The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-04
THE DEMOCRAT.

The growing circulation of the DEMOCRAT
throughout this and the neighboring States,
al well as In the city. and the steady increas
III It's advertising patronage, prompts us to
siapart from our usual custom, and while ex-
pressing our appreciation of the public favor
to say something about our enterprise.
The DEMOCRAT was started by number OF
earnest Democrats who realized the absolute
necessity Of party paper in the great final
struggle between the people and Radicalism
the verge Of which we were then approach
ing. II started with very little capital, its
pipprietors hoping chat the cause which 1t
was designed to serve, would induce the peo-
pie to almost Immediately rally to- its support
But they were mistaken. The Independent
press of the city had SO long and faithfully
acclaimed against partisan journals and
against the Democratic party and its leaders,
that public sentiment on this subject had
become wellnigh unhinged, and an impress
sion was abroad that a Democratic paper,
such as the DEMOCRAT was designed to be.
would prove sort of bull in a china shop.
We believetha 1t can be safely said that no
daily newspaper In great city has everbeen
started and made a success on so small a
capital as the DEMOCRAT had. After varying
fortunes and several changes of management
it was established through one of the hottest
campaigns In the history of the State as a
self-sustaining evening paper.
When the Legislature elected by the people
assembled here, and the city was on the very
verge of civil war, the authorities gave the
public printing out to the DEMOCRAT, its
t,Iy AZ -
getting paid and of finally settling with the
State on the basis OF any reform printing bill
the Legislature might pass. Had the gov
vernment been subverted, the DEMOCRAT
would have gone down with it, It had be-
come self-sustaining as an evening paper,
but the increased expense incurred in doing |
the State work was largely more than it |
could have afforded to lose.
Later when the government was secure. |
the present printing bill, which reduced the
price Of State work and judicial advertising |
over half the old rates. was prepared and the
Printing Board. with the almost unanimous
Endorsement Of the Legislature and, we are
proud to say, of the Democracy of the State,
selected the DEMOCRAT as the official journal
ut the State.
The DEMOCRAT has so FAR filled its contract
eonscientiously, and we believe satisfactorily |
1t has neither grown rich on its contract, as
many seem to think is a matter of course
nor does its continuance depend upon
prolonging of its relations with the State
The prices fixed by the printing bill are by |
no means speculative, and there is not a first
class job Office in the city whose margins of
profit are not larger than those of the DEat
ocRAT on its State work.
Our general advertising and job work and
circulation are more profitable than the State
work, and these are now large enough to
alone sustain the DEMOCRAT on its present
scale. That scale we hope this winter to in
crease. Our ambition is to make the DEMO-
Graf journal worthy of a great city, and
we shall not tire of our efforts until that am
bition is attained.