The Forrest City times., 1914-05-22

The circulation of any newspaper is it's foundation. It can keep it's columns full of advertising if it | reaches the people In order to get | circulation and hold it year after year, there must be unusual merit to the i paper itself, and if this is possessed i by the publication, the task of build ing up the circulation to high figure i Is not monumental one
 A county seat weekly should have at least 2,000 paying subscribers if the i population of the county is as grea as 10000. I know a newspaper man in my State, at Pocahontas, who built his circulation from 1,200 to 2,700 in two years, and all of them paid in ad- vance. He swears to a weekly circu- 1 latton of 2,700 copies in his home coun- 1 ty, and it is needless to state that his l columns are always filled with live reading matter and up-to-theminute advertising that brings results.
 1 Circulation contests are alright for 1 those who care to go into them, but you will not need them if your paper is what is should be- Make it such l paper that the people cannot do with l cut 1t, and your circulation will come, l pay and stay. Give your readers more sunshine, more enjoyment, more news, | more reason to like Missouri and be I glad that Missouri is part of the Unit 1 ed States. Keep close to your readers in all that concerns their immediate welfare and happiness. Champion 1 their rights, guard their interes ts, study to please and encourage them, make your services indispensable to them, they will not fail to increase your success and enlarge the scope of your usefulness.
 You are doing all of these things, l am sure. and you will continue to do l so and strive to do better all the time. Happy in the confidence that I have in your energy and ability, feel safe in assuring you that you will keep Missouri where it should be and always has been, at the forefront progress and prosperity.
 The newspapers of Missouri have great work to do in the future They have done nobly in the past, but the work should be kept up with renewed zeal. Your labors have been along practical lines, because your organiza- tions have pulled together for the up- l building of the craft as well as the State. Fortyseven years ago your l Missouri Pres Association was organ ized in St. Louis. Our Arkansas Press Association is now in it's forty-second year, and by the way, we have but one charter member now living
 "Times have changed wonderfully since your editors got together for the first time nearly half a century ago, and no profess sion or calling has progressed more than that of the edi- tor and publisher. Your state has the honor of having the oldest paper in the West, and in my humble opinion, | in Kansas City has the most thorough and complete or more nearly perfect daily newspaper in the world.
 Should All Stand Together.
 At the risk of being accused of di- yerting from my text a little, kindly allow me to suggest that now is the time for all the newspaper men to get together and pull together. News papers can do things when they try. if working in harmony, Down in Ark ansas the newspapers have weeded out the corrupt politician, which fact in itself is worth more than passing mo- tice. Three Of our state officials are newspaper men, including your hum ble servant who was elected mainly by the newspapers and their friends.
 We still have our partisan differ ences, to be sure, but that is well rather than ill for us. Ours is neces- sarily government of parties; that is our way of stimulating interest in public affairs, of formulating issues, and achieving practical results In that authentic sense, partisan and pa- triot are synonymous terms. All the good men or all the bad men are not al any one time in any one party. For my own part, l am a lifelong Demo- Crat wool. and vet I believe the are great many Republicans who, in spite of their partisan handi cap, contriye to be thoroughly honest and worthy citizens, though how they manage to do it, I'm sure don't know.
 But We can all pull together, to be plain for the uphuiding of cur coun- try. for better newspapers, better pub , lie officials regardless of whether they are following the banner of the steam roller man, the bandana of the gentle man who once welded the big stick. or are now meek and lowly followers or the odor that eminates from the Democratic kitchen, which is located near the federal pie counter
 'In this land of the free and home of the brave, there Is work for all of us, and especially for the editor Why should we stand idle, when there are 1,500 miles of prison walls. nearly 100 penitentaries, 1.7OO county jails, nhn 1, l,s