, 1883-01-26
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2G, 1889.
In Prospect

Ii seems thHt there Is q llkrU
hood OF Il removal Of the oX
pertinent Of publishing a second
newspaper in Port Townsend.
MeSsrS. Bowen and Walch have dis
posed Of thcirpaper at Anacortcs, We
understand, and are prospecting with
Il view to taking Dr. Wilisou's old
material, formerly used in publishing
the Democratic Press, and starting Il
little weekly here again. As there is
not yet business enough here to sus-
tain two papers deccntly, it Is Diff
cult to SIZE what the projectors Of the
new enterprise expect to accomplish
unless they aim to crowd out and
Supplant the one already existing Il
little job that was tried unsuccessful
ly before for two years
Should a new paper be started
here, and succeed in dividing the
patronage to any considerable extent
that is, to materially reduce the in
come Of this paper, it is probable that
the daily edition of the ARGUS will
be discontinued after time, and the
town will fall back to two second-rate
weeklies again. This paper is and
has been occupying the field here ex-
clusively since its former rival
succumbed to the inevitable, some
two years ago. Since our daily edi-
ton was started in June last we be-
lieve we have given back more value
to the public in return for their pat
ronage, and have done more for the
advancement of the town, than any
t,cO papers could have done-for the
very obvious reason that there is not
sufficient support for two publica
tions, and two inferior papers are not
as good as one tirst-class one Ittakes
lots of money to carry on daily pa
per, however, and whenever our in
come falls below the expenses right
then our little daily will be decapita-
ted. We have labored in season and
out of season, working from twelve
to sixteen hours day, for nearly six
years, to bring the ARGUS ND to the
highest point attainable under its
patronage. We enjoy the distinction
of being the only publisher who ever
succeeded in keeping a newspaper
alive in this place, except our imme-
diate predecessor, the former pub
Usher of this paper, and he with his
wife did about all the work, carrying
the establishment on in a very econ
omical manner. The ARGUS, under
its present management, could not
have been continued upon its expen-
sive basis had not its editor found
ways Of adding materially to his in
come from outside sources. These
ere plain truths, and illustrate the
fact that the wisdom or economy Of
maintaining two papers on support
none too great for one are open to
question. 1t is for the public to de
eide whether they will have one well
I'D horse, capable of, doing good
work, or two crow bats. After the
town gets large enough to support
two papers, the question will wear n
different aspect. OF course if our
business men think themselves able
to support an additional weekly pa
per, without diminishing their pat
ronage of what they already have, we
can but commend their liberality and
enterprise. Otherwise, for the pres
ent at least, it will be q case of the
survival of the tittest.
The young gentlemen who pro-
pose trying TO work up business
enough for an additional paper here
are both practical printers, somewhat
acquainted with the country and its
needs, and they will doubtless do
their best for the interests of Port
Townsend. They will have to depend
upon merit and enterprise for success
from the start, because there is no
political or local issue of any kind
pending and no prospect of any for
some time to come, All over the Pa
cifc coast the tendency is toward
o;erdoing business of all kinds; and
no branch is this more marked than
in the publishing business. In near
lv .ynry plana Uharn ono manor brS n