The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-04-12
Newspaper Enterprise.

more anu more 10 ccNtTd.lL4-lOA-LO CDH-
centration Of capital and labor In few
great establishments. carried on by the CO.
operative system la which the capital OF
many persons IS united for one purpose.
and the profits divided among the proprle-
tors. This tendency Is seen IN all branches
Of business, for it IS found by experience
that. in every such enterprise. however great
or small, from the building OfarairOad 1900
miles long, which cost : 20. 600 90 TO the
manufacture Of q pin or match prodncts
can be furnished cheaper IN proportion as
the quantity made is larger.
The newspaper business IS no exception
70 the rule The greater the establishment
the cheaper can a newspaper be furnished.
This. however, must be done in conformity
with the laws which govern capital. and
supply and demand. A local paper pub
lished at the county seat Of a new county
containing only 5000 people, cannot be
made by any amount Of capital, talent, or
industry tn compete in circulation or infu-
ence with the New York daiiies or weeklies.
The local papers have their sphere Of iufu-
ence and usefulness, within certain hxed
and definite boundaries which may not be
exceeded. They can no more grow 20 be
gigantic than the bramble can grow 90 be
Ike the OAK. Cultivation may make
bush profitable, handsome, thrifty and per-
feet in its own nature; but il must ever be
4 dwarf compared with the giants Of the
forest
But in the great centres Of population.
wealth and business. the case is entirely
different. In such places some Of the pa
pers must OF necessity grow 10 be Of large
proportions, for they are supplied with
prodigiOus amount ofnourishment. A pop
uation of million. like that Of New York
city and vicinity owning immense wealth,
and doing the business for halt "a continent,
will demand and pay for an immense amount
OF newspaper talent, labor and material
Bnt in a free country like ours the support
thus furnished will be divided among sew
eral large papers, rather than be all con
centrated on one. The opinions, views,
and character OF the people have so great
q diversity that what will suit one set of
readers would be scOrned by another. II
the New York Tribune subscribers were fur
nished with the New York Herald most Of
them would throw il away in disgust; and
the Herald subscribers would DO the same
thing with the Tribune Hence there are
limits even TO these great dailies. beyond
which they cannot grow. Ii is, therefore,
absurd for any paper in this country TO as
pire TO such a growth as will cast all others
into the shade About fifteen years ago.
the y Y. Tribune seemed 10 he making
rapid strides for this distinction. appa-
rently following in the tracks Of the Lon
don Times; but now it has 20 fight is way
daily with three or four large and able com
petitors.
All large centres Cd business can support
papers proportionately large. Hence we
see them rapidly increasing in size in the
principal cities OF the west-in ST. Louis
Cincinnati, Chicago. and Detroit These
or some Others in their places. will increase
in proportion to the increase OF business.
Ii becomes quite an interesting inquiry.
however, how Tar any one paper. by skill.
talent, and plenty OF money, can be made
to overshadow and dwarf all its neighbors.
whose chance of success may otherwise be
equally great.
In this race OF competition. capital IS the
first requisite; and hence the most success
ful large papers are usually sustained by
Of mouied men. The starting
of one OF these papers is laborious and
difficult The subscribers and advertisers
must be looked up individually. and sole
tied. man by man, at large expense and
trouble; but in proportion as a paper be-
comes known and attains 4 favorable repu-
tation, this difficulty is removed \ repu-
tation is TO paper what it is TO a profess
lOnal man or mechanic. We may suppose
that when Webster and Clay first began to
practice law, they were indebted for their
first cases to accident, the help of friends.
years practice. with a national reputation.
business flowed into their hands from ali
quarters. Clients came 10 them: thew did
not 20 10 their clients So it is in the news
paper business. Thousands OF persons vol /
unfairly subscribe annually for the leading
New York papers. because Of the wide and
favorable reputation those papers have at
aimed. Hence such n reputation has an
actual money value, equivalent TO per
naneni annual income. Hence it pays for
he owners ola paper TO lay out large sums. .
lot 10 get certain number Of subscribers. 4
1ut TO build up lis reputation generally;
md this general reputation. once estab- B
ished and sustained. will pay all expenses +
and profit besides
From these considerations we have look F
ed with interest upon the efforts making bv
The Detroit Tribune 70 increase its growth. '
L has recently enlarged its circulation bv .
much individual effort. and now offers pre- F
NUNS for the best original stories. But II
has added another feature Of improvement
which, so far as We know, is entirely new in |
ournalizing. We allude to the establish f
nent OF corps OF correspondents, 50 nu-
nerOus that there shall be one in every place .
where there can be any business or news. +
who are to write so frequently that every
event worth chronicling at all in any paper. f
shall be published in the Tribune in forty
eight hours after its occurrence. The large
papers all over the world are accustomed
10 paying large sums to correspondents in
ioreign countries, and al important places
At home; but the idea of going over a whole D
State geographically and gathering snd