Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-12-07
THE STATE PRESS.
1T HAS DONE MUCH FOR NORTH
DAKOTA AND Is ENTITLED TO
ASK SOMETHING IN RETURN.

i L
ASK SOMETHING IN RETURN.
Grand Forks Herald: North Da-
kota is practically an agricultural
state, but it has also many other in
dustries of Importance. There are the
stock industry, the coal industry,
which is every year becoming more
important, and other lines of business
are attracting the attention of our
people. There is one business how
ever, to which the state owes a great
share OF it's development, which, in the
minds of most people, would not be
classed as an industry at all if list
of the important occupations of the
state were called for. This is the
newspaper business. The state Of
North Dakota owes tremendous debt
to it's newspapers, debt greater than
it is likely to pay. There is probably
not a state in the union in which,
after making due allowances for dens-
ity of population and distance from
great commercial centers, the people
are SO well informed by their news
papers, daily and weekly, concerning
the events of the day, local, national
and foreign. There is no state in
which the press better performs it's
duty as a public educator than in
North Dakota. Nor is this all. The
press of this state has advertised the
states resources as no other medium
ever could. There are in the state
some POO papers, and day by day or
week by week these papers have been
describing the character of our soil,
the yields of our crops, and a score of
things which eastern people wish to
know about. The read estate man
who sends out few hundred circulars
once a year prides himself on having
done a great work for immigration,
but the average newspaper published
in the state accomplishes more for the
cause of immigration with each issue
than the average real estate man does
in the course of the entire year. The
influence thus exerted is both direct
and indirect. The existence of the
papers themselves, and the character
of their contents are standing adver-
tisements of the enterprise and pro-
gress OF our people. The fact that in
a
human habitation or an evidence of
civilization, newspapers are now being
published, and are bringing to their
readers the news of the day, just as
fresh, just as UP to date as any of the
eastern papers of similar class, is an
evidence OF the fact that our people
are progressive, that they are of the
class that move, and that where they
are there will be the church, the
school, and all the other accompani-
ments of an advanced civilization.
Such communities attract settlers, and
attract capital settlers of the best
type, and capital to be invested in en-
terprlseS OF permanent and prOduc-
tive character.
The newspapers of the state have
given the state much, and have asked
little in return. They have permitted
an impression to exist that when they
have asked reasonable compensation
for portion of their services Uhey
were asking unearned gratuities. They
have advanced the welfare of the state
in every possible way, but have failed
to show ordinary business sense in
matters which concern their own fin
ancial interests. This condition should
be changed, and there seems to be a
disposition on the part Of the members
of the press fraternity to change it.