San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-05-28
Another Newspaper I, II Needed IN
San Marco,

About monthly on A. average ~
hear talk Of new newspaper at nj
place, Now, we believe. two on tire
are'taliod Of We propose 10 join Z
tho talk somewhat, and without in
tending anything invidious, shall tel
some truths which may be proitabl.
considered by "whom IL may con
Germ"
Is another newspaper needed il
San Marcos We think moi, Let M
see.
IL ia not needed, because the FnEI
Pass fairly and fully occupies the
field.
Fairly occupies, for the following
among other reasons; We came here
twelve years ago the 10th Of next
month, and began publishing paper
the first OF October following. There
had boon two previous newspaper
ventures hcrc-the Pioneer and the
Times - having hal, in about four
years, some half-dozen different pro-
priotors or managers. The Pioneer
lived only about eighteen months,
Tho Times was on its last legs, on the
eve Of suspension or change OF hands,
when we bought IL, We bought, also,
its small Office, which VIC added TO
much larger one which We brought
with MS. We gave our own obliga-
tons for tho Office, asking no help, no
subscriptions Of money "to DO taken
out in advertising after getting start
cd" nothing Of the sort, We took
tho entire responsibility, assumed all
the risks, leaving nobody the bag to
hold in ease OF our failure. Hence,
OF course, We were compelled TO fight
our way through, or fail. We have
not failed, as everybody knows.
Buying out the Times was no ad-
to us, 10 say the least; but
we thought it the fair and honorable
thing to do, under the circumstances.
It's advertisements were mainly
" dead" and from great many on
its subscription list we never realized
We went to work to build
up n business. We greatly improved
the paper, mechanically and every
other way; such was universally con-
coded to be the fact. We spent on it
really more than the patronage war
in the nope Of increasing it,
md have done so ever since. We
have continued it through all these
years - through dark periods and
some Of them, God knows, were very
lark to us) as well IS fair, down to
he present time; and during the
whole of that long period the paper
las been recognized, abroad as well
IS ut home, as a credit to the reputa-
ion of our town and county, and rs
,oing n leading factor in their pros
,erity and growth.
Meantime, what was going on
lmong the newspapers round about
Is? Frequent changes of proprietor
hip, name, etc, at most points, to
;uch an extent that the Columbus
citizen and the Bastrop Advertiser
ire the only papers in western Texas
when we began publishing here,
Which have continued to this time I'M
Ter the same owners and managers.
Thus, during the four years of
newspaper history here just proceed
ny the FREE PREss, there were two
distinct enterprises, and not less than
lalf-a-dozen different parties taking
"a hand at the bellows. " Reasoning
~ analogy, and in view of what has
,ccn going on in other similar places,
he fair supposition is, that had we not
aiken hold of the business here, there
would probably have been a dozen or
norc changes since in the town pa
er Now, we submit, would this
tate of things have been the best for
his community? Would it have been
t all likely to have had rs good pa
er during all these years, or to-day,
S the FREE Press ?
Another evidence that the FREE
'REss fairly occupies the field, lies i'll
no fact that it has met and overcome
vo very determined and bitter efforts
rival papers to run it ont -. We
lude to the Busy Bee" and Nut
lell ~. Both were supported by our
nrsonal enemies, and both failed ig-
The grade of the latter
rs shown by its arguing, in lead
g editorial, that the Apostle Paul, if ,
DIV living, would be frequentcr of I
blooms! The manager grayitated to
sic, where he continued to manifest
bitter hatred to the FREE Pass and