The Detroit times., 1917-03-10
- h the Idea: Wet
Newspaper Won't Be Able
TO Carry the Ads AT All

When . Newspaper comedies that it,
earnings are TO be decreased as result
n dry legislation. doesn't that same
Newspaper concede, at the same time
hat IL was in the business?
Many years ago The Times reached
the conclusion that newspaper which
sells its columns to brewers and distil-
lers. becomes part of the business.
The brewers and distillers hope by
means of the advertising to increase the
consumption Of their liquors.
The newspaper carrying their sdver-
Using. then, identifies itself with the
sales end of it, becoming, in fact, sort
of bartender for the booze makers.
That this conclusion on the part OF
The Times was not far out Of the way,
or. rather, that It was not out of the
way at all, IL proven by the state of con-
sternation that exists among newspapers
that have carried liquor advertising,
since the passing Of the postal bill
Newspapers carrying liquor ads and
circulating in dry territory are banned
from the mails by the postal BILL and
their cry Is that they viii be put to the
expense In the future Of printing sepa-
rate editions to meet the new law.
In an item dealing with the matter,
The Fourth Estate says:
Chicago advertising agent. who has lately
haen In wsshingfon A. the representative OF the
western Advertising Agents association, is also
ooavinced that this new piece Of congressional
oscillation n going TO mean untold trouble for
nswspapsr publishers who publish beer adver-
t1eemsnts etc. He ventures the prediction that
ths publisher Of metropolitan newspapers win
And that virtually all the profit IL taken out OF
this class Of advertising n they have 70 20 TO
~ trouble Of getting out separate editions OF
ench Issue OF the paper for the wet" and dry"
oDuntiss.
~ However, look ut the Improvement it
wfn mean in our own newspapers, which
pore carrying liquor advertising on one
Dnge during the prohibition campaign in
Michigan, while supporting prohibition
= the next page.
They win be consistent, at least, in
Uoss editions that 60 into the mail
without the liquor ads.
II win be little like closing the front
loor and letting the boys in thru the
e1lsy, but IL win enforce consistency
nevsrtheless and therefore, progress.
The publisher of weekly magazine
= the east comes forward, incidentally,
with the observation that it is going to
- mechanically impossible" for publ
cntions to comply with the law.
A publisher cannot comply with the
provisions Of it, he says, and If he does
not comply with its provisions, he goes
70 jail.
He declares that to 60 through his list
a. many Thousands Of subscribers, in
order to determine whether they live in
vet or dry territory, would be impos-
sible, and he makes the prediction that
not . publication in the country which
carries liquor advertising will dare pub
nsh m inch Of it after the law goes into
efsct.
There you have the real objection to
De law on the part of the publisher who
admits. In raising it, that he was in the
bnsinsss Of selling booze.
The law puts him out Of the bust
nsss Of selling booze.
He Was counting on rich returns from
hrswers and distillers who wanted TO ad.
vortise their goods in dry territories, but
\ he has been put out of business with the
cher departments.
And he thinks ft's a rank shame, that's
what he does.
&t ~-----