Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-07-16
NEWSPAPER MANAGEMENT.
The Subject Discussed at st. Paul Yester
day-Editor Scott's Talk.

The Subject Discussed at st. Paul Yeste--
day-Editor Scott's Talk.
ST. PAUL, July 16-The editorial con.
vention was called to order at 10 a. m.
yesterday. The first speaker was Andrew
Pattullo, president of the Canadian Press
association. He spoke of the talk of an
nexation and said Canada proposed when
the next change was made to be independ-
ent entirely. He invited the association
to meet at Toronto spme time in the fu-
ture. j. W. Scott, of the Chicago Herald,
then gave long talk on the subject OF
newspaper management He said that
the place for newspaper man to
begin his career was with a coun-
try weekly He described an associa-
ton of Chicago newspaper owners. the
result of which had been very advantage
Gus TO the papers.
Check on Advertisers.
Uniform rules had been adopted in the
business methods of every Office For in
stance, 1t was a rule not to break a col
umn rule for double column advertise.
ment of less than fifty lines of type. Con
sequently an advertiser could not bull.
doze one Office by claiming that some
other Office would meet his demands Cor a
twenty-five line double column advertise
ment. This uniformity of method applied
to every particular of the advertising de
partment. Mr.. Scott here took occasion
to declare that no consideration would in
duce him to destroy the makeup or ap
pearance of his paper for an advertise
ment. For no consideration would he
place double column advertisement at
the top of page and run display heads
under it.
How to Get Circulation.
Good paper and good ink We're potent
elements in success, he believed He de-
scribed the means of getting circulation
by letting the whole circulation TO differ.
ent men, but the best method in his opin.
ION was ito size up the community in
winch you live, and then give them what
they want. If you make a mistake try
something else, but do not be discour-
aged at the first time. 1t is a mistake to
think that sensationalism will make a
newspaper. 1t may make a tenn porary
circulation. but it does not take long for
the American newspaper reading public
TO become familiar with the character of
the management, and then to become
tired
miscellaneous Suggestions.
He advised country editors to cooperate
IN buying paper, by which means they
would get it cheaper and of better quality.
The weekly editions of daily papers he did
not think profitable. The Herald had
tried it, but had abandoned the weekly
two weeks ago, after discovering that the
company would have to carry "a large and
varied stock of plows, sewing machines.
pianos, frying pans, etc, which proved to
be more trouble than profit He thought
the other metropolitan papers would
abandon their weeklies if they could
Typesetting Machines and Typos.
lie sad that typesetting machines would
be IN use in large number of Offices in
the course Of a gear. He would not use
them. he frankly admitted, because with
out them he was better able to crush com
petition He did not think that the Typo
graphical union of Chicago would give
publishers serious trouble, as it was in IA
Vor OF conceding what the publishers de- |
mand. If there was strike in The Her |
aid office, he said, and it became sure that |
the paper could not come out he would |
notify the other offices and there would |
be no daily issued until the difficulty was |
adjusted. He believed advertisements |
should be paid for by the line, and ad-
vised editors to help their advertisers in
the matter of getting up live" ads, max |
ing the lines readable. Mr. Scott was
voted the thanks of the association
Southern Editors Views.
a. :. Ochs, of the Chattanooga Times, |
read paper in which he said that to make |
a daily success in an interior town the |
editor must be able to give it eighteen
hours day. The paper should be loyal |
to the town in which it was published. |
and should avoid mud throwing In the |
north a town of 5000 inhabitants would |
make profitable q daily paper if proper |
~ conducted, while in the south 1t re- |
quired population of COCO. If the paper |
had circulation of 500 by the end of |
the first three months it could be consid- |
cred established