Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-02-19
OTHERS OPINIONS.
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, years, Mr.. w. w. Watson last weel
r returned to Ashland, his former place
of residence, and in an address be-
fore the Commercial club told the
members that the great shortcomine
; Of the Rogue river valley country
was proper support for its newspa.
pers, the community being judged
abroad by its newspapers. The ad-
dress applies to the Willamette val
ley, and every part of, it, as well as
to the Rogue, and it is therefore re-
produced in part:
edo you realize that good news
paper is one of the chief assets of any
community? Do you appreciate the
fact that no town or city can be sue
cessfully built and maintained with
out publicity ?-and that the local
newspaper is absolutely the most eff
fective medium through which to do
that work I? Do you understand that
it is one of the leading and most con-
stant promoters of local enterprises
and that the interests of local bust
ness men are so closely interviewer
with and welded to those of their To-
cal publications that they cannot be
separated without seriously crippling
both? | am disappointed therefore,
to observe that business institutions
are so generally ignoring the exist
ence of their local newspapers. Posi-
lively, / have never seen elsewhere a
like situation, standing out, as it
does, so shamelessly in bold relief
and that, too, in community so
happily supplied with business oppor-
tunities and so constantly yearning,
eagerly and impatiently, for recogni-
ton by the outside world.
- Your newspapers are faithfully
publishing column after column of |
descriptive and promotion matter and
vigorous editorial appeals to the
world to come and investigate your
natural resources and their wonder
fully picturesque environments of
which you are so proud. They speak
convincingly Of the solidarity and
substantially of this ideally located
little city-and yet, if the distant
reader turn to the business columns of
your local newspapers, he will find
ou1v an ohIr,,,t and ;n,nrlor+ ao,,t,,,
dition of your editors news and edi-
torial presentations. That sort of
thing discredits the newspaper at
once and very positively. The read
er will not be slow to conclude that,
if your editors will lie about that
matter, they will lie about your lithia
water; that they have lied about your
soda and sulphur springs: about the
Of your citizens, the fertility
OF your soil, your prize-winning .
fruits, your unequalled climate, the .
happy blending of your seasons and :
everything else of merit and virtue !
that you possess.
Gentlemen, that is positively !.
shameful and outrageously suicidal. I
The world will judge your community [
Is business center by the life and i.
of the advertising col ]
INNS of your newspapers; and, if {
hat Judgment be at all adverse, it
will be severe, gentlemen, and you
ant escape its consequences. The
newspapers cannot live on your com
,liments, men. They do not grow and =
hrive like skunk cabbage or buckle
,erry bushes. They need your pro-
ection, support and encouragement,
md it is both your business and duty
o yield them generously, No bust
less man gives more time, thought,
abor and money to the advancement
f general and special community in I
erests than the editor.
"The newspaper business is not
ream, gentlemen. Too frequently it
5 haunting nightmare, from a bus
ness standpoint. Its pursuit is not
pleasure excursion into realms of
eight, luxury and leisure. Too of
en- it is a mad and disheartening =
hase after the means with which to L
insure the morning doughnut and the
vening fapjack.
"You have here, gentlemen, beau
iful little city in a charming garden :,
pot; but you cannot hibernate, like |
he bear, without consuming your own
lbstance. The newspapers must call
he outside world to your assistance.
ems of thousands of people who are
ither too rich or too sick to stay at
ONE would gladly come if they knew
he glories of your attractions and
le magnificent abundance of your I,
esources. Therefore. add your bus
less announcements to the products
c the editors strenuous labor and
md thousands of copies of their
,ecial editions into other states, so