The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-02-22
THE EXCHANGE LIST.
What Rules ShOnld Govern the City
Dailies in Their Treatment of the
Country Press?


pers after the first Of March.
This action is put upon purely business
basis. but whether cast iron rule is better
than flexible one is q question.
The. Press and Banner recognizes the fact
that the daily exchange list is seeming
heavy tax on the city papers, but when look
ed at as 1t really is the tax is not SO great after
all. No extra expense Is incurred by the ad-
dition of the exchange list, except the cost OF
paper, ink and postage.
4 better rule, II seems to US, would be to dis.
crminate, and let the facts in each individ ual
case determine the course to be pursued.
For our own part, we have wondered how IL
was that the News and Courier would cont n.
ue to send It's paper to weekly papers which
so often, under the slightest pretext, say vi
cious and mean things vi the paper
When editors fail to treat each other with
decent respect the less they have TO do with
each other the better, and the duily newspa-
pers are perfectly right III disseminating their
papers To such weekly papers as seek 10 injure
them in business and In good name.
The best business methods would seem to
Indicate that where the county editor is
friendly and makes use of the daily In max
ing up bis paper, that it would be well for the
daily TO continue the exchange.
But where the country editor seldom or
never copies from the paper, and at times
the public, then the exchange, on good busi.
ness principles, should be stopped.
Speaking 1or the Press and Banner,
newspapers are OF comparative little value
to US n making up our paper. On an average
we do not copy from them two pieces a
month, and II Is some times months at time
that we do not copy anything ut all from any
OF them.
friendliness TO any newspaper, but because we
have adopted another system than that OF
filling our paper with extracts from other pa
pers
The matter which we publish in the Press
and Banner Is of and for the people OF Able.
Vile county. 1t Is nearly all original matter
In which greater or less number Of our own
citizens are interested.
W hile an extract from one OF our daily eX-
changes may, in Itself, be Of greater Intrinsic
value than anything which the editor or It's
correspondents might write, yet such pieces
about distant people and unknown commu-
mites, as rule, do not compare with home
matters In interest 10 our readers We are
publishing county paper for the people OF
Abbevllle county, and IT is not our purpose TO
attempt TO become State paper and 10 fill
our paper with extracts from other papers.
Another matter. We strive TO make the
Press and Banner worthy TO be subscribed for
and taken by the people Of this county. and
affo fd to give great amount of stale, fiat and
Improbable reading matter that may be
gathered from the city newspapers, and
which was collected from all parts of the
Union, and which is of about as much inter.
est TO man In California as TO aeitlzen OF
South Carolina.
We do not believe that the Press and Ban.
as ssaP wSud a al
are made up Of the dead matter from the dai.
lies, but We do believe that Tor citizen of Alb.
beville county, 1t Is incomparably better than
any half dozen OF such week lies that are
made up for no special section Of the country
For this reason we do not intend to Il II our
columns with notices and advertiser ell tS
which would mislead the people as 10 the
com parative value of the local and the city
weeklies.
We exclude from our advertising columns
all advertisements which we think al Q mis-
leading, and we would no more publish a no
tice that would mislead the people as TO the
comparative value OF newspapers than We
would insert The notice OF "a certain cure fol
consumption"
This newspaper cannot be used as an ad yer
tislpg medium to boost or fOist upon the peo
pie u distant weekly, made up of stale matter
from daily, and which Ia recon mended tC
the people especially for Its cheapness in dol
lars and cents. We do not believe 1t TO be te
| the interest Of the people to displace the loca
newspaper which Is printed especially fol
them, to buy any number OF foreign paper,
| which are filled with reading matter abou
people and things with which they are unac
Qunnted.
While we would be sorry to lose the New!
and Courier from our mail, yet we Will strive
| TO exist, whether II comes or not. Except the
Charleston Evening Sun, we get all the othel
dailies In this State, together with The Angus
tn Chronicle. the Augusta Evening Herald
and the Atlanta Evening Journal.
| We have no fault to find with any newspa
per, daily or weekly, which deems It unwise
Improbable or unpleasant TO exchange with
Us. We exercise the, right ourselr TO stop ar
exchange whenever we feel 30 inclined, but 4
brother editor is agreeable and he has any
appreciation of our paper, we are ready 10 ex
change with hun, whether bis paper is Of any
| use 10 US or not
1t is true that there are newspapers In thii
State with which We do not exchange. NJ
country paper is OF any special value 10 us
t1l- F~-
concerned-because OF the pleasure that We
| may realize from the intercourse. When the
editor OF such paper indulges In personalities
| then Is II not more pleasant for that partlcu
lar exchange 10 discontinue its visits?
For the simple reason that some of the
brethren seem TO be extremely sensitive OF
any mention of their papers, we have long
since learned that 1t Is more agreeable II
make no mention Of them: In times past
we tried the experiment and made II point
TO have the names OF our country exchanges
appear occasionally In our paper, but the
practice was attended so often with unpleas.
and doings OF the brethren are uf no special
interest TO our readers. and we can always
find something Of more value than ommcnts
or criticisms of them. What do our readers
the press? Who cares If John Jones has sold
his paper to James Smith? Are they inter.
ested If the Peoples Potato has just closed
the first or second volume OF It's existence?
est In any of these matters, why should the
Press and Banner run the risk OF stirring up
a hornets nest or exciting bed OF vipers IN
mentioning any of these circumstances
Whether ill-humored or malicious utter.
ances are made toward the prosperous paper,
or whether they are directed at a struggling
brother who may be getting the worst Of the
fight, the motives which prompt such utter.
apces are unworthy Of high journalism, and
as matters OF policy, they are il-advised. In
every other profession than ours, each indi.
yid ual seems to be an Xious TO stand we'll with
his fellows, but in ours the most presumptu-
Gus seek TO stamp out those whom they may
regard the weaker. and the less thrifty broth
er seems TO have special spite al any brother
who appears 10 be prosperous In business, or
who may stand reasonably fair with his con.
stituency.
Is it not possible that papers which may be
|disgustingly obSequious TO men of influence
and whose editor would on his stomach, so 10
speak, approach an officer with q dollars
worth OF advertising, be vicious and III
hammered toward brother editor who has
given no Just cause OF offence.