The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-08-10
Daadheads.

i nc lOlloWlnp JuslTenlaTks on lne SUD-
ject of deadheads are taken from For
ncy's PrOgreSS: With what are called
"deadheads,n in general, over the rail
roads and at the theatre, have nothing
TO do, the present purpose being to
prove, if possible -thctruth of two prop
osiiions:
LIST. That no other business is so
prcycd upon by "deadheads" as that of
journalism, aud
I'd, That the most accomplished and
successful of the deadheads, which af-
Ilict the newspaper Offices, are the rail-
roads and then the theatres.
In proportion TO the expense involved
IN its preparation, noarticle is SO cheap
" supplied rs the newspaper. Its cost
to its readers is as near nothing as it
could well be, and to make living prof
it, TO its owners it must look elsewhere
for revenue than TO its subscription
list. That, in many establishments, is
a positive loss regarded by itself but the
circulation attracts the advertiser. and
the advertiser furnishes the sinews of
war; To get the advertiser you must
first get the circulation, and to get the
circulation YOU must give the people
paper that will please and interest
them. Every line which II newspaper
publishes for any other reason than that
its editor thinks ii contains something
the people wish TO know, is more or less
an injurXto him, because it occupies
space which otherwise would be filled
with matter which would aid in building
up or retaining the popularity of his
journal, To this must be added the cost
of putting the puff in type and the
other OUTLAWS it requires. The wise
newspaper proprietor limits the number
of columns to which he will admit adj
ycrliscmcnts. or increase his columns to
accommodate rush, knowing that TO
crowd the reading matter though it may
temporarily make happy the heart of
his cashier, means speedy and pGrma-
nent ruin. Yet there is not n ncwSpa-
per IN the country which does not give
away in the course of II year many col
umns of its valuable space a trite, but
true expression and more than that
places these gratis notices in positions
which the money OF the legitimate adj
ycrtiscr, paid down over the counter
could not buy. The people who ask
these notices, and who are offended if
they do not get them arc legion, but no
class approaches anywhere near the
rapacily Of the railroads and theatres.
If other newspaper advertisers received
free notice III the same proportion rs do
railroads and theatres, there would be
room for nothing else. And not only
are the railroads and theatres granted
these free notices. but in many eases
their paid advertisements are inserted
for much less than the regular rates.
do not refer 10 the so.Called criticism of
PLAYS and the "atcntion called to the
change Of ,jmr tables ON the railroads.
which may 90 under The head of mat
tiers of interest to the public. though
they are of advantage in every instance
to the road or house (which they speak,
but 20 the preliminary pulls of plays.
notices of the improvements along the
line etc. which are never paid for,
which are n source of expense in the
newspapers. and oftcntimcs neceSstate
the omission of news. Why. you may
ask, do the newspapers submit to this
imposition? Clearly, the affair is in
their own hands. All. gentle reader,
YOU do not know the WAYS of the rail-
road and the theatre men? They must
be petted and coddled more than any
other advertiser ever dreamed of. If
one newspaper denies what they ask,
another one will grant it, and away may
90 the advertisements from the sheet of
the bold journalist. There are certain
order Of advertisements which some
newspapers cannot afford to be without,
and among these are the cards of rail-
roads and theatres, and this, not be-
cause of the money they bring in, but
because they are supposed to establish
in the minds of other advertisers, from
whom fair prices can be had, that the
circulation is of some account, Those
who control these advertisements are of
course aware of this. and presume upon
it to compel acquiescence in their de-
mands for the free insertion of this, that
gnd the other.