Mexico weekly ledger., 1891-09-17

argue with man who wants tt
stop your paper; argue with Others
to get them to take it. After mar
has tried your paper and don't lik'
it, thank him for his patronage
and feel sorry for his bad taste.
| have a few ideas i'll regard t.
holding subscribers, but will make (
statement first which l judge o
much Importance. You might sizt
up your town and county and pub
lish just what you think would
suit, or you can put in your paper
what is right, or what you think ii
right, and try to educate the people
up to your standard. There is more
in this point than one would at firsI
think. A great many successful
editors think the public knows whal
it wants and act accordingly, leay.
ing others to do the educating.
Make your editorials short. Leave
out editorial matter rather than
news matter. Don't be vulgar in
trying to be funny. Scandal is mol
news. Sensations are only, OF
should be only for sensational pa
pers, never for family papers.
News is what you want-legiti-
mate, healthy and clean-and, you
might say, elevating news. Columns
could be written on what is news.
Too MANY Of us make continued
mistakes in this regard. Use good
paper and have the makeup first
class. Don't make a circus poster
of your paper. Don't run short on
reading matter. If you have plenty
of advertisements you can afford to
get out supplement. You cannot
afford. under any circumstances, to
cut down your reading matter.
Your subscribers are your friends,
Or should be; advertisers are a Sec
ondary consideration. Have your
lads" reset at least once a month.
Send sample copies to those who
are not subscribers whenever your
paper contains anything of interest
to them; and you should make it
your business to see that this oc-
ours often. You can't get peoples
names in your paper too frequently.
| once lost subscriber because
did not state he had been fined $40
in police court.
Treat intelligently and frequent
ly matters which are of a monetary
interest to young readers. A farmer
would rather read half dozen items
about the price of mules and cattle,
what Gene Jones got for his lot OF
fat cattle or what Try Sims got for his
stock hogs,than a column OF editorial
explaining how to set hen on the
side ola hill, or to hang gate in
winter, or a four column report OF
a hanging,in low life or an elope-
ment in high life.
Never miss mail. Ifyour paper
fails to reach the various post-offices
at stated time your readers, espec-
tally those who live in the country,
will be disappointed. Go to press at a
certain hour every week and let
nothing prevent this. | have been
in the business Is years and have
never missed a mail and never ex-
pect to unless all the presses within
access give down at the same time.
| would break into the other papers
Office and use its press in the night
If | had no other show to catch the
mail.
Personal journalism is no good.
The public cares no more what two
editors think of each other person.
ly than it does Of what the butcher,
baker or candlestick-maker think OF
each other or Of the editors. Wait
until the editor of your "odious
contemporary" dies and then sneak
out to the graveyard and pound his
grave with canvassed ham. You
can have sharp competition and still
get along like other sensible busi-
ness men. This can be done and is
being done, we are glad to say, in
most Of the towns in Missouri. The
people like it and have more respect
tor the editors.
Have a good correspondent in
every town and village in your ter
ritory. Get close to your readers
In fact, you cannot get too close to
them. | do not believe in giving
grindstones, elephants or patent
boot-jacks as premiums to subscrib-
ers any more than | believe in talk
ing pumpkins, greens or leaf tobac-
co in pay.
Your paper should stand or fall
on it's merits. You can soon find
out which it is going to do. Nc
paper ever stands still a week; II
either falls back or grows stronger
in its hold on the people.
If you carry serial stories you
might arrange to start good one in
December and have it run over into
February or March to assist in hold.
ing your subscribers over the first o.
the year, which is, as all know, {
favorite time for subscribers to stop
Ruf we don't ha}ieve much in CON