Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-12-08
~uhe,tipi,on Rates {:
OLYMPIA, ..Hi>GTON TER.
OLYMPIA. fEIhN ElE\i\G. De. \. lN>9
Two Sides to the Subject.

Two Sides to the Subject.
\ few weeks ago the f,,Jcr pu)- /
llshed IA paragraph coinpi'nen'lnS
the Territorial press. 1t stated II
we remember correctly, that up
ward, of thirty newspapers were pub .
lished in the Territory, all of which 4,
were well printed and credltably ed
tied. Thi, item went the round, /
until it had been re printed III near |
~ all the papers, each OF which, Il Is
presumed, felt pardonable pride !
in paralins the fact that its claims
to distinction had at last been rec
oGnized.
But now comes the Idaho States
?ian, and knochs the props from the
air-castles built by these aspiring
publishers. 1t assumes that there
is no use for thirty newspapers in a
field scarcely large enough for two.
CA newspaper like the Or"go"m",
it claims published at Seattle, and
another at Walla, is all Washington
Territory needs, or the people are
able to support" The "one-horse
towns" should dispense with such
aids and help to build up influential
Journals ut these points named!
While we have no disposition to at
tempt to controvert the Statr<ma"'s
assertion, that there are more such
enterprises undertaken than pay a
living profit to the publishers, we
are surprised that any writer OF COM
mon sense should have suggested the
possibility, or desirability, of restrict
ing all effort for developing and fos-
tering local enterprise by this means
tn two localities so remote from
many other points possessing quite
as strong hopes of future renown.
1t is just as impractical as it would
be to advise the people OF &c one
horse towns to send to Seattle or
Walla Walla, for their flour, because
better mills may grind the wheat, or
TO city merchants for suit OF clothes,
because the prices, quality and style
NAV be q little better than our back
woods shops can supply. 1t is not
expect ed nor desired by the patrons
that the local press shall give full
account of suicides at Leadville, the
arrest of some marauder in New
Mexico, or q long dreary resume OF
foreign news, with names of persons
and places misspelled, a la Oregoni-
an, but instead of this, the price of
butter and eggs is information which
the farmer desires, and for which he
is willing to pay. The business man
needs q more direct means Of COM
munication with his customers, than
through a paper with thousands of
circulation outside his field of oper-
atoms, for which he must pay, with
out any return. The people need
an exponent of their local interests;
voice constantly heard in advocacy
of home resources; an indication to
the world at Large that they have at
least location and name in the busy
worlds active realities. 4 town
without its newspaper sinks to pre-
mature decay. There is no period
of rest in this wide-awake age, and
for a community to make the attempt
to keep step with the spirit of the
times without this greatest of modern
aids, would be about as practical as
an effort to perform Hamlet without
the ghost.
The Statesman must not assume
that Washington Territory newspa-
pers live by the charity of their
friends, although its own experience
may justify such a belief. There is
adisposition here to pay reasonable
price for any commodity which is
deemed essential to the comfort or
convenience of the community. Those
who " support" the newspapers gen.
orally do SO to support themselves,
and the selfish impulse is so strong
ly developed that it is hardly prob
able anybody pays for what be does
not want.