Evening journal., 1894-09-03
Samuel Bancroft, Jr.. Has Out Down HIS
News boys wages.


Samuel Bancroft. Jr.. Has Out Down Hls
Newsboys' wages.
The attempt Of Samuel Bancroft, Jr Is
Every Evening to bolster up waning
circulation by reducing the price Of the
paper to one cent is pitiable. A few well
directed shots has brought It to It's knees.
Had the Every Evening done its duty to
itself and to its readers the EVENING
JOURNAL could not have got foothold,
much less forged ahead. to the front
rank. in the journalism OF Delaware.
The thres .tifths-of-a-column editorial
apology for making the reduction will
not gain a voter for Samuel Bancroft,
Jr., nor reader for his paper. The
motive is too palpable and the talk
shout celebrating the triumph Of tariff
reform. and contributing its share
towards the advantages which the
assurances OF business revival and Ia.
dustrial and commercial development, Is
what is known in newspaper parlance as
''ret" Of the worst sort.
Those people who want the Every
Evening will buy 1t whether the price be
one. two or three cents and those people
who want the EVENING JOURNAL will
pay their penny for it, even though the
Every Evening be given away, with a
chrome thrown in The people know
that the EVENING JOURNAL has, for the
past seven years, at half the cost TO
them, given more, brighter and better news
than the Every Evening ever dared to
give. and they also know that the EVEN
INC JOURNAL wears no mans collar,
ana Is suppressed by none, but. gives its
news without fear or favor
The American newspaper Is purely a
business enterprise. has never been the
beneficiary OF governmental subsidy or
protection, and tariff reform has no more
TO do with the making Of newspaper
than it has with furnishing the brains
70 run one, and any mixing up OF pro.
lection or free trade with the production
Of newspaper is idiotic.
The public will be apt to look at this
reduction with common sense. It means
that the circulation, which is the hearts
blood Of a newspaper, is in sore need Of a
ssimulent and that heroic measures to
force the circulation are absolutely
necessary .it means reduction in the
income Of the business which would bet
ter have been applied to the improve
ment Of paper which badly needs it II
meAns that the little newsboy Is to have
his plttance cut in two; il means that
the neWsdealer, who likely supports !
family out Of bis earnings, Is to have his
income from this source reduced by fifty
per cent Il means that the protection
which the Every Evening has enjoyed,
by reason Of larger profit to the news
boys and newsdealers causing them "a
push the sale Of two cent paper, has
been removed and that from to-day there
win be absolute free trade among
the penny papers Of Wilmington, hence ]
larger circulation for the EVENING
JOURNAL, which has labored for years
under the disadvantage Of having two
cent rival in the field; it means thl
destruction Of the monopoly which two
cent paper enjoys among line Of foreign
advertisers who desire to reach tn
weslthier and more exclusive peopl
and who reason rightly that the two cent
paper Is more likely to reach them thai
the penny paper; 1t means that samue
Bancroft, Jr., however good business
man he may be, knows nothing Abou
newspaper making
But all this is not our funeral 1t onl
reminds US Of the fellow who got up
tree to saw of dead limb and unfortu
netely for him, cut the branch oil Be
ween himself AMI the tree.