The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-15

ium in the world than the live daily
il the live interior city-ot which
there are from ten to fifty in every
state in the union.
l could use all the space in this
entire magazine this month in giving
you the many reasons why this is the
case, and l would like to, because it
seems to me that the actual worth of
this class of newspapers Is but little
understood by the big general adyer-
tiser-e especially he who has his plant
in a metropolitan city and who has
never lived in the country This is
far too true, indeed, of the eastern
manufacturer especially. He too often
looks upon all newspapers as he does
upon the metropolitan daily. In the
big city there is but one paper that
the millionaire manufacturer reads
and believes-and that is nearly al
ways the sedate paper which goes in
to the carriage homes and has a
limited exclusive" circulation. He
abhors the yellow papers with tre
mendous calculations because they are
always attacking his or otner inter
ests, which appeal to him. He has
no use for these big circulation papers
and can't see how anyone else has.
They represent nothing to his mind
but anarchy. 1t Is impossible lor
him to see how they can do any good
or sell any goods. And his judgment
of newspaper advertising is based on
his own opinion of the papers that
come under his own eye. He reminds
me OF the forty-year-old merchant in
the small city who says he doesn't
have to advertise because he has
lived in the community so long every
body knows him.
Now, dear reader. | am going to
imagine that you are some big east
ern manufacturer of an article that
| is sold in many stores all over the
country and is extensively advertised
in the magazines | want to take
you out west here with me for lit
| tie trip and give you peep into
prosperous city in one of the many
western states between the Allegheny
and the Rocky mountains. We will
get off the train and go to the hotel
to brush up before looking around.
The town is anywhere from 10000 to
! 100000 population and the hotel is a
beauty for such town. You marvel
at it and its appointments to begin
with.
You talk to the clerk at the hotel
about the town and he tells you its
dandy, and growing by leaps and
bounds. You ask him about the news
| papers, and he answers; "Oh, yes,
| we have two mighty good papers
here One is the Leader, the Repub-
! lican paper and the other is the
Blade. the Democratic paper Both
the strong papers and have large cir
| culations.''
! We take little walk around the
! business district and you see first
! class town-big buildings, well kept
and up to date stores, clean, paved
/ streets. we'll lighted business district
i'm fact you cannot help but COM
ment favorably on the business spirit
/ that meets you everywhere. There are
substantial banks with deposits run
| ming into the millions, a business
mems club, parks, boulevards. thea
tres, and everything that goes to
make a city only on not SO elaborate
scale as in the metropolis.
We make 1t a point to talk to a
number of business men, bankers
| people in all walks of life. We ask
! them about the newspapers and they
+ tell US in the same language as the
| hotel clerk Once in a while we find
man with grievance, but they all
concede that the newspapers are up
to date, strong, and have a great In
4 fiuence in the community.
| And there you are. It will be the
same thing in every one OF five hun
! bred or more towns you may visit
/ In some you will find only one paper
In others perhaps three, but in every
case you will find that they are in.
4 fiuential in their community and car
ry weight with the people And these
same papers cover the country rural
(! routes and small towns within a
trading radius of their city and are
looked upon by these subscribers In
4 the same reverential manner.
The live newspaper in the growing
4 small city is the greatest power fol-
Il good in the community and not one
in thousand can be found to shirk
their responsibility or that is dishonest
in handling the problems that con
front them. The editor or publisher
is always one of the city's most
prominent citizens. He Is at the
head of many things for the better
4 ment of the community and his ad
vice is eagerly sought after He Is
K looked up to not only as the mar
who guides the newspaper. but his
own personality has made him pow
er himself, as well IS his paper, fol
the good Of the people. No move
ment of any consequence is started
without the enlistment Of this mar
and his paper. No great question
rornes before the uenr,ie hut stands a,