San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-02-19
The Press Of the South.

The growth in population and
wealth, and the development OF the
material interests OF the South, are
probably shown in no way better than
in the vast improvement that has
taken place during the last few years
in the press OF the South. In this
direction the progress has been equal
ly as great as IN industrial matters.
1t is not simply in few OF the lead
ing cities OF the South that this
change has taken place, but it is seen
in almost every town. however small,
that il blessed with weekly paper,
In such cities as Atlanta, Charleston,
New Orleans, Augusta, Galveston,
&C., the journalistic development has
been wonderful, and the leading
papers in each of these places would
do credit to New York or Chicago.
In fact, during the last few years they
have far outstripped the best OF the
Northern and Weston papers in i'm
provement, due great enterprise
and energy. They illustrate in a
most forcible manner the'general pro-
gressive tendency of the South Of
late years. While these papers have
done SO much to advance the reputa-
ton of Southern journalism, their less
widely known contemporaries in the
smaller towns have done their full
share in this work. Notwithstanding
the lack of adequate support. which
is especially noticeable in the class of
papers known as the country week
lies, these papers have been power
for good in the development of their
sections. Almost without exception
they have taken deep interest in the
progress of their towns, and have
generally been in the lead in stirring
the people up to enterprise and push.
The press of the South will probably
never receive it's just reward for the
vast amount of good it has accom-
plished; and it is much to be regret
ted that the Southern people, as a
whole, do not yet fully appreciate the
importance of giving their local papers
a liberal support. Every dollar
spent in helping to build up first
class local paperin town will be re-
turned many fold, for even if the
money thus spent in advertising
should not bring direct profit, it
would be more than repaid by the inn
mense good that fourshing paper
necessarily accomplishes for the town
in which it is published. To say that
a town is judged by its papers is only
to state truth that everybody
knows. Some may say that one
papcris naturally more pushing and
enterprising than another-very true
but no paper can be enterprising
unless its business justifes it, and the
seeming lack of Enterprise in many
country papers is often solely from
the lack of adequate financial means
due to lack of local support. Our
ideas rs to dozens of Southern towns,
that we have never seen, are formed
by their local papers, and we imagine
that, Judging simply by these papers,
we can almost, without u mistake,
name the towns whose business men
are pushing and energetic, and then
on the other side name those where
enterprise is almost unknown.
If the people of any Southern town
are anxious to see its population
steadily increase. the value of their
property enhanced, and their bust
ness interests prosperous, the first
and most important step to take is to
furnish their local paper with such
support as will enable it's publisher
to furnish a thoroughly live paper,
and then pretty soon the outside
world will begin to hear of the paper,
and the of the town, and presently
they will begin to make inquiries as
to what kind of a town tits, rs place
of residence or for business, and then
if the place really has good advan
tages, it has started on the road to
observation-disclosures Record.