Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1881-11-17
THE NEWSPAPER AND IT'S PAT.
RON8.

boots that he don't need, and has
perfect right to discontinue at any
time; which he can easily do by paying
up and requesting the publisher to
erase the name from the list. Don't
he afraid of wounding the feelings of
the newspaper man, he is not usually
a fit subject for NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The above extract is true express
sion of mutual obligations existing be-
tween newspaper men and their pat
rons, and should be understood and
acted upon, and until this relationship
is understood and needed, both pub
fishers and patrons will come short OF
observing the rules that should govern
both. We do not expect this to ap-
ply to that class of papers which are
published in the interest Of particular
individuals, and are mainly supported
by contributions of the few. OF these
we care not. They are not ncwspa
pers in any public sense, nor are they
entitled to confidence from the general
public. They arc machine papers, run
by machine men, and generally are de-
vcid of independent thought. They
are not conservatives Of the general
good, ut if they conserve anything, it
is the personal interests of the machines
who furnish tho means and The ma
chine who runs them, and hence are
partial and one sided. But the news
paper which is entitled to respect and
confidence as such, is one that compre-
bends and seeks to place before the
people the principles and great matters
of the greatest interest and welfare to
the whole people where it circul ties.
1t must be truthful, it must be indie
pendent and fearless, it must be prompt
and bold to expose error and advocate
the right. Its conductor should not be
under the ban of no one man or
set of men, nor should he be beholden
to such for his compensation, and no
man should feel that he was obligated
to take and pay for his paper unless he
wanted it any more than he should be
obliged to take and pay for pound of
sugar at one of our stores unless he
wanted, and when he does want it he
should expect to pay for it at its price,
the came as he would pay for Il 9
pound Of sugar, and ray at tho ap-
pointed time. IF newspaper cannot
be supported upon this business prin-
ciple, then the community where it is
published is not in condition to have
good paper, and the paper, if sus'
tanned, will not he worth having as a
reli ble medium Of principles and
knowledge Of passing events. The
same is true Of advertising. If a man
has no wares to advertise,or no notice
to give to the public, he needs no space
in the advertising columns Of news
paper If he desires to reach only a
small number of readers then he should
seek those journals which have limit
ed circulation, but if he desires to
reach large number he should eeek
those papers whose circulation is the
largest, or seek altogether, and pay the
publishers living price for the space
he occupies. The business man is q
Ounce in business who advertises in a
paper because he can get his adver-
tisement free, or at rates such as, il
generally charged, will swamp the pub.
fisher aud force him to suspend pub.
LEGATION. You see q merchant start q
business and know that he is selling
his wares far below cost, you well know
I1lut uc Will SOOu run nlul6cli OUT ulu
yon have no confidence in his bushes.
capacity, and you won't trust him
In business matters to succeed, there
is no difference between the newspaper
n,nn and the merchant. You will no,
long trade with the merchant who i.
not uniform and honorable in his deal
ing, or who shows great Partially with
his customers. The newsp per mar
must he honorable in his dealings Of
he is not entitled to the confidence o.
the public any more than is tn,
tricky, partial and dishonest merchant
TIA newspaper will not pay, conducted
upon the above principles, the sooner
it suspends the better it will he for tn,
public which supports it. Where Their
is reasonable amount of population,
good independent paper will seldom