to do 50. Not 50 with the humble
local paper. that lives ON the line between
starvation and bare subsistence. The poor
devil who is compelled to do all sorts OF
work to make the " machine keep NOV
ing, is not expected, and in some instances
is not allowed to own an opinion, much
less express ore. What right has a country
Editor to have an opinion different from
his patrons DO not the patrons of the
paper own it I! a farmer may plant corn
or SOW oats on given piece of land, but
the Editor never should dare to express
an opinion which may not harmonic with
\. B. c. or D. who pay him the pitiable
sum of Sl,50 in clean cash.
In another particular the press Of the
city is clearly ahead of the small country
journal-in the prices charged for adver.
Using This will always vary, the price
being regulated according to circulation
and other controlling causes. Such pa,
per as the Tribune charges enormously
high for advertising, dollar line in the
weekly paper, for single issue, we think
We have seen single advertisement il
that paper, which counted agreeable t.
terms, would pay the Publishers a larger
sum than we have ever received for al
our advertising for whole year, in thu
american. The large sums charged anl
collected in this department, nearly o
quite pay running expenses, SO that to thu
country patron the price for the subscrip
ton is put down nearly to the cost; a
any rate leaving so little marign, that
few cents either way turns the scale.
The cheapness at which papers hav
been made heretofore has had to give wa
to the increased prices of a kinds of ma
terials used in their production. With til
white paper more than doubled, and labo
with the other material largely increase,
in price, how can publishers pay their bill
and live. And why should not they adj
10 old prices enough to meet their increase
Expenses
Take our own expense for the pat yea
and half, as a sample of how publisher
make money. these times. Our books sho,
that for this time we have made no monel
at all, and have not al! the time pa
expenses, allowing nothing for our owl
labor. IL we had been wise enough a
have increased on the subscription. so a
! TO meet extra current expenses, we nigh
have earned few dollars. We did no
hccause we had rather work for n0tlin
for while, il return might reas0nabl
he expected 10 the old order Of things
! 1t does not come. Ii will not for years
We are firm in the belief that high prices
not panic prices, but high prices as com
pared with the old, viii rule for come
time. We dent propose to go n;lder, nc
at all, but do intend to ask $500 for a
new subscriptions. and also to increase o
all at the end Of the present volnmc, j
January rext. In the meantime, we mus
, collect all arrearages and will settle wit