The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-08-20
NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISES.

that demand has been met and that
patronage obtained, by reputable
journal, the field has been taken posses
sion of. and new applicants for public
favor must move with caution and un-
der a thousand disadvantages,
In Louisville, with 10000 population,
there is but one big, prosperous daily.
In Cincinnati but two with n still
larger population. In st. Louis there
are two, and in Baltimore,
San Francisco, Boston, Philadel-
phia, Chicago, and, indeed, all
the great cities, an average of one paper
only to about 100000 population as Il
support. Look at Texas as compared
with these cities. Galveston, with a
population of only $1,000, has daily
paper as large as the Courier-Journal
or ST. Louis Republican; Houston, only
fifty miles from Galveston, is attempt
ing to enter the News field with another
costly newspaper venture; Dallas, with
10000 people, supports AS big news
paper as San Francisco or Baltimore
has, and yet with such limited field
occupied, literally "grabbed," Fort
Worth thought another big paper a
necessity, and attempted to supply the
"long felt want"
The Gazette was good paper and
somebody will probably still attempt to
publish a big daily there and let out the
generous, juicy thousands in the effort
to give North Texas olive paper" for
always when the new candidate for pat
ronage appears it is in the guise of a
"real live paper" a "long felt want"
something indeed in the way of jour
nalistic venture the like of which was
never seen before.
After while, however, the public be-
gin to learn that this new venture gets
the same telegraphic service only and
presents, with all its money, about the
same features as the "old reliable" that
they have taken and known for years,
and the first furore rapidly subsidies.
The field is not large enough for two and
the people very sensibly stick to the old
well known article, and as n result the
adventurer soon collapses and its en-
thusiastic hackers sigh for the touch OF
vanished thousands.
1t is repetition of the old, old story.
To put big capital in bank when the
business is overrun, or in groceries OF
dry goods when the old houses can
hardly make expenses, is the first ster
toward financial ruin. A newspaper i,
but IA business enterprise, and if it has
got the custom, it is the hardest thing
on earth to GUST IL.
Every city can count its newspaper
wrecks by the score. How many papers
backed by 'Iarge capital" have tried t.
down the Galveston News and the
Dallas HERALD? Where are they? Ant
yet the HERALD certainly, and possibly
the News, are lirmer, more prosperous
better newspapers to-day than ever
before in their history. With the excep
ton of the San Antonio Express, thu
News and HERALD are probably tn
only real newspaper enterprises to-da,
in Texas.
There is good, sensible lesson for am
bilious capitalists, who fancy they cai
run newspaper, in the fate of the Hous
ton Post and the Fort Worth Gazette
Both were back by unlimited means
Both gave all the news in most attrac
tive shape. Both were tip-tp, almost a
good as their rivals. There was no
wanting hundreds of men, who woul,
swear that they were the hes
papers in the State, and yet tn
Post management, preceding tn,
present management, sunk, It
said 100000 in supplying the "ong
felt-want" and "downing the News,
and the latter is stronger to-day tina
ever. So with the Gazette. 1t was ru
regardless" 1t spread itself to bea
the HERALD, and yet il is in the hand
Of a sheriff to satisfy an indebtedness {
some $4,000, and the HERALD's circul,
ton is bounding steadily aheud with tn
ease and rapidity of the antelope.
, Why?
, People will stand by the old brand ,
| coffee, the old brand of prints, the old a,
ticlo of wine, the paper whose name Ia
= become a household word
, The HERALD has long since learne
that it will not do to despiso opposition
but 1t has long since cease
to fear II. II viii TAX
many and many thousand dollar
: to place before the people OF North Texa
the nows of the day in fuller forI
better or moro attractive shape, or /
quicker time than the HERALD furnishe
1t. Men without fortunes cannot do /
and those with big bank accounts an
sound heads don't fancy seeing thos
accounts melt like snow under q sun
mer sun upon mere venture. Tha
sort OF thing gets monotonous afte
awhile.
In short, newspaper business Is Xix
every other business. II the field
open and tho man at tho head has absC
lutte control and understands his bus
ness he can by long effort and patier
waiting make a success, but otherwis
not. A newspaper is like new college,
handsome endowment doesn't make h
1t takes time and talent and reputation
and when 1t gets to the top the publ
are just as apt to patronlze any othor in
stitution that stands equally well.
Splendid Request.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. l0.--vin