The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-06-08

business for the past two years has In
creased more than so per cent.
Recently | noticed in a Mississippi eH.
change, published by a mighty good man
and splendid printer, an astounding ref
'erence to the annual ne. income of his
business. | will only quote an excerpt
from the editors dolef,:i "tale of VICE."
which is a very sad sto,y: "The net in
come of the Leaders business is about
S7OO a year. Out of this we pay for
water, lights, taxes, insurance and rents
over $3.50, which leaves about $120 for
food, clothing, fuel and incidentals. II
is an uphill business for the Leader to
live and have its being here We are
about ready to leave, if we can sell out.
All this candy for a dime is a little too
dear for u.s."
I am satisfied that this state of affairs
has been brought about because there Is
no system of cooperation in the town
where my friend resides.
l ask your pardon for making so many
personal references, but / am proud OF
the reputation | have for having made
something of n success in the conduct of
a weekly newspaper and job printing
business. Whatever success | have at
tanned, however, has been due to hard
work and observing common sense bust
ness principles. l presume that during
the past twenty-seven years AVE done
as much all-round newspaper work as
anv member of this association, and it is
gratifying to realize that my labors have
been rewarded with a fair degree of sue
cess.
But enough of this random talk. I
want to insist that each of you quit cut
ting prices. Let's place the newspaper
and job printing business in Mississippi
upon a better and higher plane. Place a
proper value on your work. You owe
this much to yourself and the fraternity
alike. Don't hesitate about doing it, but
do it now, and my word for it you will
never regret it.
Recently a certain candidate for office
in Northwest Mississippi came to Green
wood. He announced his candidacy
through the columns of my esteemed con-
temporary, paying the regular fee of SIS
without complaint. But he pursued his
Journey to another county, not a hun
dred miles distant, where the publisher
of q paper made his announcement, gave
him a half-colunN write-up and printed
him 1000 cards for distribution-all for
the measly, insignificant sum of five dol
lars! This candidate very naturally
came to the conclusion, not being a very
bright fellow, that the Greenwood editor
had outrageously held him up and robbed
him! The cheap-john policy cited above
is a disgrace to the fraternity and is re-
sponsible for the fact that so many
newspaper and Job printing ventures are
such dismal failures.
The editors and publishers of each
town and city should agree on fair, iiv-
ing rates for their advertising space, Job
printing and subscription, regardless OF
their political or other differences-and
live up to their agreements, after the
manner in which the large wholesale mer-
camille houses, the bankers, lawyers and
physicians do.
Many of the newspapers OF the State
are conducted upon good business prin-
ciples, but too many of them are not.
Let's all get together and make a long.
strong pull for cooperation in the mat
ter of fair and equitable rates for cur
labor in every town and city in Missis-
sippi, and it will not be a very great
while until we can boast of having the
most prosperous business, everything
considered, in our grand old common
wealth.
Thanking your for your very kind at
tention and generous patience IN listen
ing to my rambling remarks, ! will con-
clude with the positive assertion that co
operation on the part of local papers in
the same community can be made practi-
cable, and ] hope you will all go back to
your homes, give it a fair trial, and be
convinced of its manifold advantages.
J. L. GILLESPIE,
Editor The Commonwealth,
Greenwood, Miss.