Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1902-01-18
DEVELOPMENT OF TINE COAST.

IBY W. D. cURTIs.I

Especially contributed to the TIMEs)
Advertising is the force which
has developed Western America,
and more especially the Pacific Coast,
80 rapidly that its growth has been
little short of miraculous.
All OF the advertising in the world
cannot possibly make permanent
success OF proposition which is not
what it purports to be. Misrepresent-
alton may sometimes bring tempo
rary benefit, but can never produce
a permanent success. The advertis-
ing which has forced this western
country forward so rapidly has been
grounded on the sure foundation OF
merit. Nature provided the stock of
goods. The men who first came to
realize the qualities of the stock in
hand set about promoting II. The
result is stupendous triumph for
the modern idea of publicity.
Now, it you grasp the full import
of my idea, you will understand that
every one who has been in any way
instrumental in building up the west
has been to Just that extent one OF
the promoters of this gigantic ad-
vertising scheme.
The outrea ching OF this idea is 80
wide that it calls up many thoughts
which have not occurred to the ordi-
nary advertiser-thoughts which it
will pay him to ponder in order to
apply the principles to his own in
dividu ual business.
In the nature of things, you and l
have not been 90 situated as to make
our effort count for very much in
the advertising propaganda OF the
West. Who have been the leaders
in this work? First of all, | should
place the newspapers.
1t is the common fault with most
people to lose sight OF the true rela-
tions OF the newspaper to the COM
munity in which it is published.
Because of it's semi-public charac-
ter, because it exerts itself to further
the interests of the community at
large, it comes to be looked on as a
sort of public property. The good
offices of paper in behalf of a COM
munity come to be taken as matter
of course.
Il -
ethics of the case, because there is a
great deal to be said, pro and con, but
it will pay you to take the represen-
tative paper in your community and
go over it page by page, with the
idea constantly in mind that that
paper is the private property-the
bread-earncr-tor its owner.
If you live in a city of 10000 peo-
pie or less, my point will be more
obvious than it will be in a larger
city, although the same observation
holds good Any newspaper which
is what it purports to be in the COM
munity in which it is published, is
an insistent promoter of the interests
of that community.
There are newspapers galore in
every section OF the country, but it
is my contention that the newspa-
pers of Western America have done
more to develop the territory in
which they are published than has
been done by the papers in most
other sec tions,
1t would be easy by instituting
comparisons between the more i'm
portant dailics west of the Rocky
Mountains with the dailies in cities
of the same size east of the Rocky
Mountains, TO show pretty conclu-
sively that our large dailies give n
more complete service in every fea-
turr than do the eastern dailies.
Not only is their service interests
OF local readers more complete, but
many OF them have attained To posi-
tions of such influence that their edi-
torial expressions are looked for by
other sections of the country.
This faet has secured tor these pa.
pers place in the newspaper world
and has made them OF inestimable
value to our section, because il has
given them broader circulation and
a more careful reading than IL ordin-
arily accorded to papers of like cali
Der.
1t has consequently enhanced
many fold the advertising value OF
these publications.
Our imporlant papcrs give much