The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-12-29
ONE MORE LESSON.
Each City In the Northwest Can Sup
port Just One Morning Paper.


Portland Oregonian
At Seattle, in the newspaper business.
what has long been foreseen by all OBJ
servers who have knowledge of the
newspaper business. has come to pass.
One OF the morning papers has ceased
to exist. The Telegraph has been lab
sorbed' by the Post-Inteiligencer-
The Telegraph was started nearly five
years ago. At that time the Post-Intel-
ligencer, the old newspaper of the city,
occupied the field. 1t was a good gem
eral newspaper. quite as gcod as the
business of the town would warrant.
But there was great eagerness to get
into the newspaper business. There was
''Iong-feIt want" The Telegraph came
in to supply 1t.
Seattle at one time had no less than
five daily newspapers. The wedding
process has gone on till now there are
but two. These two. one morning and
one evening paper. working on mod
crate basis. Seattle can support. She
can support no mere.
During the last seven or eight years
an enormous sum Of money. estimated
by good judges at not less than $780,
0oe has been sunk in newspaper effort
at Seattle. Similar effort has produced
similar losses at Tacoma and Spokane
not so great In either in the aggregate,
but as great IN proportion to the size
of the cities. The result in all these
cases has been the same. At Seattle.
at Tacoma, at Spokane, theirs is now
but one morning newspaper. AT either
place there will not be another till bust
ness and population have doubled. and
more than doubled. Those towns during
the last few years have gone through
the experience that was had in Portland
during thirty. One million dollars would
not make up the losses incurred in abor-
tive efforts TO establish newspapers IN
Portland.
The simple fact is that at no town on
the Pacific coast, except San Francisco.
is II possible to publish more than one
morning newspaper, Of sufficient scope
to meet the public demand. The effort
to do SO results always in great losses
and necessary failures. Petty efforts may
seem to flourish for time, but tEe final
result never IS doubtful. AT Portland,
at Seattle, at Tacoma, at Spokane, there
have been great efforts. at different
times, 10 force more newspapers into
the field. but there has been the surHe
invariabie result OF enormous loss and
ultimate failure. There is no town on the
Pacific coast, except San Francisco, that
can support more than one large, full.
comprehensive and general newspaper:
and in San Francisco at this moment
there is more than one newspaper on
the ragged edge OF uncertainty and dis
tress. Portland must double its popula-
ton, and more than double its business
before IL will be able to support second
newspaper OF sufficient range to be ct
general interest and usefulness TO the
public The field new Is cleared at Sc
attic. as it was previously cleared at
Tacoma and Spokane, and as Ii was
cleared at Portland years ago. 1t costs
money TO print a newspaper that gives
the news. The Oregouian must have $50
a day. in cash. to pay its expenses. Mo-
body can print an equal newspaper in
Portland for less money. and the at
tempt to print Inferior ones has always
failed. The deins al ot the public is for
a paper that VIII give all the news that
can he gathered. and no paper can gather
AMI print this news unless it has built
up during a series of years business
that Will bear the necessary expenditure
1t has taken The Oregon;an forty years
to bring itself into the position it cccu-
pics today.