The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-10-18
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sress. one Of the things absolutely
indispensable before town can merge
into city. is daily newspapera
real, live, wide-awake. vigorous news
paper Itaooes not aeed TO be very
big. but II must always contain fresh,
crisp news. truly rejecting the con-
dition and progress OF the town and
surrounding country. and it must be.
above all, free from all entanglements,
and able and willing to devote days
and nights 10 working for the general
good II an aspiring young city has
not already a paper of this class. it
should lose no time IN getting one,
even II it has to pay some good man
7 a bonus for putting ina plant But
by far the best way Is to have some
man who does not want any bonus,
who has the material and the willing
ness to maintain such a paper on a
strict business basis, asking favors
of nobody, and paying every bill when
It is due And no matter on which
plan the paper is secured, every per
son who has dollar invested in the
city or who makes his living therein.
should assist il with his patronage.
Bit there is one thing which should
be very carefully considered, and that
is the size Of the paper and its con-
saquent expenses. A daily paper is
one Of the best known mediums for
getting rid Of surplus money, and
therefore the daily ina small city
should be started on scale consis-
tent with the support it reasonably ex-
poets to receive, and then maintained
to that standard at any cost. To drop
back after a few issues would greatly
injure, instead of assist the town.
Oklahoma has been the field Of
operations for a great number of small
dailies, and the graveyard of a ma
jority of them. To contemplate the
experience OF .he large number which
have been started since April, 1889,
furnishes food for serious thought.
Some have been started too soon, and
others too late; some too big. and
others in towns which wouldn't sup.
port sick widow; some for political
or temporary reasons, and others to
impress upon the people the peculiar
ideas of its publisher In all these
cases the result has been dismal
failure. though many OF the papers
still exist-for it is not necessary for
a paper 70 die to prove that It Is a
failure.
Oklahoma City is the sepulchre of
more newspapers than any other
town in the territory OF all the
papers ever started there, but one
the Times-Journal- appears TO have
been conducted with any degree of
foresight, It never got gay It play
ed safe but put IN the best licks it
was capable OF for an ungrateful
town. 1t improved gradually, from
a size smaller than the Eagle land
great deal worse), until It is now
issued in manner which would do
credit to town twice the size Of
Oklahoma City
The Guthrie Capital was not as
good paper Ia IT, infancy as the
Eagle but it is now Thoroughbred
metropolitan sheet.
The Guthrie Leader has also been
successful It Is metropolitan in ev-
cry way; has always been the most
vigorous paper in the territory and
has made big money, For four years
the Leader enjoyed territorial pap,
but II is even better paper when
working on merit alone.
( Perry, Pond Creek. Medford, Alva.
Posca City, and other towns have
heea hlosse1 with small dallies for
some time but they are all in towns
where a good weekly would answer
all purposes. Shawnee, El Reno and
Enid have ali had small dailes for
several years but with the exception
OF the ones at Shawnee they were
poorly patronzed, unprogressive, and
practically worthless.
The establishment OF a metropoli-
tan daily at El Reno recently. gives
very poor promise Of ultimate sue
cess, much as we would like to see it
succeed II is still valuable paper,
and It's wind seems good, but 1t Is