The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-17
Wednesday, October II, 1883
why the Newspapers Complain.

Wednesday, october IL, 1855
why the Newspapers Complain.
We find In one Of our exchanges the follow
ing paragraph, credited to another newspaper
mot long ago merchant Of -"d declar
ed, With oracular impressiyeness: what we
want In this town is q live newspaper" These
words, which were addressed to the editor
this paper, involved a twofold implication
that the L. is not live newspaper anc
that it is our duty to strive to make 1t one. u
this merchant and others who hold the same
views will contribute their mites to the dih
cult work of building up .live newspaper,
perhaps they will yet see their wishes 1s real y
.-oe. -no for eight years, and yet our friend
who - 30 anxious to witness the deVelopmeih'
OF q high type Of journalism-bold, puDlc
spirited. energetic, ,aggressive-has never az
yertised his business In Its columns. III Il
useless to expect newspaper men, VINO are
forced to feed on the husks Of neglect, TO oe
strong, active, aggressive workers. IL ls un
generous to paralyze their energies by censure
Instead OF stimulating them oy moral moIs ana aF h.
hire. The newspaper which does all IT can te
push q town ahead deserves to be noeralIy
patroniEed by the business men OF tnat town IN
and q paper which receives such general en-
couragement will have the strongest lnouce
ment for continuous and laoorious enort y
advance the interests OF the conn "
which we are subjected emanate, as q rule
from those who are neither subscribers nor ao
vertisers while our most generous patrons art
the most lenient in their Judgment OF our oe
dciences,"
We think there is q demand In many of the
towns for newspapers which are more pro
gressive than are those already in existence
The frequent complaints from newspapers be-
cause Of lack OF patronage and lack Of appre
citation on the part Of the public is an &C
knoledgement that the paper does not answer
the public demand II the local paper comes
mp to the expectation, or the demand, Of tht
public, the people will subscribe for it,and tht
business men will advertise in its columns
With this state OF affairs there will be no oc
casion for complaint, and there will be nc
complaint.
ing paper 10 somewhat like going on o pic
mic with free tickets will always think the
public are unappreciative.
The editor who fails to publish his paper or
the cooperative plan, while using loaded long
primer to fll with extracts from other papers
Q barren waste Of white paper, will, nine
times out Of ten, think the printing business
II improbable.
The country editor who takes up notion
that he can run State and National newspa
Per, with liberal extracts about foreign coun
tries, win ind that he is not appreciated.
Tho country editor, to succeed, must devote
himself to the interests Of the people in the
county In which his paper is printed. What
ever is OF direct interest to one community o.
tho county will incidentally interest the peo'
ple in other communities Of the same county
No paper which is set in loaded long primer
and which can be read In five minutes will
ever give satisfaction to the reading public.
No paper containing half dozen three line
local items, an able editorial on the probable
" OF war in Europe, and any amount OF ex'
tracts from other papers will ever give salts
faction.
The fact is, it Is almost next to an impossi
bility to prints good newspaper on large type
Many Of tho best and most acceptable articles
are excluded from newspapers which use large
type, from the bare fact that there Is not room
in the paper for them. A printer can Sc,
twenty per cent. more matter in small type
than he can In large type.
Except In rare instances 1t does not pay to
set extracts from other papers. The local pa
per, like the city paper. should be as nearly as
possible, filled with original matter-and that
matter should be OF nature to interest the
people for whom 1t is printed.
II the newspaper will first make itself wor'
thy Of patronage, the patronage will come.
II the newspaper is made so good that the
people cannot afford to do without 1t, there
will be no complaint about lack Of patronage
II the standard Of q newspaper is brough,
up TO the requirements of the public, the peo
pie will subscribe for 1t, whether they like the
editor or not. Intelligent people cannot afford
to do without q local paper which comes ur
to the standard.
In the above remarks, and in the paragraph
above quoted, we have omitted names, In
tending 10 be impersonal. while disclaiming
any intention to be offensive or disagreeable
to any one.