Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-07-16

SuCCeSS, duu duOIuci was Inao "o huCW
that if those who resorted to falsehood
and humbuggery were only allowed
rope enough, they would hang them
selves. We are glad to see now that
humbuggery and fraud have about
reached the end of their tether, and
that the situation is at last settling
down to the actual facts.
The county board of commissioners
has never been responsible for any of
this row over the public advertising.
1t has only been a row by the news
papers for pap, and it has been dis
graceful; but we protest that we have
never been responsible for any part of
it except in self-defense. The county
board of commissioners have tackled
the question time and again with the
cold shivers running down their backs,
and with two or three exceptions, have
tried to do what was right. But in
doing what was right, they also want
ed to stop the row without hurting
anybody's feelings, and this, under all
the circumstances, is manifestly i'm
possible. The question can never be
settled definitely until it is settled
right, and to settle it right, will re-
quire an honesty, intelligence and
6rmness that has not yet been applied
to it.
The object of the advertising over
which there is 80 much strife is mani
festly to inform the public in regard
to matters with which it has a right to
be informed. The law prescribes these
different matters specifically, at least
most of them, provides that they must
be published in newspaper, and fixes
the maximum rate that newspapers
are allowed to charge for them. This
rate is a reasonable one-the same that
most firstclass newspapers charge in
dividuals for the same service-and it
| is not the intention of the law that
any newspaper should charge one cent
more for a so.called public ADVERTISE
ment than it would charge for pri-
vate advertisement of the same general
character.
Now, of course, if there should be
dozen newspapers published in a
county, while it may be desirable to
publish some public advertisements in
all of them, it is not reasonable to ex-
pect that all public advertisements
should be published in all of them.
The expense would be too great, and
it follows that if only one newspaper
is to be used, that one should be the
one which reaches the largest number
of people who are interested. Here
begins the rub. To determine that
question in this county should not be
difficult. 1t has never been difficult.
Every intelligent business man is in
possession of the facts. He does not
have to depend upon foreign newspa-
per directories or permit himself to be
confused by misleading affidavits as to
circulation. He needs only to inquire
in the different sections of the county
which newspapers are in most demand
by the people, which are subscribed for
and paid for, which are forced upon
people who do not subscribe for them
and which remain uncalled for and
undelivered in the different postoffices
to which they are sent.
Of course, on a basis of advertising
value, no newspaper in this county
would come in for first choice above
THE ENQUIRER. Other papers fully
realize this fact and here begins the
row on the county board of commits.
sioners. The papers which have no
advertising values to compare with
those of THE ENQUIRER call for the
public advertising to be let to the low
est bidder. Although the logical
tendency of this is to place the adver-
tising that is intended for the largest
number of people interested, only be-
fore the smallest number interested,
there have been few commissioners
who have been able to see any other
way out of the dilemma, and they
have generally fallen into the mistake,
not as a matter of economy; but in
the hope of escaping broadsides of
SANDER and abuse.
Now in Yorkville, as is well-known,
there are two newspapers. In one of
them there is invested large amount
of capital, and a great deal of labor
is expended upon it. The principal
object of its makers is the earning of
livelihood, by honest and efficient
service to it's patrons, and the manner
in which its efforts are appreciated