The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-10-23
REARDON THROWS BOUQUETS.
Compliments, Comments and Rcmi-
niscnccs Anent The Anniversary
Edition.
The Sumter Daily Item:

1t is general custom throughout
the world for newspaper men to do a
great deal of work, spend a lot of
their money, give. freely of their time,
and to otherwise contribute towards
the success Of every public undertake
ing, by free advertising, free boosting,
and when the events have passed into
history, and the glory is being divided
the newspaper scribes and proprietOrs
are forgotten, if indeed they have been
at all connected up with the success
of the undertaking.
AT best, about all Of the recognition
that is ordinarily accorded the aver
age newspaper for it's public spirited
ness and enterprise is the additional
privilege of furnishing free Of charge
hundreds of extra copies of the papers
containing the booster writings" and
limited number of complimentary
tickets, occasionally, which aforesaid
| "cOmplimentaries" or compliments"
have been paid for many times over by
! columns of free advertising, before
and after taking" the free passes.
SO in order that you and your asso-
ciates of the publications issued by the
Osteen Publishing Company may see
| how the bouquets which will be placed
upon your graves are going to look
Will undertake to show the apprecia-
tion of the Sumter Horse Show Asso-
citation, the Sumter Chamber of Com
| merce, and the Retail Merchants AS
sociatiOn for the enterprise and extra
ordinary liberality which you have ex-
hibited in getting out the Special An
niversary edition of the Sumter Daily
Item, which reflects SO much credit up
on Sumter city and county and upon
the Osteen Publishing Company
If it will afford you any pleasure,
and usually gratitude showed does
bring about feeling of reward for
good things done by an individual en-
terprise, l want to say to you that l
have heard hundreds of Sumter's ap-
preciative citizens expressing their
hearty appreciation of what you have
accomplished for Sumter city and
county by the unexcelled special edi-
ton, just issued, Of the Sumter Daily
Item.
II haven't heard a "knock" or un-
favorable comment. and then the half
mas never been told, although that
statement is breaking all records on
the high gear but safety first" meth
DDS of showing general appreciation.
|, You know that during the twenty
one years that 1 have been directly
connected with your publications, and
as a contributing writer, you have al
ways accused me of being a "volumin-
ous' and long-winded scribe. but who
always got there just the same If
allowed time and unlimited space. So
you must bear patiently with the old
h. l. r." who has tried your patience
and tested your religious inclinations
for 10, these many years.
II you have stood it this long and
lived to tell the story, Why one more
spasm Of enthusiasm from a grateful
fellow citizen WON'T effect your appe-
tite to any great extent.
TO begin with, 1 have wandered, all
| q.
writer's and orators wander a great
deal before getting down to the story
or the oration in simon pure style, /
have wondered if the average man and
woman who reads the Special Ami
versary edition have the remOtest idea
of how much it cost you and your COM
pany in dollars and time for the enor-
nous amount of boosting of Sumter's 8
business and banking establishments,
schools, organizations, institutions,
citizens generally, public officials,
farmers, churches, corporations and
generally advertising Sumter and
Sumter county. Do they realize that
you spent hundreds Of dollars in get
ting up all of this data, setting up the
type, copy reading, and proof reading,
having extra writer's and information
gatherers and cOmpilers working, and
other extra expenses, all of which you
paid for and charged nothing for.
| DO they know that the Sumter
Chamber Of Commerce was given all
OF the free space it wanted to boost"
Sumter city and county, and that you
have mailed out at your expense
more than two thousand copies of your
special edition to every State in the
United States, and to Canada, Mexico
CUBA, England, Germany, France, Ire
land, Scotland, Wales, New Foundland