The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1909-03-18
IRE LOCAL NEWSPAPER
How II Can BE Made to Heir Trade

"Did yoa ever ~ inla = town ths
booked A. tbough there WAS somrihin,
wrong with ~
Y have.
Maybe you wonder Why al N. baild
lng, looked 80 strange, why the Store
appeared 10 have been stocked up viii
unsuitable gcods. aud 4 you wanderers
dosn the sirrei you discovered ihat ,h'
storekeepcrs we're IN fact sioiekeepers
fou talked 10 some 81 them and the,
were knockers. There seemed 10 be !
spirit Of jealousy Astounding every
where. You inquired why they dldn
get together and form an association
You were told thai they bad flourish
ING association and that they sllbelong
ed % il. Yoa may have asked hun
dred and one other questions. and al
Of them seemed 10 elicit a favorai !,
answer and still you wondered. Sure
ly something was wrong. All, yot
struck ii-they didu't advertise. You
put the question TO one of the store
keepers.
/ (" Advertise, why, thunder. yes!
was the reply.
Again you were stumped. Finally
in despair you sought out the local
newspaper. II the merchants advertis.
ed, had an association. and everything
seemed to be favorable, why was the
town awryi The newspaper man would
know. So away you went 10 see him.
ION your way you saw many things
that convinced you that there was
something radically wrong. but you
didn't get very close 10 the cause. nn.
I'll yon lost your way TO the newspaper
office and had 10 ask someone TO direct
you. Here you began TO get handle
on the real cause.
Newspaper oflicei Why. oh, yes.
You mean the BugleY Oh. yes. Old
man Sanders runs that. Sure keep on
going, you can't miss it. You'll pro.
badly find Sanders there. He's there
most of the time, ! guess
What sort OF paper is iti you
ask.
4" oh, not much of paper, guess.
Sort of dead Old Man Sanders owes
everybody and nobody will trust him
any more
/" Do You advertise in the paperf
No. no use. Ii doesn't bring re-
suits. can't see any good in it. Some.
times | run an advertisement to help
the old man out Nobody pays much
attention TO him. He's been here a
long time. Too poor TO get away, |
guess. No, don't advertise very often
unless ! want some dodgers, and then
make the old man run 'em of free if
| give him an advertisement for his
paper.
IF you know anything about real
conditions you feel your heart beat
fast, then slow down. You know the
cause. You have solved the mystery.
No wonder the town is dead! No won.
der the merchants are knockers. No
wonder Old Man Sanders owes every
body and is too poor TO get ont. You
have it: The merchants do not sup
port the local newspaper.
MANY good town isn't worth
cent because the local newspaper is
neglected. Many good merchandise
ing center is dead because the men in
business treat the editor of the news
paper as an object of charity. This is
wrong. The local paper is the greatest
thing in the community. II should be
supported. 1t should be read and pat
ronized. The merchant who thinks
they are clever and smart when they
slip one over on the local paper make
a big mistake. Every dollar you take
away from the local newspaper in
schemes and knocks hurts the town. II
hurts business, and most of all it hurts
the merchants who indulge in it.
Whatever else you merchants do,
patronize your home newspaper. Don't
tell me that il has small circulation.
Don't tell me that you reach ten times
as many people with less expense using
circulars. Don't spring any Of those
time worn gags on me at all. Stop
standing in your own light. Get be-
hind that local payer and push it for
all you are worth, don't mean push
it to the wall, push it up grade to a
position where il ought to be, and as
sure as you are alive you will push
your own business up with it TO point
yon never dreamed of before.
when man tells you that he
reaches more people and gets better
results from his circulars know that
ne is deceiving himself and telling me
what ! can prove TO be untrue. A
newspaper in the community is read by
he people. They learn to watch and
ook for it and when they get il every
member OF the family wants his turn TO
lee what it says. Advertisements and
III are read. II the merchants Of com.
nunity will educate the people 10 look
n the newspapers for their announce.
nents, more and more people will read
he paper and greater will be the re-
urns. II the LEGAL newspaper has
mall circulation, it is the fault OF the
nerchants. II it is weak. puny. sickly
nd financially depressed, it is the fault
I the merchants. Suppose you do get
esults from dodgers. that is because
gu have educated the people 10 de- I
end upon dodgers, and il does not {
rove that newspaper advertising will L
OF pay. II proves that you have miss
great opportunity and have wasted
lot Of time and money educating peo- 1
lie 10 wrong idea, and il is up 70 you
, get busy and change your tactics.
iben man tells me that be gets his q
A a - A