The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-08-30
AN ADVERTISING TRUST.

While there has always been cause
for organization on the part of news
paper publishers, especially of "country
weeklies," and the greatest necessity
why there should be full and free CO.
operation among them for their own
mutual interest and protection against
frauds of every class, there seems to
be special need of such at this time
No one can read the circulars sent out
by the various advertising agencies
without realizing this. But let the
Printers Al6nm, published at Chi
cago, H., speak on this subject. IN
der the above caption it says:
The leading advertising agencies in
the United States have formed them
selves into crust" though they do
not call it by that name. 1t is, how
ever, an offensive and defensive ALI
arCe, and to that extent is trust. 1t
is difficult to discover any necessity
for such an organization. The adver-
Using agencies are the most favored OF
all lines of business which come into
relation with the newspapers. They
are a class of middlemen which bleed
both the publisher and the advertiser,
more especially the former. Their
existence is of no advantage to the
newspaper fraternity, though they are
a convenience to the large advertiser,
as they save him the necessity of form
ing a sort Of advertising bureau Of his
own. But to the newspapers they are
not only of no benefit they are man
ifestly injurious. They do not in
crease the volume of advertising to
any appreciate degree; they simply
step in between the advertiser and
the publisher, with both arms extend
ed, and levy tribute from each. They
make terms with both parties. The
publisher has nothing to say about the
price of his space SO far as their ads,
are concerned, and here is where we
say the great injury is inflicted. The
prices paid to country newspapers by
the agencies are simply degrading,
and would not be accepted from the
regular advertisers of the paper-the
people of the town wherein it is pub
lished. The publisher, therefore, dis
eliminates against his regular patron:
and townsmen, who are the natural
support OF the paper, in favor Of &
class of agencies which have no inter
est in the publication, and whose very
existence is menace to its prosperity
The publishers are at fault in the
matter. The agencies have both lie
gal and moral right to buy as cheaply
as they can, and sell at the highes
figures they can get. No countr,
/ publisher ever made any profit out o
their ads, however, and many an edi
tor has inserted one of them in hi
paper ''to fill up" when he felt {
sense Of degradation in SO doing. LIE
every country publisher take it upor
himself to refuse these ads, at an,
price other than his regular rates, ane
in little while the agencies woule
oblige advertisers to pay the increase
and the paper would get the sam,
amount OF advertising at fair rate o
remuneration.
1t would seem now that the news
papers ought to form defensive com
i bination, since the avowed aim ant
purpose of the agency "trust" is t,
regulate the prices paid to the paper
for their space, and to influence then
as to which agencies they shall dea
with-excluding, of course, those no
within the folds of the trust" 0
whatever it is.