The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-12-01
THIRTY NEWSPAPERS.
An Article that Will Apply Generally.

Idaho Statesman. Nop. Is.
Washington Territory boasts of havinf
thirty newspapers published Within It's limits
The newspaper men are passing the eompli
ment around that "there 10 scarcely apoorly
printed journal in the whole number" Thii
Is all very good; we like to see newspaper.
treat each other courteously, but 1t would be
far better for the people Of that Territory,
and for the newspaper men, II the thirty
newspapers were compiled into two. To
speak plainly, there 10 not good newspaper
published In Washington Territory, aud this
Is not saying anything against the men who
are publishing the thirty newspapers. They
are working hard and doing the best they can
under the circumstances. The same can be
said of Idaho. The mania 10 publish or
rather to have a newspaper la every one
horse town has seemed to take possession of
not only the men who ars trying u run the
newspapers, but Of the people throughout
the country. A newspaper like the Portland
Oregonian 1--WE do not name the Oregonidn
because we have any special love for that
paper, for We have not, but 1t Is nevertheles
. good newspaper, and 1t is often said by its
enemies to be In fact the only newspaper In
Oregon) published In Seattle, and another
similar paper published In Walla Wallis, 10
all Washington Territory needs, and oil her
people can afford 70 support. Now they are
trying to support thirty papers, and the man
who takes them all, II there 10 such man In
the Territory, will have to take some other
paper TO obtain the news and current knowl
edge Of the world. 1t would be about Is
consisten. TO procure thirty one-horse power
engines TO run saw.mill on Puget Sound as
1t 10 to establish thirty newspapers in IS many
one horse towns IN Washington Territory 10
furnish you the news. 1t may be set down
with . reasonable degree Of certainty that
twenty-five Of these thirty newspapers are
making only . starving living, and the pro-
prietors are working third more hours and
much harder than they would be If they
were working for wages. We admire the
courage Of men who start and undertake TO
drive business Of their own, but we do not
think much Of the Judgment Of . man who
starts atrading-post or hotel where there
are no people to patronize him. The real
truth Is there are about IS many papers taken
In Washington Territory, published abroad
as Of their own papen-snd why? The
reason Is, their own newspapers are not what
Is demanded. The people must have better
newspapers, but take their home paper, as
they say, to help support local paper. A
paper that lives by the charity Of ie friends
10 poor indeed. It Is not very likely that
Washington Territory will lose its present
number Of newspapers. Some will starvs
out every year, but others will start up and
keep the old NUMBER what It Is. Blu: in
time some two or three o. these papers will
be more prosperous than the others, and,
like the Oregonian and other metropolitan
papers, be able to meet the demands of the
people. 1t is with newspapers - with many
other things, better to have one or two good
once than sdozen poor ones.