The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-12-04
TO THE PUBLIC.

j.
aud invariably cash in advance. The
money mus, be paid when the name is
entered on the mailing list.
The reduction is made for two reasons:
First. because the list of subscribers
has reached the umber requisite to
enable US to publish the paper at the
reduced price without loss; Second,
because we appreciate the fact that
every saleabte commodity has decreased
in price to such degree that our pa
irons feel that the paper at the old price
is not 10 proportion with other things.
With the single exception of The
cost of white paper the expenses of
publishing newspaper is not one
whit less than it vas Eve or ten years
ago. The greatest expense attached to
the publication Of newspaper is the
item of skilled labor.-editor, printers
and pressuan aad the wages OF these
have not decreased along with the de-
crease 10 price of saleable commodities.
Consequently the Watchnan and
Southron costs US as much as ever.
In fact, Within the last few years we
bave put uore labor on the paper, in
creased the number of pages and the
amount of reading matter and thus
largely increasing the expense Of pub
l;ca,ioo. This we have done, knowing
that our readara. the most Intelligent
people Of Sumter and adjoining coun-
ties, and the many Sumter people who
make their bones elsewherc-io the
far North, Southwest. Northwest, and
on the Poetic Slope-apprecia'e the
best that We can give ;hem in the shape
of a newspaper. We say that we know
our efforts have been appreciated.
f.f we have received scores Of
letters saying so. besides numberless
YER. concentrations Of the paper
And we have another aud more GER
tam method of knowing that the sort
of paper we publish is appreciated, for
our patronage has not only not diuin-
isbed duriog the uuprecedentedly hard
times of the last two years, bat has in-
creasel. For this we thank our pa
irons, and now, since they have en-
abled as to dc 50. We take this oppor-
tunisy Of showing our appreciation iu
tangible form by reducing the price Of
the pape, twenty-five per cent.
The cost Of paper is one thing
that few people consider. They know
tia. they pay one, two OF Eve cents for
it, and beyond this they never give it
thought But let them look at the
matter win US for moment. A ne"s-
paper plaas is expensive and the inter-
est on the money invested must be first
coas,d;rea. The paper represents
weeks work BY force of hands. the
cost Of white paper is 40 item aud the
other incidental expenses make az
other item. The actual weekly expense
Of paper like The Watchman and
Southron is not less than $50. This
represents the cost Of ooe issue OF the
paper that you will receive for sl.3o a
year-less than three cents per copy.
lf we printed but one copy, the man
who subscribed for it would have to pay
$50 per week for tue pleasure aud profit
of reading it: if but two copies, We
would be compelled to charge each one
of our two subscribers $25 per week,
and so OF F.; as the number OF Subscribers
increased; the cost of the paper would
be divided between them. But even the
greatest number Of subscribers that q
weekly paper could obtain in this Sec
ton would no, support the paper; and
the paper is necessarily dependent for a
part Of its support. aud. in great
measure, for all Of its profit, upon the
advertising patronage. The value that
paper has as an advertising medium
is directly proportional to the number
Of subrcrioers it has, and as this paper
has the largest circulation of any paper
10 Sumter county, it has greater value
as an advertising medium, and as the
.14: ;norooooc the advertising o