The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-06-07
Working the Newspapers for free
Advertising

Advertising
The number OF requests that are
received at this Office every week
thru the mail for free advertising is in
conceivable by the public. Much OF
it has no particular interest to our
readers and all OF it is intended to
help some one secure Office or to pro-
mote some enterprise in which a COM
pany or a community is interested.
Where the prime object is to benefit
the public and profit has no part in the
scheme we have always given space to
such matters as have news value in
proportion to their importance. 1t is
scarcely necessary to say that the lar
ger portion, about three baskets full
every week, goes to the stove be-
cause it comes under the head of ad-
vertising and must be paid for . Sc
cure insertion in The Echo, or be-
cause in our judgment it has no news
value to our readers.
Advertising fair where an admis-
sion is charged is intended to benefit
the stockholders or the city where held,
and is in the nature OF business for
profit, must be paid for to secure ad-
mission. to our columns; boosting a
city or section OF country for the pur-
pose of inducing immigration is BUSH
ness matter pure and simple and comes
under the head OF advertising. This
being an election year we receive ev-
cry week from men and women want
ing Office request to publish pictures
and long argumentative articles show
ing the particular fitness Of the appli-
cant for office, and why the voters
should prefer him to all others. The
plain statement that so-and-so has an
nounced for Office may have enough
news value to secure publication, and
is usually printed, but beyond that we
respectfully decline to go.
We have heard tell Of men who want
Office simply to serve the dear people
or for the honor there is in it. If such
there be who have not accumulated
enough Of this worlds goods to pay for
advertising the fact, we suggest that
they devote their time and energy to
the support of their families. We
would feel that it was our duty to OPP
pose a man who could not distinguish
between his duty to the public and his
family. II man can afford to indulge
the quest of Office for honor he can
afford also to pay for what advertising
he may think he needs. On the other
hand, If a man wants Office for the
money there is in it, tho blessed few
there be in these material, high-cost-
of-living times to admit as frankly as
did Mr.. Corbin, in last weeks Echo,
that he wanted the Office for the rev.
enue, then he should contribute to the
newspapers in proportion as they may
be able to help him secure the Office
he covets.
A newspaper has two sources of rev.
enue; subscriptions and advertising.
The first probably covers the cost Of
paper, ink and postage, in the average
country paper, which is approximately
one-ffth OF the cost Of getting out a
country paper. The publishing OF
newspaper involves hard work and close
application and is the least remunera-
tive of any occupation in every town
where there is a newspaper. This is
so obviously true that it is banded as
a joke at the expense of the publisher.
Maledictions on the publisher who
first commenced giving four-ffths Of
his hard earned revenue that the bal
ance of mankind might reap the profit.
He was a simple minded philanthro-
pist whom no one respected, or a
Chinaman who subsisted a week on
fifty cents worth OF rice. The coun-
try editor who can write editorials on
r;oa diet boosting you for office, is