Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-04-20

ItioH Illdt lib duufeSS is given III part
to pay them ten cents per inch In or
der that they might have their living
and little profit in the business, re-
piled that l was in business for profit.
for the money there was in business
and not as a matter Of furnishing a
public convenience and that I know of
no reason why the newspaper should
not be permitted the same privilege
at least entitled to a living and a
profit out Of their business; that SO
far as I was concerned l wanted them
to have a profit on the work they did
for me and to charge me that price
and that all l asked was that they
give me as low price as they gave
my competitor.
told them considered an adver-
tisement in live paper with grow
ing circulation much cheaper at, ten
cents per inch, than an ad in paper
which was merely existing at 71a cents
per inch, and l advised them to raise
the rate, which they did. Our news
papers have been built up; the pro
prietors have been profited by it,; our
i merchants reach more readers and
the cost of advertising in our com
munity in reality has not been in
creased. =
If l were going to locate In a new
town today one of the first things
that would command my attention
would be the newspaper facilities Of
that town. | consider advertising as
necessary in a retail business as clerks,
and that the right kind of advertising
will not only make clerks necessity
but 1t will make more clerks neces-
sary. have always thought that the
newspaper was one of the least appre-
ciated of any of our local enterprises;
! that more is demanded of them and
that the services which they render
are. more grudgingly paid for than
perhaps any other institution in the
community. They do more to adyer-
tise the community and they contrib
ute more free public service than
any other enterprise we have They
are entitled to the support of the mer-
chant; they are entitled to his. job
work from a standpoint of patronizing
nome industry and they are entitled to
the advertising of every merchant in
their town from the purel-- selfish
standpoint of the merchant himself.
The Merchant to Blame.
The merchant of today who doesn's
Stl leSulls lIOlll Ills advertising lS
either to blame for not writing attrac-
tive advertising and appealing with
low prices to the people whom he de-
sires to reach, or else he fails to prop
erly show his goods when thew are
called for or he doesn't deliver what
he advertises.
Advertising, in my Judgment, is a
good deal like talink: it doesn't pay
; to advertise unless you have some
thing to advertise and 1t doesn't pay
to talk much unless you have some
thing to say. The successful retail ad-
vertiser may be found in most every
town in Iowa. When you go into a
around the public square you will
!, pass by many stores with vacant
: aisles and clerks standing idly around
but you will nearly always find some
store with a pretty good sized crowd
and you will wonder why this is, but
if you step inside you will probably
see goods piled up and strung around
the store with special price cards
marked special price today OF
, something of that sort and you recog-
nize Immediately that this is the store
Of the retail advertiser. 1t is simply
| the difference between waiting fol
business to come and sending out fol
it, 1t Is just the difference of wait,
r ing until the people come in to tel
: them of the bargains you have to Of
, fer or of telling them about them tc
get them in and then wrapping up the
goods to advertise and some things
l you did not advertise.
5 Plan Advertising Ahead.
( The merchant should plan his ad
: vertising In advance and he should dc
:, his heaviest advertising during sea
, sons when trade is otherwise dull
: When l first entered the retail trade
; was accustomed to figure on goot
business in March, April, May ant
|. June; after that we reduced expenses
e and temporarily discharged as mucl
q help as we could until September ant
h from then until January we expected
d to waken up again. and when Januar!
came We rested on our oars unit
: spring opened up about the first o
g March. l naugurated four semi-an
Il nual sales, one for January, one TO
e July. one for February and the othe
# for August. | have continued to fol
- low this policy and for years we hav
=. had no dull months. My January sale
u this year were larger than any mont
{ last year except October, Novembe
n and December and for years my bust
e ness in July and August and Januar
IS and February have exceeded all tn
II other months except the last three.
= Newspaper Ads. Necessity.
,, And now. gentlemen Of the Edi
1 torial association, I desire to say i
conclusion that l am gratified for hav
ing had the honor of addressing yor
is That from the standpoint of reta
a advertiser of 10 years experience tha
consider the newspaper and 1t
variety of forms of publicity, not onl
u public necessity, but the most pub
g iic-spirited and most enterprising In
d sttution that exists In any commun
le ity, and in addition I consider its ad
% vertising columns, properly uset
the most valuable business asset
:. the retail merchant that he has at hi
y disposal and the advantages whic
N may be obtained through the use {
n this advertising is only limited to h
s. ability and his disposition to use it
IL The fullest expression of the friend
n ly feeling that 1 entertain for tn
;, newspaper fraternity and the high re
u gard that / have for the value of re
~ tail advertising might be stated in tt
IL il lt .ss,.s l