The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-11-03
THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER
Ought to Earn SIS Per Year For the
Underpaid Editor.

Arthur Brisbane, editor for William
Randolph Hearst's syndicate of news
papers, including the New York Jour
nal Chicago American, San Francisco
Examiner, and others, writes to the
American Press about the country news
paper and the country editor in way
that shows the country weekly is re-
garded as a necessary institution by an
experienced man, whether the commun-
itY in which the paper is printed appre-
ciates its value or not. Mr.. Brisbane
is perhaps the ablest and highest sal
aried newspaper man OF the time, and
his utterances, therefore, command at
tention. He says in part:
CAS- conditions are today the local
editor, the man who is leading thou
sands of good fights all over the coun-
try, is poorly recognized or not recog-
nized at all. With few exceptions, it is
impossible for men of great ability,
public spirit and integrity to make by
hard work in year of intelligent jour
nalism a quarter as much as can be
made by any rascal willing to sell him
self to a corporation. 1t is a great
harm to the country that the ambitious
newspaper man should be moving al
ways toward the big cities in order to
make decent living. Every community
where there is a congressman needs a
good editor. Every community where
a judge sits and looks at the corpora
ton with one eye and the little people
with the other eye and very different
eye for each-needs an honest editor,
with both eyes on the judge.
ut would be a very good thing in
deed for this country if country editor
ship meant q comfortable income. a
permanent fortune, permanent indie
pendence, in addition to q position of
honor and dignity,
Mr.. Hearst's newspaper IN San
Francisco, as an example, the EXamin-
er, earns S. every year for every copy
of the paper sold. This newspaper can
earn this amount Of money because adj
vertisers through that newspaper can
reach directly the people that have the
money to spend and supply them imme-
diately, How much it would mean to
the owner Of a small newspaper if his
circulation could be worth to him s. a
copy. What good thing it would be
for the intelligent, earnest energetic
and honest editor with 1000 circulation
if 1900 circulation in the country meant
$l0,0 profit a year. Two thousand
circulation in the country would be worth
more than 1000 in the city to the owner
of the paper if this country had the
parcels post. In the long run it would
be far better for the local storeleeper.
1t might crowd out the man who IS hes
itating about failing and who is going
to fail in the end anyhow. Butt would
certainly help the able man, and it
would make rich men Of many suug-
Cling editors.
= believe I could prove this to the
satisfaction Of any intelligent news
paper man if had a chance to talk to
him for five minutes. If the man who
owns a newspaper in the country had
the power, backed with parcels post, to
distribute manufactured goods to his
readers directly his paper would be Of
the greatest possible value and infinite
Iy more valuable per copy Of circulation
than any newspaper in any big city.
Whenever 1 speak in public before
advertisers I make it a point to empha-
size the value Of the country news
paper, and I intend always to do so.
This is good advice from the point of
view of the advertiser, and it is still
better advice from the point of view of
the average citizen. 1t would be sad
day indeed for this country if there
were not scattered in every little ham,
let a conscientious, clean newspaper
man, willing for ridiculously small pay
to watch and protect the interests Of
the neighborhood.