The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-31

have always said, have come to eX
: pect a discussion of public question
by the editor The editor does no
know the why and wherefores o
these questions by instinct-he mus
acquire his knowledge by careful re
search, study and hard work. Hi:
time and expenses should be charged
to the standing operating expenses
of the plant, and should be added
on to the price of advertising and
job work. In other words, prices for
advertising and printing should be
advanced to a point where the news
paper user will pay indirectly for
what he expects of the newspaper.
He expects the newspaper to inform
him on public questions, consequent
~ he must learn to pay for this SER
vice the same as he pays, through
taxation, for the teacher to instruct
| his offspring and for the mail car
rier to deliver his letter. The edu-
cation needed in this regard is to
bring to the business man generally
realization of what it means to the
community and to them individually
to have men in their midst, we'll
enough paid so that they can afford
to devote a goodly portion of their
time to the study of public questions
and the promotion of community well
fare. He will have to be taught that
it is good business investment to
have such men in the community
men who are zealously guarding his
interests by promoting the interests
of the community, and through the
community, the interest of the state
and nation.
venture to assert, and believe it is
true, that no country newspaper, and
possibly not even the Boise papers,
are receiving an advertising rate COM
mensurate with the service rendered
their RESPECTIVE communities. Doubt
less many of them are making mon
ey, fighting the editors salary on the
basis of what he does in the plant.
But it should pay him enough so that
he could engage in research and
study, to discover the worlds best
ideas for the general welfare, and
make them applicable to local con-
ditions. I have not met any country,
editors who are doing this nearly
all of them put in a good days work
at the mechanical end of the bust
ness, then put in another days work
gathering the local news, and then
steal a few hours from the eight
hours of refreshment and repose to
dash off few editorials, for which
he gets literally cussed.
On the whole, the boys in Idaho
produce some wonderfully good stuff
in their editorial columns, and have
often wondered how they do it,
knowing as l do the heavy burden
they bear of office and shop mana
agement, business details correspon-
dence, soliciting, and news writing.
Probably it is the very versatility of
their work that develops their powers
of editorial writing.
If every citizen would subscribe
for, pay for and read the newspaper
Of his town, and every merchant
would advertise in the newspapers Of
his town to the limit of his financial
ability regardless of whether he
agreed with the papers political views
or not, editors would then be in
position to give that town such ser
vices, the value of which could not
be measured in dollars and cents.
In such a town, if one such existed,
the campaign municipal would not
extend over few weeks proceeding
election day. but it would extend over
every day in the year and. every year
in the life of that community, and
the people would be informed right
up to the minute of the very best
things extant in municipal govern
ment and municipal promotion. III
the community were fortunate in the
possession of more than one paper;
all properly supported, the campaign
would be a sort of contin-!
uous debate, where the best thought
of the world would be presented from
two points of view, as it seldom hap7l
pens that two men see exactly alike |
on all questions. !
The newspaper of the Town stands
in much the same relation to the adj
ult population as does the school to-
the children. No one would think
of negleetiHg to properly support the
school, and provide it with the means
Of giving the oh 'ldren the most mod