St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-16
An EUENlNn cEcel0I
Congressman and Editor Per-
kinS Has His Say on the
Interior Daily.
All Newspapers Must Be
Run on Business
Principles.
An Ideal Country Weekly
Portrayed by the Brill
liant Col. Hoyt.

liant Col. Hoyt.
The Millennium Will Arrive
With Papers of the Kind
Hoped For
The afternoon trip to Minnehaha evil
IDENTIFY had such an effect upon the dele
| gates as to make them unwilling to
attend to the business of the evening.
| Eight o'clock was supposed to be the
hour at which they were to assemble,
but at $50 the audience was
slim one indeed and it seemed as though
the speakers of the evening, if there
were to be any, would have but very
few to address. Notwithstanding the
| slim attendance, President Stephens
picked up his gavel and began to beat
| for order. He said that the meeting would
| be called to order and business begun.
| even if the addresses had to be made to
| the empty benches. But the tapping of
| the genial presidents hammer seemed to
act like magic upon the tardy delegates
| and in the course of quarter OF an
hour the hall was very we'll filled. By
the time business had fairly begun, the
| association did not have to feel ashamed
of the attendance.
The first speaker of the evening was
Hon. George d. Perkins, of the Sioux
City, To-. journal. who resumed the
discussion of the subject of the morn
ing-"Interior Dalies." Mr.. Perkins is
bright speaker, and his remarks were
repeatedly interrupted by applause. He
has Just been elected member of con-
gress, and if he proves himself as able
an orator on the floor of the house as he
shows himself to be on the stage, he
will make it interesting for his oppon-
ents. The substance OF his remarks
were as follows:
Perkins Criticism.
Twas not on the programme to speak on
this subject, but shall try to make my re-
marks practical and to the point-it is said
all our addresses must be. The members. OF
this association are entirely practical, but they
have manifested such great interest in
their trip to Minnehaha Falls and have re-
turned so. saturated with poetry that it is
hard for them to come down to the practical
affairs of business. l want to say generally
that there are certain principles underlying
all paving newspapers. There are no rules
that can be laid down for all papers indls-
crimipately. Each manager must judge for
himself, for no rule can supply the brains
necessary to run newspaper successfully.
As far as the size of the towns that will
support a daily goes, that depends entirely
upon the environment; in the East they may
be larger than in lhe West. All newspapers
must be run on business principles and there
must be a reason for their existence.
There are two questions that must
confront the beginner How to keep out
of debt and how TO keep out OF charity? NO
blight can fall upon newspaper as that OF
being regarded as charity. Educate the
people in the line of getting something for
their money. Personally would discourage
small dailies. The competition in the dallles
is so great and the demands are so numerous
that it is difficult to maintain ones self
respect unless one has business principles
behind them.
There is the desire to grow on the part of
every newspaper. AS practical condition
of making good newspaper. the paper must
be free and beyond purchase and tempta-
ton; it must be business enterprise, and
legitimate one. The want of success in small
dailies is greatly due to the lack OF business
principles. No daily newspaper can be
successful unless the counting room is in
dependent in making its contracts; but the
small daily cannot separate the counting
room from the editorial department In
large concerns particular individuals, eSpe-
cially adapted their work, have charge of
the several departments; but in the
small daily LneSe OUlCeS must OILen
be combined in one man; he must be
at once the business manager and the editor,
and has to act the parts of two different men.
1t makes no difference what the adYertZer
may say. the editor must be independent
and neither suppress nor color any news to
favor his advertiZing columns.
In starting a newspaper the owner must
mark out his
Line of Policy
and stand by it. In small communities he
must educate the people. They have long
been accustomed to take their cats and dogs
to the newspaper Office. Papers must be es-
tablished as business enterprises. One
draw back to the success of small dailies is
the irregularity in presenting their bills, US
ually. this is the result of the fear
ments are the best for small
papers, and 1 would advocate monthly set
Elements. If bills are allowed to run for
longer periods they look larger; on month
ly basis one can get three times the rate for
advertising and is thrice as easily paid. If !
man tells you he doesn't care for your paper. |
but advertizes i'll it to help you
along, don't take his advertisement. |
it shall be shown that it was established for |
doing business. Never establish paper on |
a bonus; for, altoough you are young. the |
paper will never live long enough to have |
that fact forgotten. Every local paper must |
help the whole community; but to do this 1t |
must be free and not bound to its advertisers. |
Be particular in regard to the makeup and |
don't mix politics and news; keep your edl- |
torials distinct as editorials. You Will be |
allowed the liberty Of your opinion if there |
is the confidence that the news is given for |
what it is worth There must be stability in |
management, and, like man, it must have |
it, individuality and
Time For Growth
of character If there is no field for news |
paper. there ought to be no temptation TO es |
tablish one; but once there. it should main |
tain independent relations, and the requisite |
is courage There is nothing men need |
so much as courage, and it is the duty |
of the press to furnish men with cour |
age Editors need courage to keep the paper |
clean: to fight for truth. Whatever its poll |
tics may be, it must not become public |
sewer; the words that may easily slip from
the tongue of the politician, if printed, would |
become a blot forever on the paper. One
must have the courage to defend his ewn.
When Mr.. Perkins had finished his
speech he was assailed by a multitude |
of questions from the delegates. He
showed himself fully equal to the ocea-
sion. and often raised storms of applause
by his witty replies. He was followed
by Mr.. Gibbs, of the Norwalk co.
Reflector, who spoke briefly on tn
same topic. He spoke of advertising
and thou ght that 500 was a fair sum for
a column year in small daily. The
thing was to charge a fair price and
adherd to it. Mr.. Gibbs took the place
of |. t. Mack, of the Sandasky, (Ohlo) |
Register, who was unable to be present.