The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1889-08-01

vi ieSPSIt, anu ali that SOIL Oi tillUS lOi
nothing, and pay for house rent, blank
paper, and printers hire for the privi-
lege of doing it; and they do not hest
tate to ask the publisher TO give them
dollars upon dollars wortn Of free adj
vertising. when they would not think
Of asking their groceryman to make
them donation Of ten cents worth of
goods.
This is wrong, and the whole syi
TEN needs changing. The columns Of
a newspaper represent the stock in
trade Of the proprietor his means Of
Iivclihood.-and to ask him to give
away his space, is an injustice and i'm
position upon u generous, patriotic,
home loyeing class Of c!tizens-the
editors OF our land-who are entitled
to more considerable treatment and
better things al the hands of their peO
! pie. The newspapers are dong
great work for their section, their State
and their country, and deserve to reap
more of the benefits Of the good they
do That s:thc labOrer is worthy of
his hire" is 10 less true to-day than
when ii was uttered by Christ when
upon earth more than eighteen hun
dered years ago, and it is no less APP
plicable to the patient, hard-work,
ing newspaper man, than to any other
honest son OF toll.
The newspaper publisher must cul-
tivate better opinion OF himself, born
of a greater love for his profession.
He must exercise tact and judgment,
and practice 4 manly independence in
the conduct of his business, if he would
profit by hi, labors in a measure pro-
portionatc to the various other avoca
tons in the broad field of human en-
deavor 1t will be remembered that
Schiller has said, leach man stamps
his own worth upon himself 1t lies
alone within the province and power
of the publisher 20 correct the existing
evils. He must work out his OWN des
tiny, whether that be to achieve dis
tinction and win success, or after a
precarious sail upon the journalistic
sea, have his craft dash against the
coral-reeis of failure and sink beneath
the turbulent pillows of ruin and dis
aster-another victim of s:want of
proper SUPPORT Perhaps more
truthful epitaph would be: 1t came to
its death by its own hands, victim
of misguided hopes and poorer judg-
ment.
| have no sort of sympathy with the
struggles of that paper whose columns
are filled with patent medicine cuts
that must have "top of column next
to reading NATTER on specified page,
when | know that such business ~ is
taken at one third and one-fOurth the
rates asked home patrons, and which
latter rates are reasonable living prices.
This is gross injustice to the home
patron-who is entitled to your favors
if you have any to bestow-and an
outrage the publisher practices upon
himself as we'll | admit, that the adj
vertiser who uses great many news
papers, and the advertising agent who
places any considerable amount of
business with 4 single publication,
may be entitled to some consideration
in the way of discounts or commits
sions, but | not admit that they have
a right to expect or receive a reduc
ton that will bring the article down
below the cost of production.
The most pleasant relations should
be established and maintained between
the publisher and advertiser, and to
do this there must be mutual respect
and confidence between the two. The
publisher should be honest and truth
full in his statements, and in his deal
ings fair and just. There must be no
semblance Of double dealing on his
part-nothing with the suspicion of
dup!icity about it. He should pre-
serve a strict integrity in all things,
assured that q honesty IS the best poll
Cyl in the newspaper business as in
everything else. (And right here let
me say by way of parenthysis, that
this oft-quoted saying is used as para
dox. Honesty is no policy, and if |
understand the true definition OF the
two words, the quotation as we find
it so often employed is erroneous and
misleading. There can be no policy
in doing thing that is right \ man
should be honest, because it is wrong
to be dishonest; he should do right,
because it is evil to do wrong, and be-
cause he will be punished-in his own
conscience if not otherwise in this life
for his SINS. Let the newspaper
publisher be known as man Of honor.
whose statement may be relied upon
as the truth, and the legitimate adver-
tlser who wishes space in his columns,
will be willing to pay a fair price for
it-and if he is not, then have no
dealing with him. Business that does
not pay,is no business at all. If there
is no profit in thing, do not touch |
tiff money consideration is at the /
bottom of it.
The publisher mast fix his adver- +
Using rates upon just and eQuable
basis, and then stand by them. The
price placed upon his space must not
be too high of Course-beyond what
he can give fair equivalent for, al