Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-06-11
THE STATE PRESS.
The Kentucky Editors Hold Success
full Meeting at Greensboro.

held lis annual meeting at Owensbo-
70 June 6 and 7. 1t was called to or
der at . 80 p. m. Thursday by the
President, Col. e. Polk Johnson, who
delivered an appropriate address.
New members were called for and
number of papers were enrolled
and the annual dues of 81 90 were
paid by all papers represented.
Ben Harrison, the Treasurer, sub
mitted his annual report showing
q balance of few dollars on hand.
Officers for 1889 were elected as
follows: President, E. Polk John
son Vice President, Urey Woodson (;
Secretary, w. P. Walton; Treasurer,
Ben Harrison Orator, J. w. Hopper;
Poet, I. U. Chisholm. Winchester
was selected as the place for the
meeting of 1890.
Young E. Allison read paper on
"Relations of the Press to Business
Interests" which was listened to
with interest.
The Association then adjourned
and the members were driven in car
riages to NJ. v. Monarch's distillery
where they were entertained with
lunch and other refreshments.
AT the evening session the address
of welcome was made by r. A. Mil
Ter and responded to by the Presi-
dent. The annual Grafton was made
by Col. J. Soule Smith. These
speeches were listened to by very
large audience and all of them were
good efforts. Mr.. Miller made rep
utatiop as an orator of splendid abil-
ity aud eloquence of high order.
On Friday business was resumed at
Ga. m.
The first paper was on "Advertis-
ing Rates." by Sam o. Roberts, Of
the Lexington Leader.
j. II. Belts, of Little Rock, who
was expected was not present but
sent a paper on "Practical Matters on
the Business Side," which was read.
Legitimate Circulation" was dis
cussed by Chas. NJ. Meacham, who
read the following paper:
LEGITIMATE CIRCULATION.
The profitable circulation of its is
sue is as necessary TO the existence Of
newspaper as the circulation OF
blood is to the life Of an animate
creature. Cut off circulation in eth
er case and death is the inevitable re-
suit. It is no wonder, then, that
some publishers, in their esgerness
to secure circulations, are not over
scrupulous about having legitimate
lists. The question is the same i'm
portant one that must be met and
solved, whether it confronts metro
politan daily, or a "patent inside" in
a small town. whose man-of-all-work
SWEETS down" few quires and "works
them of" on a rickety hand-press-
provided the necessary expressage
can be raised. 1t is question that
has peopled the graveyards of jour
nalism with the grinning skeletons
of long list of defunct organs that
died for lack of readers. II has
caused more editors to worry them
selves hairless than have ever been
made bald from sitting in damp and
poorly ventilated churches.
AS the methods adopted to improp-
erly increase circulation are more
commonly followed by local papers,
I shall discuss the question from
the standpoint of the country journal.
The metropolitan dailies circulate
largely through agents and Dewsboys
and are not called upon TO deal with
the problem as IT confronts the local
weekly or small daily. Indeed, in
the larger cities the editorial aud
business departments Of the leading
dailies are often widely separated
and the editor knows no more about
his own papers circulation than the
average "spellbinder" knows about
the tariff. The idea entertained by
the learned editorial writer is that
the circulation department of news
paper is some sort of necessary
adjunct, where aflidavits are prepared
and mendacity encouraged. This
idea, originally supposed to be funny,
has become among photographers a
chestnut almost as hoary as the jokes
about the mother-in-la law, the police
man and The umbrella. l recall one
OF these alleged witticisms, which is
not too trite to illustrate my point
A new reporter was assigned by a
city editor to write up a county fair.
He came back with his copy prepared
and among other particulars reported
that 100000 people were in attend
ance, the winning horse made mile
a minute and 100000 changed
hands on the result the big pumpkin
weighed 1000 pounds and the man
in the balloon assembled 20 miles.
The city editor read the copy and
handing it back, said: "Young man.
you are child of genius, but this is
not your field of usefulness. Go
down stairs and tell the business
manager to give you a place in the
circulation department"
But there is nothing funny about
the circulation business from the
standpoint of your country editor,
who has not only TO forge his thun-
derbots of wisdom, but likewise de-
wise means of hurting them upon
the reading public. 1t is serious
matter and one that often causes the
editor to lie-awake at night, studying
how to exchange the product of bis
pious brain for the "root of all evil"
Richard Ill never needed horse
worse than the publisher needs list. |
How TO obtain readers, is the first
obstacle that arises before the jour-
nalist when he makes up his mind TO
start a paper, to divide with the pub
lie the information with which his |
brain is throbbing. Without a list |
he cannot hope for advertising and
without advertising there can be no |
paper, and consequently no free
passes, no banquets, no excursions. |
1t is not strange then, that many q |
paper is started with list made up |
largely of unpaid subscribers and
sample copies. This is not honest
Journalism, and when carried to ex-
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