The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1878-07-24
Nenspnper Palronnge.

u
emit ways Of understanding the true
meaning Of newspaper patronage, as
il is called, and, as an interested
party, we give place to disquisition
on the subject by one who knows
whereofhe speaks. Iswillserye, per-
haps, as q mirror where certain per-
sons may see themselves as others see
them.
Many long and weary years haze
forced the conviction upon US that
newspaper patronage is word Of
many definitions, and that a great
majority of mankind is either ignor-
ant Of the correct definition or are dis
homes! in a strict biblicalsense Of the
word. Newspaper patronage is com
posed of as many colors as a rainbow,
and is as changeable as chameleon.
One man comes in and subscribes
for the paper and pays for it in ad.
vance, and goes home and reads it
with the proud satisfactory that it is
his. He hands in his advertisement,
asks the price, pays for it, and goes
to his place of business and roapS the
advantage thereof. Another man
says you may put my name on your
books, and goes of without saying
a word about the pay. Time passes
on, and you want money, and want
him to pay you what is honestly due
you. He flies into a passion, per-
haps pays, perhaps not, and orders
his paper stopped. This is called
newspaper patronage.
Another man brings in fifty-cent
advertisement, and wants two dol
lar notice given it, and if you refuse
he goes off mad. And this is news
paper patronage.
Another man lives near you-he
does not take the paper-he don't
like the oditor-the paper is too small
for him-yet he goes regularly to his
neighbor and borrows it, and quarrels
with the opinions of the editor. 0c-
cassionally he sees an article he likes;
he begs or gives half dime for the
number. This is called newspaper
patronage.
Another man likes the paper and
takes a copy of it for his family, and
pays for it, and does all he can to get
new subscribers; he never grumbles,
but always has a cheerful word for
the editor. If any little item of in
terest occurs in the noighborhood, he
informs the editor. This is newspa-
per patronage.
Another man has a patent and
wants you to give it a two dollar no
tice every week; it will be ofinterest
toyour readers, he says; but although
benefiting him most of all, he does
not offer to pay for it. This is called
newspaper patronage.
Another man has taken the paper
several years, but has not paid for it,
and comes in with four or five dol,
lar advertisement and asks you to in.
scrt it for nothing, because he is an
old patron of yours, This is called
newspaper patronage.
Another mana oungma about
town." no use of taking a paper he
knows all there is going on. By and
by he gets married, and hands in no
tice with Gust give dozen copies.
He gets them, and when you men
ton pay looks surprised-"you sure
ly don't charge for such a thing'
And this is called newspaper patron
age.
Now isn't newspaper patronage
curious thing2 And in that grea
day when the gentleman in black
gets his dues, as he surely will, how
many of the patrons enumerated
above will fall to his share? Now i
will be seen that while certain kind
of patronage is the very life and ex
istcnce of a newspaper, there are 9th
or kinds of patronage that are more
destructive than the deadly nigh
shade.
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