Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-11-20

81 On Tie odI.
It was Charles A Dana. the great
founder of a great newspaper, the
New York Sun, who said that dog fight
on Broadway was Of more interest to
his readers than a war in Europe. AS
you know. Mr.. Dana applied his theor-
les profitably and left much wealth
just this side of the pearly gates.
Would not a complete and systema-
tic report of the marriages, births,
deaths in the city and county be Of
general interest? Also the real estate
transfers? / do not believe you carry
this news generally. A full and de-
tailed report of each courts proceed
ings, including magistrates trials AMI
what Hizzoner Mayor Shepherd does
to the wicked would certainly be in
teresting, too. OF course, it takes time
to gather all this information system
atically and time is money. But as
4 HrFr
OF COURSE your subscribers pay the
little amount you change for your pa
per promptly and cheerfully, i pre-
sumo you carry a substantial balance
IN all three of Hendersonville's banks.
/ do not believe a paper should be
too hide-bound and partisan. Its mis-
sion is to give the NEWS-not to cru
SADIE, MOTTO tilt at windmills, not to
! grind nice little private axes, and not
TO use its great power of publicity to
reward its friends or to punish its en-
emies. Let it simply give the news,
give it straight and not take too long
about it. 1t should not be hide-bound
in its political beliefs. For the people,
MIR. Editor, are doing their own think
ing these bright and glorious days, and
also their own voting.
Two shining examples of this un-
varnished fact are Mr.. R~oosevelt's abil-
ity to disrupt the once-powerful Re
publican party and the loud and pierre
ing Democratic cheers over the tenn
porary downfall of Democratic Tam
many Hall.
There is good in both parties-in all
PARTIES, including the Prohibition and
t. eVotes for women parties. Why nor
present both sides of the argument,
thus being fair to your readers, and
let them form their own judgment?
They'll do it anyhow! Witness, again,
Blease's victory in South Carolina,
where every, paper almost, was OPP
!, posed to him! Beas nearly independ-
ent as Circumstance will permit 1t
will prove profitable.
/ honestly believe it is a papers
mission and sworn duty to boost its
home town. You probably will ride
none the quicker in a six-cylinder "a
inch upholstered car as a result of adj
opting this policy, but at least you will
have the satisfaction of knowing you
have showed upward the community
which permits you to work and labor
fer it's advancement.
Then-but there are so many then's
Let me close this very interesting com
munication with a request for a per-
sonal favor-to me and many others
Cut out, abolish utterly and com
pletely except as paid advertising mat
ter, those long and uninteresting Re-
solutions of Sympathy which now
burden your columns every too often,
They take up valuable space, no one
is interested in them except their auth
ors and the immediate relatives of the
late lamented deceased, and they have
no proper place in the news columns
OF a real newspaper. The general pub
lie does not read them-never did and
never will. Once there was a man
who boosted of having read every Res
olution of Sympathy and every card OF
Thanks ever published in the two Hen
Jacksonville papers. He was regarded
as a natural curiosity by his friends,
and lead now, too. But in all seri-
business these two denominations should
appear IN your paper only as PAID au-
vertising matter. In no are
they news and they take up, fill and
occupy space that is needed for news.
1 know a %prayerful consideration
and a close observance of these few
eminently sensible suggestions will
soon enable yout to buy another auto
Eobile-or motor car, rather. and a
1914 model at that. If / could suggest
some way of persuading YOU readers
i to pay their subscriptions when DUE,
without compelling o to spend SO
cents postage for every dollar You
collect, l should not consider. this
space wasted. But / am unable to do
SO and therefore must leave you to
the tender mercies of your masters.
In some respects a newspaper sub
eorihor is like q hen-a setting hen.