Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-21

A TALK WITH PATRoNs.-Weh ay,
not said anything about the Advanc,
Pay system in these columns for some
time; andnow there are two or three
things we wish to say.
In the first place, since there is moth.
ing perfect in this world, there can be
no system without its objections,
The particular objection which we
think of first in this matter Is. that
on account of the strict system we are
compelled in many cases to cross off a
subscribers name from our Books
when neither ourselves nor the sub
scriber wish it done. For example,
Mr.. Jones has taken the paper from
the very first, has always paid for it
promptly, and is as "good as old wheat
at the mill" But along comes a notice
that his subscription has expired.
Just at that particular time he is short
OF money, or has no good chance to
send, or something of the kind-or,
very likely, he feels little iritated at
the abruptness of the rule, and says to
himself, well if they can't trust me
little, they can let it slide" And it
does slide.
Now, we want to present the matter
fairly to Mr.. Jones, thuswise:-We
know you are perfectly good for it, !"
Mr.. Jones. We wish every man in
the County We're even half as honest
and sure pay as you. But what can
we do? We cannot, as the saying is,
make flesh of one and fowl of an
other" We must deal fairly and
alike with all men-any other course
would knock us in the head very
quickly. Suppose we were to make
an exception to the rule in your case,
and send the paper on on credit.
Then there's your next neighbor, Mr..
Smith, who may be just as 'good" as
you, just as honest, and just as good
pay. But we don't happen to have
the pleasure of his personal acquaint-
ance-for of course we cannot be per-
sonally acquainted with the fourth
part of our patrons. Well, when his
time is out his paper stops, according
to the rule and the notice. He hap
Gnnaly n Mr. oh
and finds that Mr.. Jones' paper wasn't
stopped when the time was out! $50,
that's the way they work it, is it?'
says Mr.. Smith-and thereupon he
very justly says that he won't patron
ize a paper that deals on any such
principle.
Don't you see how it is, Mr.. Jones
We cannot pretend to adhere to the
rule, and then make exceptions to it
for the exceptions would in the end
hurt us more than they would do us
good-beside the principle involved.
Now, we adopted the Advance Pay
system because we believed it to be
not only the best for all parties, but
really necessary-and experience has
proved it so. Consider, if you please,
that the Voter is now really large
paper, and gives an immense amount
of reading matter. If we were to at
tempt to publish it, SO large as now,
on the credit system, we would soon
have so much money scattered around
over the country that we would lose
heavily, and would probably have to
Suspend" and "bust up' within six
months. "But how does the other
paper run, then ?" you ask. And we
answer, it can run SO for two reasons !:
one is that it isn't so large as our pa
per, doesn't have near so much reading
matter as ours, and doesn't cost near
half as much to get it up; and the
other reason is, that it is issued so
freely as it is for political purposes.
AS to this last reason a good deal
might be said, but we prefer not to
say it now.
TO return:-We have found the Ad-
vance Pay System the best, and even
practically better than we anticipated.
And the great objection to it, which
we have above referred to, is one we
foresaw from the first, but accepted it
as inevitable. We are sorry for it, but
we can't help it. We will deal fairly,
justly, and alike, with all-and then
we know we're right, and, though
some may be offended, and we may
therefore lose in some cases, yet all
will come out right and for the best in
the end.
Don't you think this is the righ'
view of the case, Mr.. Jones?