Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-29
Newspapers and the Public.

The Dubuque Times of Il recent date
has well written and well considered
article upon newspapers, their relation
to the localities in which they are print
ed, and the duty, interest and RESPONSE
bility of the public in giving them lib
eral support, from which we make the
following extracts and commend them
to the perusal of our readers of all
classes:
The truth is that towns newspapers
are regarded, upon all sides, as mirrors
of the town. People generally, con-
sciously and unconsciously, look into
them expecting to find there the out
lines of the community in which they
are printed. As the newspaper is bright
and healthy, to that extent is the town
regarded as bright and healthy as well.
Whether people are advertisers them
selves or not, or however little they may
themselves do for the newspaper, they
nevertheless expect to look into the
face of newspaper from another town
than their own and see in it fair rehec-
ton of the town itself-of its business,
enterprise, society, etc. There should
be more general appreciation OF this
fact than there is among business men.
There can be no successful contradic-
ton of the truth that community can
afford to treat stability anything else
that it has before it can afford to thus
treat it's press. What is singular is that
there should be so little appreciation of
this fact. People see the Importance of
maintaining fine hotels, of having com
modious and elegant public halls, and SO
forth, and yet leave its newspapers to
shift for themselves worse than
that: to contend against distractions
that are continually and with remarka-
BILE perversity being thrust before them.
Nothing could be more mistaken in poll
CIV, as nothing can be more harmful to
the material interests Q Of the place
We are ready to admit, and nothing in
all the world can be truer, that if the
publishers Of newspapers do not stub
bornly insist upon standard of respect
bility for their business, the standard at
least is not likely to be very high which
the community for itself shall insist
that the newspapers shall have. This is
so because human nature is full Of self
ishness, and because it is Il rule in bus
mess, whether rightfully or not, to give
to the devil the hindermost. Newspa-
pers, however, are, in sense, public in
situations which the community III which
and for which they are printed have, if
self-interest even is understood, very
great interest. 1t should be the policy
of a sensible community, therefore, to
see to it that liberal policy is pursued
toward its press, to the end that the
press may rightfully reflect and duly
honor the community at all, under
stand, as a charity toward the mon who
may get their meat through Faber-push
ing or type-sticking. The business pub
lie in truth should demand that the
newspapers, as well as the hotels, pub
lie halls, etc, are up to standard, and it
the men in charge of the newspapers
now are deficient in capacity, they
should see to it, in the interest OF the
town, that an improvement in this direc
ton is made. But this demands far
different spirit than that which prompts
continual pinching of pennies with the
nowspaper-the spirit that is disposed
to the suggestion that newspaper that
calls for cash should receive an insult,
and newspaper that will not be CON
tent to accept pay in brushes and
feather busters ought not to live. Very
few outside a newspaper Office have a
fair idea of the amount of money-cash
demanded from week to week to keep
a daily paper alive. Business men can
afford to pay their newspaper bills, and
pay them promptly and cheerfully. The
dicker" business, the exchanging of
newspapers for baths and peanuts, and
of advertising for mOlasses and blue
jeans, is, for a regular thing, crushing
upon newspaper and a shame to tho
community that insists upon a business
practice SO harmful and pernicious.