The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-10
Give the weekly Papers a ohancs.

Give the Weekly Papers a Chance.
There are a few so-called enterprisIng
newspapers which pick up a very consider
able amount of money by writing up towns
They ge5 contracts for this kind of work by
taking advantig e Of the desire Of leading
citizens Of q town for notoriety. and by
/ leading other citizens to believe that they
will be individually and collectively bene-
/ flied by ths kind of an advertisement pro.
pose 1.
To write up a town in the way they are
written up in the so-called enterprIsing
newspapers does not require a great deal Of
literary ability, because the articles, as a
rule. are composed of matter collected from
the columns of the local papers. and Of
puffs of individuals who want to see their
names In print, but it does take a glib
tongue and good deal of cheek to get a
town to pay literally for an alleged adver-
tisement of 1t, and TO induce notoriety-
seeking citizens to order puffs of themselves
at good round prices.
The men who write up towns either do
the work at so much for the job or for q
percentage Of the amount which the news
paper publishing the article receives. Some
times the town council pays large sum to
have the town written up, but in such
cases, as general thing, the councilmen
insist upon very complimentary notices of
themselves. They have themselves pulled
at the expense Of the taxpayers.
The people Of the small towns are not
alone gulled in this manner. Even good
sized cities are now and then taken in. +"
The staid city of Savannah has been made
to believe that it would be to her advant-
age to pay handsomely to have herself
written up in some far-away newspaper.
The MORNING NEWS, however, has no
complaint to make of the city for anything
of this kind. Those who contribute toward
having the city written up do not, as a rule,
give money in any other way to promote
the city's prosperity.
1t is not, therefore, for the purpose of find
ing fault with those who give their money
to have themselves and their town adver-
tised that attention is directed to the
advertising schemes Of the so-called enter
prising newspapers, but to suggest way of
spending money that will be helpful to a
town. And the suggestion is made more with
reference to the towns in which there are
struggling weekly newspapers than to the
large towns. These small towns are par
ticularly anxious that the world shall know
all about them, what kind of people live in
them, how glad these people would be to
welcome new citizens and new enterprises,
and what advantages they offer to home
seekers ana investors.
What better medium is there through
which these things eau lie made known
than the papers printed in them. 1t is
true that they may not have a very large
circulation, but if they were paid enough
they could not only publish all there is to
be said Of their towns, but their issues con-
tanning the special articles could be sent to
thousands of people living in every part of
the country. And not only would the
towns be helped in this way, but the strug-
CLING papers, by such financial aid, would
be able to do great deal more for their
towns than they now do.
If those who are endeavoring to boom
their towns will adopt this suggestion they
will be surprised to find that better results
for less money will be obtained than if
they listen to the smooth talking agent of
some one Of the papers which make a bust
ness of writing up towns. The suggestion
to the small towns, therefore, is this: Do
your advertising in your local papers and
pay liberal price for it.