Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-04
pAlLIEs VS.. LOCAL wEExliEs.

The Times Republican has from the
sround that the daily mail service,
while affording exceptional opportuni-
hes for the extension of the circulation
Of daily newspapers is not a bar to the
local weekly or drag on its prosper
lty. There has been we'll defined fear
on the part of some country newspa-
pers that the access Of country business
to the danies meant a corresponding
loss to themselves. The question came
up at the union meeting of the edi-
torial associations at Mason City and
the claim that the daily IS driving out
the local weekly was exploded by the
avowed experience of Ed Madigan, OF
the GAINESVILLE Star and other success
full publishers Of county papers.
In an address before the Buckeye
Press Association at Columbus, Ohio.
w. S. Needham, himself county pub
Usher, shows the fallacy of the idea that
the rural mail service has made it pos
s.ble for the city dailies TO absorb the
rural circulation of the .ocal paper. Mr..
Needham at first held that impression
and as postmaster Discouraged the es-
adjustment of free delivery from his
nome town. The establishment OF one
route convinced him Of his error for, as
he states, "froan the beginning of the
service the evidence was unmis taxable
that the rural free delivery was bound
to prove a prominent factor In the in
crease OF my subscription list, and
when 1 tell you that within the terri
tory covered by our five rural mail
routes my circulation has increased
more than so per cent nut state a SIM
pie truth which may be verified at any
time,
Mr.. Nesdham has recently addressed
letters to publishers of weekly papers
in different parts of the state making
inquiry as to the effect of the rural
delivery upon their subscription list,
also fnquiring as to whether or not the
dailies in circulation on the rural routes
affected their circulation adversely. The
replies were encouraging in every in
stance. One editor stated that he had
never given the matter thought before,
but since receiving the query he had
gone over his subscription books and
found that he could trace a substantial
increase OF circulation directly to the
rural routes; that he had welcomed
them at first and still regarded them
with the greatest favor, believing that
that they could be made by proper
effort a greater source of benefit to the
weekly paper.
There is no doubt that the focal pa
per which is deserving of patronage
will retain and increase its business no
matter how many of its subscribers
also pay subscriptions to .dailies. The
daily ds a necessity for market reports
and quick general and state news
service. The home paper, however, will
always continue to he the vehicle of
local news. The fields of the county
weekly and the city daily join, but do
not conflict. The paper that is to be
injured by rural free delivery is the
weekly editions of the daily itself.
Their general news service Is too slow
for the progressive farmer who Is en-
ab1ed to get a daily newspaper every
day by rural free delivery. The fact is
that IL the county weekly is losing the
fault is not with rural free delivery,
but Is inherent. Perhaps the daily with
Its rustling crispness OF news and
typographical excellence may by COM
parison drive fossilized county pub
Usher to improve his service or suffer
by the loss of his Disguised patrons. but
the real newspaper will grow and four