The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-04-13
Newspaper Subscribers and Advertisers.


The newspaper is one Of the most useful
appliances of modern times. Through its
agency the whole world has a means of
ntercommunication even between the most
distant points. Without it civilization
would revert to what it was in the dark
ages of the world, and medieval ignorance
would again cover the earth like a pail.
Its influence IS vast and beyond the power
Of the ready reckoner to compute. Yet,
there are those who manage to live with
out it, in some sense, although its influence
benefits even them, aud modi6es to some
extent the density of their ignorance
through information orally impaired by
those who are the direct recipients of its
advantages. The usefulness and influence
of each particular journal is bounded only
by the extent of its circulation. That
circulation is greater or less, according as
it is conducted in popular or unpopular
manner, with or without the usual skill
and tact Of successful journalism. The
greater the interest impaired to a news
paper, the wider its circulation, and the
more extended its circulation the more
valuable it becomes as an advertising me-
dunn. But just here the interests of SUBJ
scribers and advertisers, in relation to any
public journal, clash. When the columns
of a newspaper become unduly crowded
with advertisements it loses its interest for
the average reader, who drop it, and thus
its circulation is lessened, and it is no
longer so valuable as an advertising me-
dunn. This is particularly true of some
rural papers which admit everything that
offers in the form Of an advertisement.
They thus tighten the labor of compost
ton, and save. perhaps, the expense of an
additional hand, but in so doing they
trench upon their news columns and be-
come less interesting to their readers. If
a newspaper viii yield entirely to the de-
mands of advertisers, they will deface it
and deform it by huge and unsightly cuts,
by large type suitable only for posters, and
by loud and unwieldy advertisements
spreading across two or three columns,
until it resembles an ordinary handbill
rather than a newspaper. Some publish
ers don't seem to regard the interests of
their subscribers at all, but publish their
papers in the interest of advertisers alone.
Subscribers are the permanent patrons of
a newspaper, and their interests deserve
some consideration as well as those of ad-
vertisers. But, if newspaper is filed
with advertisements instead of news, its
circulation must decline, for people viii
not continue to support paper, for any
length of time, which stints its readers in
the matter of current news, local and gen.
eral. The ordinary demands of business,
in most localities, viii not over-erowd the
business columns Of paper, but if every
thing that offers, at home and abroad, is
admitted, there will be very little room
left for news. The discriminating reader
will not continue to bestow his patronage
on paper which is published in the in
terest of advertisers alone, to the neglect
of the legitimate claims of its subscribers.
lie will reasonably conclude that the latter
are entitled to some consideration at least,
and will quit mere advertising sheet for
one that meets his reasonable demand for
news.