Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-21
ADVERTISING SCHEMES.
FOREIGN SHEETS FOR ADVERTISING
CALIFORNIA LOCALITIES.
The Chairman of the Publishing Com
mittee of the State Board of Trade
Speaks Out Plainly.

The following communication to the ed
itor of the Gait Gazette speaks for itself and
needs no introduction. Its strength, patent
truths and undeniable conclusions should
reach all business men:
SAN Francisco, February Is. 1890.
Ny Dear Nr. Campbell: l have a letter
from one of your most prominent and es-
teemed citizens stating that parties from
San Francisco are soliciting contributions
to publication entitled "a Bird's-eye
View of the Town of Gait aud that the
agent of this enterprise has declared that
his publication has the Endorsement OF the
State Board of Trade and the assurance that
it will be distributed from the travelling ex-
hibition known as California on Wheels"
The gentleman addressing me seems to be
perplexed as TO what the duty of your cIti-
zens may be in the premises. He COM
plains that enterprises of this kind are
very numerous-that solicitors for special
editions of papers, for almanacs, for
pamphlets, advertising the resources of the
State after the manner of immigration liter
ature, are importuning your community, as
they are every other community in the
State, in the interest of their schemes and
publications. The spirit of enterprise
which prompts any community to adver-
tise its resources is one every way worthy
of encouragement. A community edu-
Gated to penuriousness, and content with a
primitive stage of development, will not
only be beaten by its more enterprising
neighboring communities but will eventu-
ally be overtaken by an arrest of develop
ment
Work in the direction of advertising tn
1ne,s H. Of L
judicious and persistent. To be judicious
it must be thoughtful and economical. or
at least not wasteful, and to be persistent
it must be done in such manner as that
the contributors will feel that they are re-
ceivipg in some way the worth of their
money. The itinerant publisher, map
maker and vlew-taker, who proposes to get
up in some attractive form an advertise
ment for a locality, gets fiat subscriptions
and takes large sum by way of advertise
ments and guarantees for large circula-
ton, is, as rule, untrustworthy. | Go
not know that all these undertakings are
not worthy OF consideration, but the coun-
try generally appears TO be full of agents
for publications of this character, and, for
the most part, they will never publish the
number they promise, they will never be
distributed effectively and in very short
tluc uO Will TeLldlD III Inc
mind of anyone, either publisher or reader,
on any matter or thing published.
The State Board of Trade has been APP
pealed to in these matters, and believing
that the generous spirit and patriotic enter
prise of the people of the State OF California
were being yictimized by the publishers of
special editions, and especially unique de-
vices. have come TO the conclusion that the
one safe method of advertising the advant-
ages of locality is through its local press.
The editor of paper published in any
community is not merely citizen of the
locality; he is something more. If he is fit
for his calling he is the mouthpiece of the
locality. its spokesman, its exponent II
he is worthy of patronage in the high call
ing of journalist for locality, he is also
worthy of their confidence, and the conf
dence of the world at large. This should
be so plainly understood that whenever the
spirit OF enterprise arises in community it
should think frat of its local paper. If the
publisher has not the mechanical equip
ment for publication such as is desired,
the whole matter of the publication, if even
the printing work must be done abroad,
should be placed in the hands of the local
editor or editors. If there is more than one
paper published in a community gener-
GUS emulation should exist between them
as to which can best serve the highest in
terest of the community.
Bey Jnd this, the publishers of the local
press throughout the State of California
should themselves take the matter of adj
veriising their locality in hand, by pictures,
by Autographs, by bird's-eye views, by
pamphlets, by special editions of their
paper, and in every other matter. In short,
publishing for community in this direc-
ton should be done by local publishers,
just as medical advice is given by the COM
munity physician or justice is administered
by local magistrates. The Office of pub
Usher is public office, public trust, hav-
ing well-defined functions. The local pub
Usher sees annually large contributions
made to foreign publishers, for success in
this direction by the imported drummer
impoverishes the field of the local paper
As rule, community will afford just
about so much, and no more adyertis-
ing. Its distribution is matter of the
highest importance 10 the local paper. II
the skilled solicitor collects one,half of
what the community is willing to spend
annually in the way of advertising, then
so per cent. of the amount expresses the
natural fertility of the local publishers
journalistic field.
While the community owes to the local
publisher its hearty support. the publisher
owes to the community that degree of
enterprise which will make it wholly I'm.
necessary for the community to go away
from home for an adequate representation
OF its attractions and its desirability as a
place of residence. To use an illustration
which may be unmistakable, the Gazette
should do the publishing for Gait and lis
vicinity. If you have not the mechanical
eouipm ent for engraving work such as may
be desirable to publish for photographic
work, you can get that work done abroad.
Let it be understood, however when it is
published it goes forth from the Office of
The Gazette with all the moral support of
the Gazette, and it will go with the entire
of the community. One copy
of such a publication is worth ten copies OF
the best publication that might be con-
ceiyed, when published by foreign pub
Usher. II is not any more creditable to
local paper that the community must go
abroad for proper representation, than it
would be to tie village physician that the
community must go abroad for valuable
medical advice.
Communities need not be perplexed AS to
their duty toward the perambulatiDg soiic-
itors of foreign publishers, if they will take
these matters into thoughtful and judicial
Every dollar sent abroad
which could have been as jddiciously ex-
pended at home, is dollar lost to the COM
munity. l know of no community in Cal
ifornia, where a newspaper is published,
that could not accomplish everything and
more. for the same expenditure through
the local paper, that could be accomplished
by outside publications. This is not
small matter; it is q matter of first import
ance. 1t is now becoming known that
during its present campaign, the rolling ex-
hibition called California on Wheels" will
be visited by two millions of people. It
will probably visit the St. Louis EXPOSE
ton. where the managers promise an at
tendance of 60 900 visitors. 1t will be in
Chicago during the annual Chicsgo Fair,
where it will probably be visited by SOC, 900
more. Into the hands of each of these Wis
itors, some brief, unexaggeraied, reliable
statement concerning the resources OF Cali
tic q q