Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-20
About The Enquirer.

In q recent issue EQltOr Is. n. De-
Priest of the Shelby Highlander, read
his local business constituency lee
ture along the line Of the Importance
Of good newspaper to a community
and laid down the self-evident propo-
sition that the maintenance Of such
newspaper calls for liberal support. BY
way Of illustrating the points he sought
to drive home, Editor DePriest made
mention Of several newspapers which,
in his opinion, rise above the average,
and among the papers cited was The
Yorkville Enquirer, which is referred
to as follows:
The Yorkville Is. c. Enquirer is the
oldest local paper in this section. 1t
is also the finest country semi weekly
in the United States. 1t is printed on
book paper, in richly equipped print
shop, having two linotypes. 1t charges
Note that. And it's ad rates! They
would scare most small merchants
stiff. The Enquirer has about half The
Highlanders circulation, but carries
two to four times our volume Of adver-
tising at double our rates.
The impression one gains from read
ing The Enquirer is that York county
is progressive community, with a
standard Of intelligence equal to the
best communities Of New England
Those York people appreciate a
good paper and support the CRISIS led
itors and owners) as literally as they
do their bankers or their manufactu-
rerS.
One Of my uncles (aged 60) told me
that as a child in Rutherford county,
mar out Of The Yorkville Is. c. En-
quirer and that it was the boast Of its
editor, L. M. Grist, that the paper new
er went to press with a typographical
error or a broken or defaced letter.
I have such a standard, but have
never had enough advertising patron
age to hire employees Of The Enquirer
standard Of accuracy. L. NJ. Grist
charged 50 for his paper even then.
The Yorkville Enquirer-a great in
dependent newspaper, Of metropolitan
neatness, worldwide in outlook, a mar
vel in mechanical beauty-has been
worth to York county millions of dol
lars. I sincerely believe this.
And to take The Enquirer out Of that
county, without putting something
loss Of somewhere between a hundred
thousand and a million dollars in value
to that county.
The Enquirer has not only been an
educator of it's section for more than
fifty years, but has originated the ma
jority of progressive movements for
the betterment Of that county. besides
backing-up every progressive cause
that has ever been put through there.
Although we would not pretend in
sensibility to the highly eulogistic
tribute that Editor De Priest has seen
proper to pay to The Enquirer it was
not our intention to reproduce it, and
we would not have done so had it not
been for the insistence of a subscriber
to The Highlander in the Ramah
neighborhood Of York county, who has
sent us his copy Of that paper with a
message Of endorsement.
AS to whether or not Editor De
Priest is right in various other things,
we will leave it to our readers to de-
eide. for themselves; but there are two
or three matters about which he is
slightly mistaken, and to these we will
specifically refer.
In the old days before the war, the
price of The Enquirer, which was the
same size as now; but which was is
sued weekly instead of semi weekly,
was 50 for single subscription, and
$3.50 in clubs Of fifteen or more. In
the early 70s the price was SO for a
single subscription and $3.50 in clubs,
and for number Of years previous to
1889 the price was $3.50 for a single
subscription and 50 in clubs. Since
1889 the price has been 50 for a single
subscription and $1.75 in clubs. This
last named price is too close to the
cost Of production on the basis of a
circulation Of 1000 copies; but we have
not seen proper to raise it yet, notwith-
standing the constantly increasing cost
Of materials, labor etc.
AS to whether The Enquirer's circu-
lation is only half that Of the High
lander, we cannot say, because we do
not know what The Highlander's cir
culation is. But at the same time, we
are quite sure that The Enquirer's cir
culation is not fourth Of what 1t
would be if we followed the method Of
so many other publishers in continu-
ing subscriptions after their expiration
and whether they are paid for or not.
The late L. NJ. Grist, to whom The
Highlander refers so pleasantly, al
ways held to the doctrine that the su-
preme test of a newspapers right to