Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1878-01-19
About Newspapers-The Herald.

The Express of yesterday had
some very sensible reflections upon
the Los Angeles press. This city
to-day has four daily and six
weekly papers, not taking count of
the Spanish, French and German
weeklies and semi-weeklies. Dur
ing the past fourteen months tho
HERALD and Express are the only
Offices which have not recorded a
number of changes. In some cases
these "flops" have occurred with
bewilGering frequency. The E1-
press regards the great number Of
newspapers existing in this city as
an imposition on the business
com munity. So do we, and there
is another respect In which it is all
imposition.
1t is an intolerable imposition
upon those who are legitimately in
the business, who are practical
newspaper men, who control re-
sponsible and well appointed news
paper offices, and who thus repre-
sent experience and Investment
things which enter into the count
in all other businesses. 1t is a fact
which we have been Of ten puzzled
to account for, that everybody
thinks he can make success as q
newspaper editor and publisher,
while the truth is that it requires
great tact, technical knowledge
and business aptitude to make
newspaper successfully one can
sink u newspaper as easily as roll
ing off log. One man can take
newspaper, just as another person
can u bank, and make it success,
while two other men, not the right
men, would make failures of both.
1: is hardly fair, in times like
the present, to subject legitimate
newspaper ventures to the compe-
tition of men who get possession of
lot of types and start out to lose
money-if they did or could make
money, we wouldn't object. Mis-
cradle in their financial expert
ences, they are, to a certain extent,
the cause of misery in others.
As for the HERALD, all we ask is
a fair field and no favor. We pub
fish this paper for the joint pur-
pose of advocating what we regard
as the best interests OF Los Angeles
and the Democratic party and to
make d living. or course there is
no big money in the business in
such times as these, but we have
paid our way as we went and we
are able to meet any demands
when they are presented. We have
not thought it worth while to snap
and snarl at our brethren of the
press. If they can prosper we wish
Them God speed. We are ready to
live and let live. If the operation
of the law of tue survival of the
tittest comes into play In Los An.
geles, while it pains our modesty to
hint it, we are inclined think the
HERALD is one of the newspapers
which will survive. Our steady
volume of job printing, our large
facilities hfor doing 1t with cheap
ness and dispatch, the relia BILE and
Intelligent favor Of the advertising
community, etc etc., leave us In
about as good plight to meet a
rugged newspaper situation as any
paper we know OF. We are sorry
that there Is not cut and come
again on the platter for all our
brethren of the press, and for the
half dozen new fellows who would
rush in to lose money if business
were lively. Meanwhile, we say to
merchants and advertisers, and to
those>who have job printing, what
ever you do-however you may
hesitate as to other papers, if you
wish to be healthy and wealthy
and wise, and go straight to heaven
when you die, making it thus i'm.
material to you whether there is a
hell or not, send your favors into
the HERALD office.