Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-11-11
The Merchant and His Home Paper.

For the good OF the town and proht
to themselves the relation of the local
editor and the retail merchant in the
average town are not what they
should be, says the Rockford Register.
This is due to lack of understanding
each of the work of the other. Some
times ignorance is responsible, some
times it is prejudice, sometimes it is
a case of looking for tronble. The re-
suit is the same. There is too little
cooperation between the editor and
the merchant.
This may be partly due to the fact
that the merchants in many towns are
just learning the lesson of co-opera-
ton among themselves. Just finding
out that fighting their neighbor down
the street is not all there is TO sue
cessful merchandising. Just begin
ming to learn that there is more to be
gained in bringing more business to
the town than by fighting among
themselves for the trade which
NATURALLY COuleS To III.
Oh the other hand the editors are
frequently narrow in their policy and
neglected. OF their business They
may give too much time to politics
and too little TO their real business,
that of publishing paper and giving
their merchants the best possible ad,
vertising medium.
No merchant can enthuse over ad-
vertising in poorly printed, poorly
. eoited and but partially circulated
paper which fails to bring results.
On the other hand no editor can en-
Enthusiastically work for town whose
merchants are narrow minded, whose
biting each other, whose idea of bust
ness is tearing down their competit-
ors. Such men care little for the fu-
ture of their town. They are too sell
fish. They do not make successful
business men or successful towns.
The local paper and the merchants
are the principal factors in every
town. On them depends in great
degree whether it shall progress or
fall into a rut.
Then it is plain that whatever
differences may arise over politics,
over the school elections, or the num-
erous other little trouble makers III
the affair of the town, the merchants
and the local paper should always
cooperate for more business.
Every merchant who reads this
should follow it up with work to
practical end. He should ask himself
few questions such as these:
Can | not make more money by do
ing my part toward bringing more
people 20 this town to trade?
Even tho | am "sore" at the editor,
am | not standing in my own light in
refusing TO cooper ate with him?
If | assist and encourage the editor
to push the circulation of his paper
into that northeast district, will it
not result in more of q trade coming
to this town, of which I get my
share?
Retailers associations are educat-
ing the merchant TO campaign for
trade along broader lines. The next
thing is TO bring the local editor
into camp as an ally.
The merchants of town should do
all they can for the editor. In turn
they should insist that he give them a
bright paper and push ITS circulation
into every possible nook and corner of
the territory from which they desire
TO pull trade. The town which has
the most widely circulated newspaper
has the advantage in the fight for
trade. Circulars ought not to be as
good an advertising medium as the
local paper.
This is straight business. Politics,
school elections. and sensitive natures
should not be mixed in the relations
of euitor and merchant. Theirs should
be straight business alliance for more
trade. Rockford Register
She said: "What is there for your
dear sake
That l would not do or be?
He said: "Why my dear, 4, am easy
to please,