The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-06-22
WHO SHOULD HAVE FREE ADVER
TI>ING.

instructive address delivered at the edi
tors convention by G. W. Skies of the
Helena Independent. As a resolution
was passed to publish the entire paper
in the journals of Montana for the bene.
TT of the publisher and the advertiser
the JOURNAL gives the same below: Mr.
Skies said:
Who should have free dry goods. free
groceries, free clothing, free boots and
shoes. free furniture. free hardware:
Who should have free rent. free mater.
ial. free heat and light. free labor: Who
should have free money at the bank:
Who should have free legal advice. free
medical attendace. free education. free
gospel: Who should have anything free
that is the property Of another and is the
means by which any other person lives:
This reduction to ab~surdity makes
plain the answer, Nobody
So ] answer the question in the sub
iect assigned me. Nobody should have
free advertising
Advertising space is an article Of bar.
ter and sale. the same az the goods on a
merchants shelves: the same asthe edu
cation. books and skill Of a lawyer. the
teacher and the preacher. the same as
AAIt AAaltlAAEH AAN~N4f anu flAAAAAdAltt III
the laborer; the same as the money Of
the Banker. No one asks the tradesman
for free wares. the professional man for
free advice. the laborer for free help. the
banker for free money. Newspapers
charge for their advertising space be
cause il Is their chief source Of revenue.
Merchants keep stores. professional men
qualify themselves. and labOrlng men
learn trades because they expect to
make money thereby; the newspaper is
printed because the proprietor is willing
To make money. People 90 TO stores be
cause there are things in stock that they
need or desire: they 20 TO the profession
al man or laborer because they want as.
sistance: they patronlZe the advertising
coiums Of the newspaper because they
expect to reap some advantage thereby.
What does the paper owner
get free hat he should give any one
free advertising: Paper mills ship C..
u. ID. or on good security, landlords are
lnexorable: corporations hat own coal
supplies and lighting plants are soulless.
printers and pressmen must have three
meals a day. and reporters and editors
cannot live by work alone. Therefore.
1t follows. as the day and night. that a.
a newspaper owner must pay for what
he buys, he should get pay for what he
has for sale,
ADVERTISING CHIEF SoUErE OF REVENUE. !
Advertising being the chief source OF
revenue of the newspaper proprietor. 1t
IL. of course. his chief aim to get all he .
can out of it. And Of the very best
ways to get out Of a thing all there il in
il, is TO avoid giving any of it away. So
a newspaper owner should not give
away advertising, and should educate
his patrons up to the point Of not ex-
pectlng free advertising. He can best
do this by not expecting them TO give
him OF their stock in trade. whatever il
may be. Another good way TO get peo-
pie out Of this habit of asking free adj.
vertising is to get them into the habit
of paying for advertising. When a man
once finds that i~udicious advertising is
profitable he will cease asking that it be
given him. Generally speaking. people
only expect to be given things that they
consider worthless. Therefore the
newspaper owner should see to it that
his advertisers are given good positions.
their advertisements well put ia type.
and their paid reading notices lone with
care and ability, This done. he should
Zee that they pay a certain price: mutu
3lIy agreed UPON. for each iT@In oil d!@, ..a /,
space and every line Of reading matter :
He shOuid a~lsoeducate his patrons up
10 the fact that II Is persistent adyer
Using that Is most profitable: that as
long as there are want TO be supplied
and people whOtan supply them adyer
Using will pay. Every effort Of the
newspaper owner should be exerted to
convince the people that advertising is
as exact and distinct a business as that
followed by any man; that the reason
for existence and growth of such a bust
ness is that 1t is profitable to those en-
gagged in It and to those who employ il
in the furtherance of their own enter
prises.
III the newspaper man would convince
Others that advertising is profitable he
must first convince himself that it is.
He should study the subject in all its
phases and read the standard books and
publications devoted to the. science and
art OF advertising. He must ascertain
the actual results of advertisements in
his own medium as well as in others. and
be prepared with figures and arguments
to show that like results will follow like
advertising.
Like all other rules. the one that no.
body should have free advertising has
it's exceptions. Some concessions must
be made to local charity organizations
and deserving enterprises of a public
and philanthropic nature. 1t is well
that newspapers do something for such
institutions for the public good, not
holding too fast to the strict line of JUS
tice. Men in other vacations are also
called upon for their contributions, and
newspapers should at least do as much
as others of equal financial ability.
LIKE Complimentary SoTICEs
Though the ridiculous codes of the
and the doctors forbid them buy
ing display space in the newspaper these
lawyers covet free advertising in
the way OF fiattering mention of the
mastery manner in which Mr.. Barrister
an important case in court. :
and these same doctors profit by the /
complimentary mention of the rare skill :
Exhibited by DIR. Medicns in the treat. !