Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-12-28

and thereup0n gave six months peremtOry
notice, that on and after certain day, all
names would be cut off if not paid up for the
past and also paid in advance for the fu-
ture. The public had heard this cry Of
wolf so often from the country press that
they thought it was the same old cry again
and paid little attention to it. The day
came, and that night the proprietors sum-
moned up all the financial nerve they had
and sat down to the list. They struck off
every man who had not paid in advance-si1
hundred and MirtQ- tavo IN all 1t was what
the doctors call heroic remedy, and the
proprietors rose from their work with some
doubt as to whether they hadn't dispatch
ed their staunch old friend, the VINDI-
GATOR, as well as the dead-heads who had
been receiving it. To their surprise the
people, when they understood it-and the
good sense of the people always appreciates
the right thing when it's attention is call
ed--Were rather pleased than otherwise
Those who really wanted the paper soon
paid and got their names back on the list;
those who were unable to pay their arrears
dropped into oblivion; those who had
never intended to pay plated about what
they would have done if their names hadn't
been cut off but what they would not do
now because they had been, and a few re.
sponslble ana reliable men whose neglect
was thong htlessness, felt aggrieved for
while, but scon got over it and got on the
list again. 1t was a radical remedy that we
suppose had never been attempted to the
same extent before in Virginia. and prob
ably never has been since, but it worked
admirably. The people after trying the
advance system preferred it, for they saw
by experience the advantage of having a
paper stopped when the time paid for has
expired. and not having bills run up on
them for paper they don't want. The
result has been this-the VINDICATOR's
list is one-fourth larger than it ever was
in its history, and every man on 1t is
paid up in advance. 1t is very true that
there are people who come to subscribe
but don't, when they find the terms are in
advance. Those we lose, but the question
OF whether the loss is to be regretted, the
experience of the "Index-Appeal' ought
to answer.
We have given our experience in this
matter because the credit system is really
curse to the country press Of Virginia.
They pay cash for their material and labor
and then have to credit out the result of
their outlay. 1t is the oppression of an old
Virginia custom more prevalent in this
State we believe than elsewhere-and it
ought to be put an end to. And it can be
if our newspaper proprietors would only
try it. The cash system gives them every
; advantage. Not only does it get together
such class OF acknowledgements
reliable people, used to paying for what
they get-but the advertisers soon
find it out and use the paper read by such
a class as vehicle for making their bust
| ness known. 1t works well not only for
the newspaper itself, but for everybody
else, for we venture to say-and we say it
not as mere compliment, but as bust
ness fact-that the merchants of Staun-
ton have not anywhere a more desirable
class of customers than those cash pa wing
subscribers who read their advertisement
in the INDICATOR every week.