The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-10-07
THE SAD STORY or A NEWS
PAPER.


once on time to begin this story
iii strictly orthodox manner-so fai
back in the musty by-gone ages thai
your greatest ancestor couldn't remem
ber It If he were ten times older thar
ne is
Once on time, as we were saying
according to ancient legend, set q
Fellows conceived the ambitious notion
OF building a tower to heaven.
Ne presume the matter came up at a
meeting OF al ante-deluvian CONNER
ial club and the citizens present, all
being boosters, agreed that it was a
good proposition and therefore with
commendable energy they set to work.
The result Of the undertaking is
well known to readers Of the Express,
all Of whom are familiar with Biblical
lore The Babel boosters were put to
confusion and the real estate boom
which they were promoting had sud
dent collapse.
The 4wayfaring man though fool
must clearly perceive that the Babel
citizens while not lacking in enter
prise were slightly deficient in judg-
ment which is always a good thing
10 have handy when a business under
sailing IL nronoead
According to well authenticated
chronicles Of profane history y was
shortly after the failure Of the tower
builders that another enterprising gen
tleman, actuated BY the Iaudable ann
Dition to uplift the human race, con-
ceived the idea of launching metro
politang paper IN a small town. For
fear that you are little rusty on
your history and have forgotten bow
his venture panned out, Tor your en-
lightennient we wish to say that he
made as bad fluke Of it as the Babel
boosters did His fellow citizens gave
him much encouragement at the out
set. assuring him that his newspaper
would be the making Of the town--it
had been the crying need Of the town
for long time and he could make a
barrel or two Of money out Of it be-
sides being a benefactor OF the com
munity end men would call him bless
ed. It was fine scheme, but The
trouble was just the sRne as in the
case Of the Babel plenty OF en-
terprise but lack OF Judgment.
But the thing didn't end with that
first abortiye venture into metropoli-
tan journalism in small town. II
you have time 10 take an excursion
along the roads that lead to hoary an
tiquitys you will find among the buried
hopes, and other junk in the grave
yards Of the ages, the decayed wrecks
Of innumerable print shops that We're
sacrificed on the altar Of unwise am
bition.
However, it Isn't necessary to pur
sue yom wanderings So fat to find
examples oi this misguided journal
issie enterprise. All over this goodly
land Of ours and right here In Oklaho
ma We have seen the thing tried and
invariably with the same result. De
spite the fact that history doesn't re
cord single instance in which sue
eessful newspaper OF metropolitan pro
portions and character has been pub
lished in small town. every cnce il
a while somebody with more enterpris,
than business judgment lured by flat
tering promises OF some progressive
community undertakes it and newt
ably the same old story OF failure il
repeated the publisher holds th'
sack We say inevitably because it il
just as much in contrayentlon Of com
monsense and economic law to at
tempt to publish a paper like the New
York World in a small town as I
would be to undertake to maintsi
tie WaldorfAstoria hotel OF Wanna
makers store in3the same sized town
We were lead % this monrnful trail
81 thought By the latest illustration o
she thing Of which We are speaking
the failure Of the shawnee Herald
Some months ago the Herald blossom
ed out into something like metre
uollsan paper Enterprislng men put
Nood sized Sum q money ipio Il. 9
splendid plant was established am
Il was managed with marked editoria
ability but 4 went the way Of All M
others. we saw the same thing a
p Reno q number Of years ago and
has been tried IN numerous othe
towns The reason rs plain news
paper must draw the bulk of rs sui
Non from ne town ii which Il Is pnl