The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-22


They told W frankly that they didn't
ever propose to do business With .
newspaper run az The Stun was run.
Our Independence, the effects Of which
they had felt when we found IL neces-
sary to tell the public what they were
trying to do to us. was still of1en-
sive. They would break that indie.
pendence--or they would ruin rs
Our circulation continued to climb
during those three months, and on
April first 1t had reached daily av-
erage OF little more than twenty
seven thousand. On this date we lost
the advertising Of our remaining de-
partment store. Lisner. the manager
OF this store, was connected with a
certain shoe factory concerning which
l had published some Unpleasant facts.
On April second again told the peO-
pie of St James that our news COL
umns could not be controlled by any
interest but theirs. published first
page editorial. showing just what had
occurred between Lisner and The Sun
| and what Lisner's connection with the
shoe factory was, and stating that he
had discontinued his advertising be-
cause we had insisted on printing the
truth about the factory.
The paper containing that editorial
ACAshcu nlSh Tic next IHCTuhlS. WI
days later he Butler and, Ashman,
walked into the office, and l knew tnaf
, the hour tor the great show down had
arrived.
We'll, we're ready to see what
you've done with our sixty thousand,
said Nell. as We sat down at Austin 8
desk that afternoon to go over our
records ana decide whether The Sun
should continue To shine. or set for
ever
That's easily answered. l replied.
We've spent it. as you told US to-
Not all of it," put in Austin. I'VE
still have q balance of two hundred
and thirty seven dollars"
rs that all there Is left?' asked
Ashman.
| That's ALL said Austin. but I'd
| like to have you take look at our
| circulation statement"
| Wed rather see your statement OF
J advertising receipts FIRST" said But
! Ter.
! Austin had prepared balance sheet
| OF our advertising. circulation and
| cash. and he silently passed 1t over
the table to EEtler. Butler glanced at
/ 1t and passed 1t to Ashman, who In
turn contemplated it briefly and pass
| ed it to Neil. 1t didn't require much
| time to read it and understand 1t. We
| had only two hundred and thirty seven
| dollars left out of the original sixty
| thousand dollars. Our circulation had
risen from 8,148, the record Of the day
! prior to our assumption of the man.
agement of The Sun. to 1889, the re-
| cord. OF the day previous to this meet.
| ing. Our advertising receipts had fall
len steadily from s12,245.4s for May
| 1905. to $4,422.67 for March, 1907.
| "A1l the biV adcarfisara ara mt M
the paper. aren't they?" asked Nell.
| Every one" replied Austin.
And all because they wouldn't stand
Tor something that printed because
! believed the reader was entitled &c
the information" said.
| Boys, we've given this thing an hon.
est trial." said Nell Our editor hal
done exactly the right thing from this
day we turned him loose on this prop
osition until today. Our business man
ager has worked his nails on tryine
to get business for this kind Of a news
| paper. The fact that the paper hal
been run right IL demonstrated by thai
circulation statement I'm satisfied
also I'm convinced. don't need any
further evidence to prove to me tina,
You can't make newspaper succeed
and run II solely for the benefit Of tbs
reader It's been worth twenty thou.
sand dollars to find that out. We've
done what we started out to do-we've
made a sixty-thousand-d dollar expert
ment in this kind Of 5ournalism-an6
we've failed to put this newspaper
| over. Nothing remains but to clos,
up shop. pack our machinery, charg,
our sixty thousand 70 profit and loss
and forget It."
| Butler replied promptly: That's tn.
| way feel about It." Ashman was only
an instant behind him. $50 do l." h
said. Austin studied the balance shee
moment and then Joined the ma.
jority. Il hate to admit IT," he sale
| with sympathetic glance at me, 'bu
| I'm afraid you're right"
/ You're all dead wrong" declared
IAN we need IL about twenty thou.
sand dollars more to put this paper OF
its feet. We've got the peopie-we'v,
| got EN- solid. Our circulation Ia with.
in three thousa nd Of The Star now, anc
| by the time these elections are ovel
! we'll pass 1t. This town Is wakinl
| up. 1t II right on the verge Of turn.
| Inc upside down: and when 1t turn,
| we'll get the credit for 1t and we'll ge'
| still more readers. and then we'll re
the business. It's coming. just as sur,
as the sun riseA You don't need to los.
| that sixty thousand dollars. All yot
|
sand dollars more-probably not tina
much-and We'll have a property herr
worth q quarter Of a million that cos
| W only Q hundred thousand"
| Why the Sun Need Not Have Set.
| Austin admitted that ] might b.
right; Nell. Butler aud Ashman sait
| Was crazy. l argued and pleaded
| the rest OF the afternoon, and spen
the evening describing the civic, DO,
litical and commercial conditions Of st
James as ! Understood them: but Nell
Butler and Ashman were immovabie.
! Finally I gave mp. and we agreed
to make the next days issue the last
| prepared the paper with the Gam,
care and thought with which I has
prepared every previous issue. ever
| printed an editorial, advocating tn,
adoption OF the charter. Just a. II Tn,
! Sun were to be there to help in tn,
I election The only difference between
that last days Iaper and any othel
| was that Ii carried a small two-col
umn box ON it, first page announcing
its suspension and giving as tn,
reason that 1t had spent all of its re-
csipts and sixty thousand dollars NOR,
In two years, and had become con
/ Xluced that sthera WAS NO demand 70,
| II from advef tisers.
1 A year later ] returned to st. Jane,
| for visit. l had felt pretty sick owe
the two years OF wasted effort ant
| time that went only to the credit O.
+! experience when The Sun set. l has
! had M dtf3Hrhrty q, xatttxx. :.