The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1913-07-05
m NEaRo NEWSPAPER.
How the Public Can Help the Pres

not compare favorably with the papers
Of the White.
Now If these two reasons were true
(Which we seriously dOubt) there il
but one way to remedy them and that
way is for the members Of the race to
support these papers and periodicals.
in every way, for as the common ex'
preston goes. "Believe me-" it takes
money to run a newspaper or period.
cal of any kind. 1t takes study 70
educate people up to the standard
where they should be, and it takes
courage for these instruments to fight
the battles of the people; you doubt
less, do not realize that nearly all Ne
gro newspapers are running at a fnan-
cial loss and those who operate them
are making great sacrifices Of time,
talent and money to fight for the
causes that are dear to them This
should not be, for every member of
the race owes it to themselves first, its
people next, and the community third
to have g medium through which they
can discuss and endeayor to contend
for what is best, as they see it, for the
causes they believe to be right and as
race this then can only be done
through the columns of Negro news
papers and periodicals, therefore you
ought to support these papers.
These periodicals are not what some
people think, an easy method of OBJ
tanning money for easy work. For
there is nothing easy about this kind
of work, but there is plenty of work
and little money in the work for Ne
gro newspaper men. But they feel the
necessity of having mouth-pieees in
every community which will contend
for justice for their people and the
causes they champion. These causes
can and viii be helped in proportion
to the number of readers of the period
1eals published.
Negro newspapers are in the reach
Of all, for at a cost of less than cents
a week, you viii pay your subscription
for them and this sum from a few
thousand Negroes viii build a paper
that will do the race more good than
all the preaching, begging, and plead
ing can do, as it win cover all Of this
ground through its columns.
Then when you shall have in your
community a good, strong, reliable
newspaper, you have a medium through
which you can speak and be heard by
all.
You may well argue that these
papers are not strong and we will
agree that they are not what they
should be, but in their defense let US
tell you that they are doing yeOman
service for the race, and with the as
sistance of the people they viii become
indispensable to its progress.
You may ask how can you assist
Negro newspapers Well, first, by sub
scribing, paying for, and sending in
the important news of your eommun-
ity. Second, by getting others to sub
scribe for the paper, by being a
booster for it and third, by helping
the paper build up its advertising de-
partmsnt.
The third method is one that is com
pletely overlooked by our people, yet
it is the most important of the three
(from a financial stsndpoint).
Some of you little realize that if, as
many as half a dozen readers of these
periodicals would go to the merchants
who advertise in them and let him
know that you come to his store be-
cause you saw his advertisement in
this paper, that it would be easy for
our agents to get more "ads" at bet
ter prices and that will enable them to
get in more news for our readers.
Few persons VINO have the ability to
90 so, can afford to devote their time
to this or any other kind Of work
without being paid a fair salary for
their services, thus our inability to Sc
cure all the news we would desire.
The main purpose Of Negro news
papers should be to cover that field of
publication that viii encourage, in
spire and work to bring to the front
the best IN our race, a field scarcely
mentioned by the periodicals published
by White people; to contend as do
others for what is justly due our race,
and to submit arguments that win,
when backed by facts and united eff
forts prove to be great helpers to our
people.-The Wide Awake, Birming-
ham, Ala.