The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-08-28
NEWSPAPER VITALITY.
From the Missouri Democrat


The past few years have demonstrated,
from q variety of points OF view that well es'
tahished newspaper Is one OF the indestructl-
Sls and imperishsbe things of the earth-that
so long as it Is true to the wants and interests
of the people, and, having won public conn'
dance. fs 40 conducted as 10 retain Lhat lnesCl-
mable ingredient of its career, 1t Is superior 10
accident and independent 10 all the skyey IN.
auences which so often determine tne latg go Oh
Missouri Republican has,, within the
memory of men now In st. Louis,
twice suffered the loss OF all its pro-
perty by flre-its building, Its type, its
presses, aud all the complex machinery neces-
sary to Its production and cenduct; yet IN eacH
case seven In its ashes lived It's Wonted nres;;
1t arose from each disaster stronger Than De-
fore. and each apparent destruction served
only to show how impossible destruction was.
single days omission OF the regular issue;
and the relations between the prOprietors aou
their patrons were resumed as II nothing nao
occurred; and as the result OF the last GONNA
grafton, one of the finest news[ aper buildings
in the west. If not In the country, to % ready
and occupied in 8 few months hence.
Every newspaper in Chicago was burned 10
the pronnd In October last. On the nlght Oh
the 9Th OF that month, there was noGnlng 10
show for the wealthy and powerful IriouuH s,
bnt few blackened and smoking walls; All
the rest that was perlshabe hsd perlsnea.
and no one would have given $40, QUO for WnaC
remained that was visible. The same as 10
The Times, and the Post, and the Journal. YET
to-day each of these newspapers 1s worm 1ar
more than 1t was before the fire. fhe tribune
was estimated at million dollars, win lts Ine
building and perfect machinery; aud now, oe-
fore any of these are replaced, it could not oe
nnrchased for q million and half. We pre-
sume the appreciation of the Times has been
in equal ratio. 1t is different with the large
mercantile establishments destroyed by that
fire: some Of them have not resumed, otners
are crippled; not one, perhaps, is as wen silu-
ated, or as valuable as business, as IL was on
the 7th of October. The reason Is that Gme
value of a newspaper consists OF its good VIII,
which time alone can establish, and which
even the furnace heat OF the Chicago conna-
Grafton could neither SINCE nor destroy; ana
this is not strictly true of any other business
enterprise. ,;.ooo
Three weeks ago partnership disagree
ment amcng the owners OF the Mlssonrl Demo
Graf led to lawsuit, Wh,cn mas JisI oeeI
terminated. While the suit progressed, ano
while LAWYERS and clients argued In the court
all the many fine points CT transaction in,
yolying 80 much money, the paper contlnueo
its course as If nothing at all afectlng IL we're
:n issue. 1t furnished the news OF the day,
with appropriate comments, aud went lorIh
every morning on Its mission OF enlighten-
ing because the firm name might oe
changed tomorrow, or because men who
had been conducting 1t ior twenty years
might conduct 1t no more. lts lntellec-
tual and mechanical forces were N aarmo. mo-
nlousy at work all the time. and .ne
relations between it and its readers were
unSjsturbed. This could not have been
th1 Cease with any otter business enterprise:
A mercantile firm would have suffered loss oy
any such litigation; but for reasons we have
already stated newspaper does not. a
great newspaper Is like great oak. lts
Growth and establishment are the work OF
Years. It takes sn average lifetime 10 get its
firmly IL the ground and no Den e1o,nasy anee
rooted and established. II differs from the
the constant Of Its yoq see
~ ri bnoWs age only in accumulated years and
added strength, but not in weakness or de-
cline. II it could speak for itself, and as some, e.
thing Ind dependent OF the human agents 10
which it is subjected, 1t could say with Time:
"Hen may come. and men may go,
But 60 on forever"