The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-09-14
SUPPORT YOUR PAPER

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place of the community. 1t sells
LITERALLY everything, while at the
same time it's stock in trade may be
defined in the word-space. That is
all ii has to sell and by the judicious
handling of which it must stapd or
fall is the opinion of the Staunton
Daily News.
Few persons, even those generally
well informed, have the slightest con
ception of how much work the news
uaper does for the community with
out the least compensation, or of the
demands made upon it for the free
use of it's only source of profit. They
fail to see why it's columns should not
be thrown open for the exploitation
of private business, personal money
making ventures, and the like.
1t is for this reason, therefor, that
the manwould not dream of asking
his butcher for free meat or his tailor
tor free suit of clothes, unhesitat-
ingly makes the most unwarranted
demands upon his newspaper and con-
siders any refusal on its part as UNI
reasonable in the extreme.
That every newspaper ows much to
the community is fact unquestioned
"a lihnpallu u
far than any other business of that
community is also beyond dispute.
Most papers, in fact, are unwarrant-
ably prodigal of their sole stock in
trade-space. Never are theis col
umns closed to any matter that is
for the good of the community. Thous
ands Of words, hundreds of columns
and page after page is constantly be-
ing devoted to the advancement OF
local interests by the press of every
city in the land.
Ana every word column and page
just as really as every item of stock
on the merchants shelf costs money
that the publisher must pay. If the
merchant sells his stock he prospers
If not his business fails.
The newspaper, therefore. deseryts
the hearty and substantial support OF
everyone who wants to see his city
and community grow. Directly, such
support goes to the publisher-in-
directly ii goes to the community as
a whole. The publisher should not
be expected to bear all the burden
placed upon him by indiscriminate
and unlimited demands for free adj
vertising.
Such space as is given to the pro-
motion of public charities and the
like is the papers donation 20 such
a cause, but the individual and pri-
vate enterprise that seeks pecunialy
profit without paying for ito put
is badly-virtually attempts to i'm
poverish the chief builder of the com
munity from which its own revenues
are derived.
More Shan any one thing the pros.
perity of a town is conditioned on
the prosperity Of us press. If the
pape"s are poorly prin'>d and there
is little advertising in their columns
the town itself is falling back. i
the p"ges are fresh and clean anC
the advertising columns well filled
the town itself is going ahead.
Invariably the first act of the pros.
pective seeker of residence or bus.
mess locality is to secure copies OF
local newspapers; first to see what
is going on there, and second to form
an estimate through the advertis.
ing columns, of business life and pub.
lie spirit.
Every issue of every newspaper
sent abroad in the land, in the de.
gree that its appearance bespeaks Tho
hearty support and cooperation Of
the community, makes for that com
munity its friends and spreads broad
east its good reputation.
To support your paper is to boost
your town and serve yourself.