Cañon City record., 1908-10-01
VALUE OF rHE LOCAL PArzR.

1ce Outfitter, ChicAgo, recontly made
an address before q body Of retailers
in which he called attention to the
value of the local Newspaper He said
in part:
THE local newspaper 10 the grea-
est thing the retailer has II he will use
1t right but the majority, or ut least
a large proportion, do not know how.
They are too prone to believe that the
editor will take care Of their interests
whether. they look after his or not.
This is dead wrong. II merchants as
a class would only take advantage of
the opportunities that the local news
papers afford them, they would reap
rewards far beyond their fondest
dreams. While self-preservation Is
the first law Of nature, 1t Is a very
noticeable fact that editors of local
papers have a habit of letting self-in-
terests go to the very limit when it
comes to a question of serving the
community. For this they are en-
titled to recognition which they rarely
receive.
There are many editors in prosper
GUS localities who have been laboring
ceaselessly and earnestly in the inter-
ests of the community for the best in
terests of all combined, letting their
own selfish interests take a back seat.
They have boosted the merchants in
dividually and boosted them all in
boosting the community. No doubt
the retailers have encouraged them
as far as sentimental encouragement
goes. They have undoubtedly said
that they approved of the editors
methods and called him good boy"
but in many cases have they fallen
short in the real encouragement that
counts? How often have they neg
lected to use his columns, thinking
that that were clever in 1t? In fail
ing to patronize him they have too
often killed the goose that laid the
golden egg.
Every retail merchant should make
up his mind that he will not permit
the great advantage that the local pa
per offers him to go by unused. You
must get behind your local editor and
push for all you are worth. He gives
you two dollars back for every dollar
you invest with him. He furnishes
for you at his own expense one OF
the biggest assets you possess: the
medium through which to let the peo-
Pile know what you have TO sell. Within
recent years the mail order PROPOSE
ton has been somewhat bothersome.
The editors OF the country papers have
done more than all other influences
combined to win business back into
normal channels and to reconveft the
farmer to the logical belief in home
trading. Has this been fully appre-
ciated by the retailers? The editor
prints your advertisements the way
you want them, spreads them through
out the entire community and sur
rounding country. and brings Pusi-
ness to, your store. He refuses to
take profits from your enemy, when
the enemy will pay him more and lar
ger amounts than you will. He refuses
to accept business from the mail order
store in the distant city. and even
goes further by telling how superior
the local store is to the distant one,
and detailing the advantages of buy
ing at home.
What do you do?
DO not let it be said in your COM
munity that you have let your editors
work go unappreciated. Use his paper.
Make him prosperous and yourself
rich doing it If you have foolish ideas
about the non-productiveness OF news
paper advertising, throw them Off and
try it out. One try will prove nothing.
" it is successful; so much the better,
but the constant use Of the paper In
an intelligent manner will produce the
results. II your advertisements do
not pay, it is because you do not pro-
vide the right kind Of copy. In al
most every case the newspaperman
knows how to set your ad in an at
tractive manner. but he Is not TO
blame IL you furnish him poor copy.
The best friend any business man
| in the world has. next to his wife 10
the local newspaper, and II he doesn't
get full value for this friendship 1t In
his fault. not the editors. The editor
| Of the average so-called country paper
has done more to upbuild his town and
the retailers in 1t than all other in
fiuences combined. and 1t also follows
that as an almost unbroken rule, he
Is the least appreciated person in his
community.
Cut loose from this narrow. selfish
way of doing thinks. Look to your
own interests by helping the local
newspaper. 1t Is a veritable gold
mine. all you have to do Is to reach
out for the nuggets.
Line up your local editor and then
line up your local banker. Retailers
in combination with the bankers and
newspaper men Of the country will
make an Irresistible force that will
bring about the grandest success in
the world. There is no power IKE