Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-23
IS TIME TO AWAKE
NECESSITY SHOWN FOR iNTELli-
GENT COOPERATION.
APPEAL TO GENERAL PUBLIC
Up-to-D Date Farmer Points Out What
Could Be Done u Asr;euiturlsts
and the Local Press Pulled
II. Together.

1t Is a question whether the average
retailer places sufficient Importance
upon the necessity for cooperating
with the editor OF his local paper. The
latter is In q position TO mould the
sentiment Of his readers TO degree
which makes his assistance on any
mS1ter ia which the community Is in
sterested. very important.
There are Of course instances where
local newspapers are operated in such
q manner as to be Of little benefit 10
the community in which they are pub
lished. but these are decidedly the
exception and as the Up-todate Farm
err says:
Your home paper should receive
your earnest attention. II may be
that your home paper is not run 10
suit you. 1t Is possible that it pays
much more attention 10 what 1t con-
siders the best interests Of the advcr-
Users than to those of the farmers.
There is nothing a, all Strange about
that. You probably pay 81 a year
subscription. The average country
paper does not have more than 200 cir
culation, and at least one-half of these
are exchanges, deadheads and compli-
mentary. The $500 which the aver
age country editor receives does not
much more than pay for tie blank pa
per and postage. The editor OF such
country paper. therefore. must rely
almost altogether upon his advertis'
ing and job work for his support.
rs it any wonder that he pays liz
tie attention to the desires or the de-
mands OF the farmer
1T is true that the merchant OF
the country town depends UPON the
farmers for his business. but country
merchants. until lately. have not
studied the economics OF country life
and have not realized their entire de-
pendence upon the prosperity of the
farming community of interests IN
every neighborhood which is directly
opposed to the GENERALIZATION of bust
ness in a few large cities has not APP
pealed to these people.
The country merchant has taken
his ideas from the merchant who sold
him his goods: the country banker
has usually supposed that his inter
ests were identified with those Of the
banking csnters of the world; the
country lawyer has taken his political
views from the attorneys OF corpora
tons, and the country editor has had
his work cut out for him b. the edi-
tors Of big daily papers owned and
controlled by people who were at the
head of special interests
These special interests people have
tried and have. until recently. made
us all believe that the interests of all
classes were identical and that few
people who had specialized in the
study Of finance and politics we're TO
be looked to as the leaders Of public
opinion.
Since the panic of 1898 it has slow
" 'dawned upon the general public
that the teachings Of these self-ap-
po;nted leaders were not altogether
perfect in their logic, and that what
was good for the Standard Oil monop
oily or the steel trust might not be
for the best interests of the farmer
or the merchant.
Corporation lawyers from the city
represent US in congress and in the
United States senate. and corporation
lawyers have framed most OF our
state laws. II is zine for farmers
and for those who depend upon them
for support to learn that the interests
Of the speculative classes are not
those OF the producer or the cOnsum-
er. and Of the honest exchanger OF
wealth. The editor Of the home paper
should study these questions from the
standpoint of the producer and con
suiner and not from that OF the spec
ulatSr. The produce: should then
support the paper SO tina: it will not
be necessary for /; to take advertising
from any but legitimate firms that are
looking out for the interests cs farm
ers and producers. The interests o.
the merchant in a country town de-
pend upon the prosperity OF the farm
or. and the paper that teaches con
trol;ed marketing deserves the sup
port of merchants and a much bet
ter support than they now get from
farmers
Seek to Attract Attention.