Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-07-14
NOTICE TO READERS.
Owing to an unavoidable irregularity
the correspondence from Hampton fail
ed to reach this office last night

| ed to reach this office last night.
character. We have a notable instance
not very far away from US. which Is as
! campact as fluid compressed steel and
as bright as q diamond
In no occupation does Intelligent la
Dor count more directly or effectively
| than in the editing of Il newspaper. 1t
| faces you in every column and shines
out in every line. 1t is not dependent
| upon the arts of Typography or even
the facilities of the telegraph, When
| the charlottesville Chronicle was pub.
! iished by James C. Southall. although
| counted as country paper. it was
sought by city editors and the first
| readers of the land.
The first duty in editing any paper.
and especially those which are de-
! prived of Geographic facilities. is to get
| fully and attractively the local news.
! This news belongs to the local neWspa-
| per- In 1t the editor may and should
| be monopolist. and If he is not he
| fails at once in his opportunity and his
duty. y local newspaper may be made
| 4 local necessity. and may by diligence.
| win from even an unwilling community
support and profit This is within the
ability of any competent and inuustri-
| Gus editor II in addition to his news
| columns he can add thoughtful ana
| carefully prepared editorials the paper
may become of recognized merit far
! beyond the sphere of its accustomed
action. ..... .
Some Of the oldest of those who hear
| me will remember the La Crosse DEM
| ocrat published twenty-five or thirty
years ago by Brick Pomcroy ut AN
obscure Wisconsin town. y weekly pa
! per. which under bright. but To my
| mind. not very scrupulous manage
| ment. struck Il popular cord and from
| Il small circulation was developed into
an enormous weekly reaching | believe
| to 100000 or 100000. Success. however.
| turned the owner and EDITORS head
| and after Il meteoric appearance it has
| sunk below the horizon. if now it eN-
| lists at all N.H. '. b..
| In securing contributions to the cdi-
| torial columns there is not Il comnuni-
| tv in Virgins, where Il newspaper is
| published where the editor may no,
| iind some cultured man, lawyer or doc
| tor or preacher who could not be in
duced With more or less regularity TO
write articles pro bono publico,'
which would vie in merit With those OF
| the highest paid editors of any city.
| The great editorials which helped so
| much to build up the Richmond Exam
| iner We're not all written by John Mon
cure Daniel. 1t was not until after. his
| death that it was known that some OF
the most remarkable of these notable
articles We're prepared by men who
were never suspected of being in any
way connected With the newspaper
| business. That celebrated article which
created such colnmotion The P:,rlia-
ment of Animals" was written by a
civil engineer, and q modest Greek pros
lessor furnished the caustic which
burned Daniels name in the memory
Of many Il Confederate Congressman.
To secure such assistance requires
.)t toni M
easily within the reach Of the diligcn,
editor. ..UH
The number of Virginia papers
which l have classified as among the
best is SO great as to make none des-
pair of finding place within their cir
Gle. / call those best which are we'll
edited with carefully selected news
we'll printed upon good paper, and all
the matter set up in their own offices.
There are several of these which are
conspicuous for their merit, and l
would be glad to name them but that l
am forbidden to make any individious
distinctions. 5
There is one feature in our Virginia
papers to which cannot forbcar cali
ing attention and that is the almost
universal cleannesS of their columns.
Both in what they write as news and
what they print as advertisements
there is almost without exception a
proDriety which bears strong contrast
TO what l have seen in other states.
The character of your advertisements
is with few exceptions irreproachable.
There are some, however. which have
seen in our papers which are question:
able, but they are the exception. You
all know, gentlemen, how vice under
the gHise of medical relief reaches its
hand to catch the unwary, and what
temptations ire offered to Selfrcspect-
| ing managers of newspapers to publish
advertisements which are but too often
fostering the ends Of wickedness. |
was very much struck With this in
travelling through New England last
summer, where bought all of the local
papers of each place as l passed
| through it. I noticed that their hus-
ness columns We're largely given up to
those insidious and vicious advertise
| ments which no decent paper should
| permit. and from which. as have said,
! our Virginia papers are free.
| The most valuable asset of :, newspa-
| per is its character. We know that a
| newspaper cannot he printed indcfnite-
| ~ at a loss. but like any other enter
prise, it must in beginning go through
| its period Of probation and of establish
ment. Confidence. respect and wide
reputation are necessarily of slow
| growth. but when once established they
| are Gibraltar which may be easily de
! Tended against all corners.
rs we have pointed out an advertise
| ment is not valuable merely in pro-
| portion to the circulation of the paper
| nor is it necessary to secure an adver-
! tisement that the circulation should be
| known. But it is necessary that the
| character and the appearance of the
newspaper should be known. Experts
| in this advertising business. ana it is
one of the most suitable and difficult
| of all misunderstanding insist that be
I q g n
of some other paper that the charge
for your advertisements should be pro-
| po.tionately diminished. N5thing is
more untrue or inconsistent with every
day experience. The circulation of a
paper of fir-St-claSS character may he
worth many times more than what n
| much greater circulation in an inferior
class of paper may be worth. But one
thing, gentlemen is certain. you will
never get what you charge unless you
not only ask 1t. but stand fer it, You
cannot possibly reduce your rates sulli-