Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-10
THE COUNTRY NEWSPAPER
w. r. Hearst Pays Tribute to the
Small Paper.

than once called the attention of bus
mess men and citizens in general to
the important work that is done by
the editors Of the smaller newspapers
and to the great value of those news
papers as advertising mediums.
1t would be impossible to keep this
government going, impossible at least
to keep representative and democratic
government alive in this country II II
were not for the thousands of news
paper editors scattered throughout the
land-every one Of them a watcher
and an observer, vigilant policeman
in politics and public affairs.
Wherever two railroads cross in the
United States and there is a town or
village. there is-fortunately for the
country local editor.
The editor watches the two rail-
roads, he watches the affairs of his
township, county, state and nation.
He talks daily or weekly to his fell
low citizens concerning affairs that
most vitally interest them. He is for
them an eye that does not sleep.
man alert and devoted to those that
are his constituents.
If the railroad crossing kills too
many, If the railroads combine to
charge too much or serve too poorly,
II the Judge, governor or mayor seems
more Of a railroad official than a peo-
ple's official, the editor is there to tell
about 1t.
Big metropolitan newspapers with
circulations running into many hun
dreds of thousands daily, have q pc
culiar power Of their own.
But II you took all the metropolitan
newspapers of the United States and
weighed them in the balance against
the press Of the small cities and towns
Of America, it would be as though you
weighed a city office building against
Pixies Peak-and the local press would
be Pixies Peak.
The local editor speaks to his read
They know him by sight. They know
his record. They know the hard fight
that he has made and Is making. They
know for how small a reward he rem
ders efficient, unselfish service. And a
word from him means more than many
columns from some anonymous and
unknown editor of the big city"
The politicians of this country know
we'll the power Of the local editor.
They respect it and fear it-and 1t Is q
good thing for the country that they
do.
A man writing fearlessly in some
congressman's or some senator's home
town can do more to keep that official
straight" than all the metropolitan
newspapers put together.
Public men know the power Of the
local editor and Of the local newspa-
per. 1t Is a pity that the business men
of the country are ignorant of that
power.
The man who has something really
worth while to advertise could, II he
would use the local newspapers intel
ligently, multiply his sales by ten,
make himself known to millions that
do not know him, and put himself at
the head Of his line Of competition.
If the automobile manufacturers
who attract attention just at this
moment would put their advertising
intelligently in the local newspapers,
fof fa o
good value they could very soon
change the output Of automobiles In
America from 100000 in one year,
which was the record Of 1910, to 500,-
900, or 100000 in one year-and this
Is no exaggeration.
The smallest of the country news
papers has among its readers one or
five or ten or a hundred men that could
be made to buy a car now and will buy
one sooner or later. Some intelligent
automobile manufacturer with the
right kind Of product will realize this
and sell tens Of thousands Of cars
through the local newspapers before
his competitors know what has hap
pened.
The average Of prosperity and Of
wealth among the readers Of a coun-
try newspaper is far greater than
among the readers Of a metropolitan
Of advertising, intelligent publicity
through the country newspapers gives
by far the best results:
What We have said about automo-
in other lines. The dwellers in the
cities, readers of the metropolitan
dailies, have before their eyes the
temptations and attractions Of the
great stores, which cannot be reached
by the reader Of the country newspa-
per. If our business men realized their
opportunities they would fight for par
cells post, and they would make Of ev-
cry country newspaper an active dis
tributing agency, doubling and treb-
ling the country's prosperity and in
dustrial activity.
This we have said before, and we
shall say 1t again. Inasmuch as there
are no Hearst newspapers in the coun-
try, inasmuch as our newspapers are
published exclusively in the great cities
of the country, we shall at least be
credited with unselfishness in making
a fight for local editors that deserve
the thanks and appreciation and finan-
cial encouragement of every good citi-
zen.
Very few realize what it means when
a man undertakes the publication Of a
daily or weekly newspaper in a small
place
The editor risks everything, power
ty, bankruptcy. indifference of the pub
lie, and at best his reward can be
very small.