The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-05-02
The Trials Of Journalism. c
[From the Constitu,ionalisi.1 I

~ lew Gays ago Il, friend sent us'a
copy of a Rhode Island paper, aud babe
us observe the kind Of journals there
was published in New England town no
larger than Augusta We glanced at
the paper with feeling akin to mor,i
fication, intensified by the apparent
slight involved in the comparison. But
matters were not so bad with us after all
when a just comparison was instituted.
| The Rhode Island paper was weekly
Our paper is daily, aud it's Sunday
and weekly editions, so lar as the liter
AIRY contents are concerned, can afnrd t,
stand the test Of successful contrast
But the, Rhode Island paper certainly
had the advantage in advertisements.
1t never seemed to occur to our fricnl
that there Is Il marvellous difference in
the publication OF daily paper and :,
weekly. lie did not tax . INTO nc .onnt
tn t the Rho c Island town ani IT,.
Georgia town arc cry differently con<ti
tutcd. In Northern cites there are very
few readers who do not ply for their
paper; he reverse is true Of the S ,ut h
If merchants and subscribers ia this sec
ton supported their papers with hall tn
promptness and punctuality that the
same classes at the North support their
local Journals, the newspapers of the
South would equal those Of the region
beyond US. But what is the exacttruth
OF the whole matter? Let Mai. Calhoun
the proprietor of the Columbus Enouier
>M}He has been sharply brought into
antagonism with this problem answer
Tor us. lie says: The newspapers OF
the North are fourishing with then
r customary vigor. Despite the panic
, and hard times the people read and ad
vcrtise, and pay for both, while the
Southern papers arc daily waning. This
, cannot be attributed o lack of ability
or enterprise in the mana cement #
; Sout hcrn j"urnals, :"r they are !ully ur
, with the times. aud will compare t',vo
ably with the most successful papers in
t the country. 1t cannot he denied thai;
| either from want of Indifference. tlc
Southern whites, in the prnpottion to
, their number do not read II, cxtcnsivelv
as they do in the North anl West, an |
y glance at the p perS Of he respective
sections will show that Southern mer
!, chAnts, with few exceptions, do not an
e prcciate the value and importance Of IL
vertising But there is still nnothcr
trouble with which the majority Of
Sout hern journals lave to contend and
.a that is" the credit system. A dis
tinguished Journalist Of this Stat,
assured us lately that he lost yearly
thirty-three per cent. OF his subscrn
G tons, because people neglected to pay
, after being trusted Now no busino IS
can stand this loss, and particularly Il
r newspaper, the greater. part of VIII sc
value lies in It's goJd will. While the
credit system is prac,icel, Southern
journals will continue to be mpccuyous
and down at the heels So far rs We are
concerned, we have decided on the pro
! per course and shall follow it out,
though we did not do so till our loss
from Indifferent subscribers amounted
to many thousand dollars Our course
meets with opposition, and strange to
say, some merchants in this city, whose
), interests it would be TO encourage cash
payments, airiShly refuse to take our
paper if we do not trust thcni, on the
plea that they arc sn'd for their debts ;
Z OF c"u'sc We humor those men by bcy
3 S'nS item to take our paper on their
own terms. There seems TO be an i'm
4 PRESTON in the minis Of some unin form
! ed people that Tie cheapest aud easiest
business is htof publishing II p ,per :,
, indeed, that they rather compliment n
, publisher by rcadln. his paper, with the
most Indefinite idcn utaerer payiu. tor
it. SAID u wonderfully intelligent wo
man to friend OF ours yes ertlay: :
'Wcll, | declare. The idea pt. that lei
low (rcierrliiso to us) max in u iarlin
right i'll our n,i,ist by givin, oi, ,atlvisa
| can stAn it quite! ytss } a;d a.,
, This MD Indy mot oasis upt. general
. but tlnrei is 'sus class OF l,owspaI,er
spongers that reconcile tboir cpncie. G -
to their peculiar cu,dicta IN nut paying
US by argniug TINT we ARE getting rich
, by advising people who know omere thuu