Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-18
LOOKER.ON in IOWA

|
thing of the same sensation comes TO
us as tho we should hear that the
Bunker Hill monument had fallen
down. For the Spy" in Massachu-
sets dates way back, probably loo
years. The other old paper In New
England, the Hartford Courant. prints
this obituary notice: The once ia
nous Worcester Spy died Wednes-
day The holder of two mortgages on
the property declined to make them
worth still less by paying for another
issue: and so there comes at least
break. IL not collapse. Our memory
is not to be depended upon absolutely
so far back, but, if we are not mis-
| taken. the spy was started In Bos-
ton before The Gourant was estab-
| lshed in Hartford. and that was IN
| 1854. The Spy was removed from
| Boston in the '70s and that removal
| broke a record and enabled our paper
! to call itself the older; for our claim
| has been and is that we are older than
any other paper published IN one
| town and under one name ana contlh-
| uously. The Spy was at one time
| great force in It's then large field. IL
| died of neglect. and it has been long
| time dying. For ut least twenty-five
/ years it has been weak and dwindling.
| The aim of its management was given
once in this office as to see where to
save dollar If you want to find
newspaper that is conducted on that
| policy, you must dig for it; 1t is sure
| to be run into the ground. There Is
probably no other industry In which
| ,ty1v
as in the newspaper business. The
| management that had not the courage
| to face that fact was doomed. With
| its long and honorable career its ira
| ditions running back before the revolu-
| ton, and the growth and prosperity OF
| the city of it's publication. the Spy
had a great opportunity-and failed to
| improve it,,
The above furnishes text for what
follows. Probably few of the readers
of the Iowa daflies realize or know that
our Iowa dailies are the wonder Of the
newspaper fraternity the country over.
Such men know what 1t costs to make
Il good daily, and wonder how the pub
fishers of such papers In Iowa, man
age to get their money back. They do
not understand the universal patronage
given in Iowa not only to our state
papers. but the Chicago papers also.
The people Of Iowa, read, and by the
people one refers to all classes. So
licitor for an Iowa daily once drove
six miles on 4 rural route, and on both
sides of the road found only four farm
ers without a daily paper of some sort.
The writer was once told by post
master in an Iowa town Of 400 inhab-
itants, that each week he handled q
719 papers. dailies and weeklies.
The management of the spy" ac-
cording to the Courant once commence
ed ON policy ito see where to save d
dollar" and then their financial
troubles commenced. That seems para
doxical but ii isn't. For instance when
a daily paper in Iowa changes
owners and management they don't be-
gin by trying ito save a dollar" In
stead they at once put an increased
number of solicitors on the road. In
town about the size of Marshalltown
they spend $500 in canvassing. They put
on In twelve or fifteen of the largest
towns, free carriers. They engage more
reporters for city work. more editors to
produce "thnky thoughts more bust
ness managers, and more advertising
men. During the past ten years
number of our Iowa dailies have been
reorganiZed. The writer has in mind
sevaral. whose common report made in
such papers temporary increase OF
one hundren per cent in expenses.
OF course that was "a squirt" But
Just the same the daily expenses of
such papers. the fixed charges as our
railroad managers call it. are now
nearly $500 day. This has to come
before the stockholders get anything.
And yet the readers of these papers
only pay a little over one cent for
copy of the paper. Papers less pre-
tentious here in Iowa think nothing of
reporting a murder trial at an expense
of $3.50. Outside of Des Moines, legis
lative reports have cost s high as
$3.50 to $1,000 for the session. II the
figures were obtainable 1T would be
found that the daily and weekly pub
locations of Iowa pay large percentage
of the expense Of the rural free de-
livery routes. This in the amount OF
postage paid each day to Uncle Sam.
Another peculiar feature of the press
of Iowa is the ownership or control or
the thirty or more dailies in the state.
1t is an open secret that one daily at
one time sold it's editorial columns at
so much per" Another editor accepts
as a retainer so many thousand per
year. and devotes all of his talent
which is not inconsiderable, towards
earning his wages. The laborer is
worthy Of his hire" Six other dailies
in Iowa are controlled, directly or indi-
rectly. by congressional patronage or
influence, or patronage IN times OF need,
from federal ofIiceholders.
Omit from the list these and then we
have list of daily papers whose edi-
tors dare to say their souls are then
own, and If 1T is necessary to speak
out in meetin'," utter no uncertain
sound Frequently it happens that GER
tain Iowa papers are accused by the OPP
position of being Subsidized but If 1,
is any satisfaction to the Iowa reader,
he or she can safely assume that, ex-
cepting the referred to dailies. there is
"a free and untrammelled press in
Iowa When it comes to weeklies, there
is a universal independence OF express
sion of opinion on all subjects. A few
.,.na,tjn,s ,,,,,ct t,e m Ia Rllf nnp "a n