The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-05-03

malnder showing a handsome bal.
ance. And this is for only one can.
merry. Besides there are two OF
three others, and different fisheries
put up, this year, 1900 barrels OF
fish.-[Overland Monthly.
From the Rochester Democrat.
GOOD WILL" OF A NEWSPAPER
ITS BRAINS.
The recent sale of the Missouri
| Democrat at price four times in
excess OF its material property, has
induced considerable comment as to
the nature and value of"good will
Three-Quarters of the cost of the
Democrat was for "good will :" al
intangible piece of property, hard
to acquire and easy to lose. What
is this "good will" for which SC
much is paid? If the establishment
should lose the "good will" of the
community, its patronage would
diminish, and it would finally be
sold out under the hammer for less
than one-quarter of Its cost. If ii
continues and increases that "good
will" it may earn each year almost
enough to restock its entire equip
ment. A business man buys out
a mercantile establish ent and al
most doubles the amount of the in
ventory in payment for "good will, ("
because the concern is highly pros
porous. The value of that s'good
Will" depends upon the profits Sc
cured by the patronage it brings.
1t is not mere good wishes; it is
good wishes tangibly attested in
cash, for value received. But the
business man referred to, not know
ing how to retain the good Will
which was so advantageous to his
predecessor, makes changes which
produce dissatisfaction and destroy
confidence. Where once there was
attention, promptness, dispatch and
reasonable prices, there comes list
lessness, Indifference and exhorbi-
tant prices. The current of patron
age is changed, and his stock lies
dead upon his hands through q for
fixture of the good will" destroy
ed by his OVID lack of courtesy, en-
terprise and management. Hence,
the "good will" of any concern de-
ponds upon its management. A long
established house, successfully con-
Quoted through years acquires
"good will" worth fortune per-
haps to it, but utterly vaiueless if
transferred to those who do not
know how to keep it. With regard
to the "good will" of q newspaper,
the Cincinnati Gazette says:
The attachment which the subscribers
form for journal, from the habit Of
taking 1t, from sympathy with its princi-
Piles, and liking FOR its character, are ea-
sential parts Of the good will Of n sub
scription list. Character and confidence
are necessary elements. This good Will
may be materially impaired-even de-
stroyed altogether, by a change of owner
ship and the direction which impairs this
confidence, Hence the good will is
rather u ticklIsh thing to buy. 1.-THE buy
ers bring in an i'll repute, the good will
may disappear while they know not what
hurt them. By this it will be seen that
there is sort Of reciprocal relation or
obligation between publisher and subscri-
bers, and that when the character OF q
journal, or even the repute Of its owner
ship, is changed, this relation or obliga-
ton ceases.
People have seen q parcel of new ad-
ventures n the newspaper business sink
$l25 900 in the effort to get circulation
by offering their paper under cost to the
subscribers Of other journals: and at last
compelled to buy the subscription list of
dead newspaper proprietor at q price
which must have been eltogher more than
the rate Of two dollars each; and then, in
less than year bringing suit In court
against another journal for damaging this
dearly-bought circulation to the amount
Of S25, 900. This illustrates the peculiar
quality OF the good will of a newspaper
in the matter of the subscribers. They
constitute q very valuable property, and
are very hard to acquire and yet may be
lost with great ease.
This is entirely sound. The CON-
munity is made up of hundreds OF
diverse elements, and it is desirable
to acquire and retain the 'Igood
will' of as large q proportion az
possible. He who knows how best
to do this, makes the "good will
of an establishment what 1t is. Re-
ceiving from its predecessors what
ever good will" they possessed, he
retains it, and augments it to the ex-
tent his capacity, experience and
knowledge permits him to do.
Every man around the establish
ment, from the carrier-boy to the
highest principal, adds or detracts
from that "good will" Every issue
of the paper increases, maintains or
diminishes it. Every blum der i'm
pairs it, every success augments it,
and acknowledgement may ruin it al.
together. He whose scope is the
broadcast and soundest makes the
most Of 'Egood wills" he whose Wis.
! ion is narrowed fritters il away
UnWise changes will utterly destroy
/ the "good will" of the most success.
| full newspaper in the land, while
wise improvements and satisfactory
expressions will strengthen 10 with
each days progress. knowledge o,
the detail which tends to enhance
or depreciate this "good will" Il
necessary to the science of journal
| ism and it takes varied experience
| ripe judgement and skilled labor e
practice this labor successfully. 1
is nothing less than to concentrat.
the community around yourself, il
cheerful support and paying patron
age. How to do il is not SO mucI
to be taught in an essay as It is to b,
illustrated in practice, for event
constantly change the situation, rem
dering necessary persistent and
close attention to developments an(
facile adaptation thereto, combinet
with great solidfty and strength
The "good wilIe of Q newspaper
therefore, depending upon its Judi
cious conduct, is so much Yalu,
invested by its managers, but i
should be paid for only by thos'
who are confident they can sustain
or advance the standard. Being tn,
hardest kind of property TO acquire
1t is the most valuable; but bein,
also the frailest it should be pur
chased with caution and handled a
carefully as the most costly lace
for 1t may be blown away by tn
first breath of wind. The success
of journalism is not in its property
but in its "good WILL" and henc
the latter forms material elemer,
of purchase, as il is the element 4
be most carefully guarded, for i
, one who is not an expert tamper
with il it is destroyed. Itisa con-
mon opinion that any man can m
. newspaper, but many broken case
and pied fonts of type attest til
folly of the opinion. Let him VIII
thinks it otherwise venture q for
tune in agood viii, as did the mn
chasers OF the ST. Louis establish
i mens the other day, Sc he wants I
ascertain how soon his fortune ma
J be summed mp In the amount of Ia
, auctioneePs bids. It Is notfhis 81
. vestment which brings the pro!if
lit is the science which mafntair
the most valuable, portion. of ~
j / investment the ezood win II