The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-06-07
Some Very Definite Conclusions

or fifty times, as big. To be big enough,
amply big enough, is all that is necessary.
To go beyond this is TO depart from good
taste and refinement and to use up space
in headlines that would better go into
reading.
Your responsibility, then, to the news
paper man comes in, in yon: permitting
him to give you less elegant and less
serious newspaper than he would make
for himself. and in permitting him, with
out protest, 20 give TO the community a
newspaper less elegant and less refined
and less serious than the community
should have
You have been Indifferent about your
newspapers. You have been Indifferent
as TO the effect Of these newspapers on
yourself, on your family, and on the COM
munity. If you had not been Indifferent
you would now have better journalism
worthy Of New England. and worthy Of
this advanced period of evolution.
Failing to receive a protest of any con-
siderable significance, the newspaper man
has followed the lines that seemed best
to reflect the journalistic ideas of the
community, and that paIpably made for
the greatest commercial progress.
You have had in your hands, and have
IN your hands, the lower to say what
your newspaper shall be and what it shall
not be. This is so for the reason that
you can kill a newspaper in a day or
make newspaper in a day.
Having this power TO make or break
a newspaper. the responsibility in the
final analysis rests on you for the kind
of newspapers you take into your home,
and rests upon you for the kind Of news
papers that mold public opinion in your
orlmunity-newspaper that are an up
lift to the community or the opposite OF
this.
And so, too, the responsibility rests
primarily with you for the undesirable a6-
vertisements of all kinds and classes that
appear in your newspapers. And a very
heavy responsibility rests with you for
the mislea ling financial advertisements
in your newspaper that fitch the hard
earned savings from the people of this
community.
hear you say that all this is the bust
ness OF the newspaper, not yours. Yes, It
is the bush ess Of the newspaper, and Il
is your business as we'll You are the
arbiters in the case, the court Of last
resort, and you are the victims Of IN
healthy influences and Of advertisements
that rob and corrupt.
The important difference between the
responsibility resting on you and that
resting on the newspaper is this: The
newspaper is up against it." It Is not IF
to act as it would wish to act, because
It is In competition with other newspapers
Which get the revenue from these finan-
cial and other undesirable advertisements.
Newspapers selling at one cent must IN
the very nature of the case derive their
income from the advertising they carry,
and the One-cent price has come and il
will remain. For one newspaper to re-
papers Of the town carry would put it at
hopeless disadvantage. and with competi-
ton 50 keen, so msrciless, It could not
maintain its ground.
This discussion brings into the fore
ground very fine question. It is one to
which / have given good deal Of thought,
and which I have a good MANY times
discussed in all its bearings with the
management Of this newspaper 1t is
this:
Would a newspaper Of good moral fiber,
that is force for good in the community,
better serve the community by withdraw
ing from the field, or by adding to its in
come by carrying such advertising as the
other newspapers carry? This is a hypo-