The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-12-14
Premiums to Subscribers.


Quite number Of cur exchanges are seek
ing to increase their circulation by offering
books, seed, &C., as premiums. This IS par
icularly the case With dollar papers. One
half Of these dollar. a year papers are burden
to society-no benefit to advertisers, bat little
interest 10 their readers, and whose continual
solicitation for patronage and duns for bills
make some Of them a Nuisance in the commu-
mites where they exist. II these publishers
can print a paper at a subscription of one
dollar a year, and give premium costing
twenty or thirty cents, they can afford to send
ont The paper, without the premium, for IS
cents. The fact is, good weekly county
paper-one that gives fair amount Of mis-.
ceIIaneous reading, together with the full local
news, and summary Of state and general
news, and keeps its readers posted upon oil
matters Of importance, cannot be furnished
at Il dollar a year. A paper that does not do
il. cannot hope to have a general county cir
culation, aad thes1 eSorts TO increase cash
receipts for mouth or two, by Offering
premiums, is Ike applying the whip to worn
out horse. It stimulates for a short time'
then leaves the horse in q more debiitated
condition than before. So with the publisher.
Extra subscriptions, gained BY the offer Of
premiums, increases cash receipts at the be-
ginning, but to send the extra papers 70 the
end of the year exhausts the cash and more,
and leaves him poorer than before.
The ADVOCATE every year is offered books
and various articles at about an alleged 40
per cent. discount, TO offer as premiums to
new subscribers. Those offering these arti-
cles appear TO have much interest in the vel
fare Of publishers. But in these days humans
are NOT so much interested in the success of
strangers, as 10 want to sell them articles less
than their value. For instance a publisher
offers to sell TO the ADVOCATE Dickens com
plete works, Is volumes, for S4.25 set, the
retail price being Sls.75. Every sensible man
knows that 40 such discount can be offered.
The discount on a great variety of books IS IN
the same proportion, and sixty-nine other
books are offered us at thirty cents each.
The proposition found its way 70 the waste
basket, as has several others. Whenever the
publishers Of the ADVOCATE feel they Can give
a premium for subscribers, they will dispense
with the premium and reduce the price of the
paper to a like amount. When we feel able
TO give 80 cent book to subscriber TO the
ADVOCATE, instead of doing so we will make
the subscription price Sl.70 per year.
Regarding premiums to subscribers, the
Mining Journal, published at Frostburg, Nd,
says:
"The subscriber who wants large pre-
MUM book from the journal because several
Other papers purchase or bride their patron
age IN that way is hereby informed that II Is the
Jousnal we sell and not books. Our paper
does not belong 70 the premium class OF jour
naiism 1t gives no presents and does no
gratuitous advertising 10 order to induce peo-
pie to take it. In other words, it has not
fallen into the scheme which leaves the Jour
nal out Of consideration and concentrates the
srbso-;bsrfs avarica wholly on the bride.