The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-09-16
Raleigh Evening Times.

hh'lpu ENeEIHS i HIVE
Some OF the best advice we have
seen for that part OF the public that
is always advising what kind OF n
newspaper their town should have is
given in the following clipping from
both the New Bern Sun and the Will
mington Star. They have evidently
been up against the same kind of
people we find every day. We have
seen so much of this thing that we
sometimes get in the notion to quit
the business. Some days ago a prom
illent man in this city, who is always
nosing into matters, walked into our
office and asked us to give him Il
copy OF the afternoon paper. He
took it without saying Thank you"
or anything else, and started out. We
asked him ii he took the paper, and
he replied that he did not, but that
he wanted to see an important item
in that days paper. We politely i'll
formed him that it cost us money to
run Il newspaper, the same as it did
the man who runs his store, and that
people were not expected to walk into
store and take articles without pay:
1t is not a question of price SO much
as it is the principle Of the thing.
That same man will stand on the cor
ners and criticise the papers of Raj
eigh for not doing thus and SO and
not giving certain news items, when
he, like many others, is cheap enough
to walk into the newspaper Office
and carry off papers witout paying
| for them. We would think more of
such people if they would have the
paper sent to their homes and then
refuse to pay their subscriptions, as
many do. The following light on the
subject has been given by The Sun
and the Star:
There are concerns in New Bern
who advertise in papers in other
places who never carry line in their
home papers, and still these same
ones are usually asking favors of
their home papers, and the most apt
to criticise and find fault. p New
Bern Sun.
"Unfortunately what The Sun says
is too true and it applies to more
places than New Bern. Some of the
citizens who do that mean we'll, or
they think they do, and some will
acknowledge their error if they are
convinced of it, while Others will get
huffy. We doubt not there are citi-
zens of New Bern who think that
New Bern ought to have Il paper
three times better than any there,
| but when they are pinned down it
will be found that they neither sub
scribe to nor advertise in the paper.
If all citizens were just like them
New Bern would have no paper at all,
much less one that is as representa-
tive as those now in the field endeav-
oring and hoping one day to develop
into truly good newspapers.
ga newspaper publisher makes just
as good q newspaper as his receipts
from subscriptions and advertise
ments will warrant him in making
1t is always q publishers ambition
to get out creditable sheet, but he
can not do it on wind, and hot all
certainly won't take the place OF
money to pay expenses.
"The better a newspaper is sup
ported, the better paper it will be. II
represents just the amount OF public
spirit there is in a town, and some
times it represents good deal more
MANY knockers of a daily paper
couldn't get out a weekly sheet if one
were turned over to him, but some
times friendly critics make good sug
gestions which publishers appreciate
and profit by. 1t is the citizen who
wants to help you to build up that il
| a welcome kicker, but the fellow will
q crouch and free advice that hasn'
got anything in it and who doesn''
show up any long green to pay TO
getting out the paper, is the individ
ual that the publisher places on hi
list OF undesirable citizens.
Sometimes it is u good idea tt
I knock the knockers SO they can Sc
themselves as others see them. Th
man who subscribes to and adver
tises in his home paper helps himself
helps his town and helps the paper
The knocker should at least contrib
ute something to a papers asset
4 before be undertakes to knock, o
t else he is doing business without