The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-09-21
SUPPORTING" THE PAPER

their $3.50 or $500 as yearly subscrip-
ton to the home paper, or buy adver-
Using space in its columns, they are
supporting a charity-more or less
worthy.
These folks fail to consider that the
paper is usually the biggest force for
stimulating civic enterprise in the
community. They fail to consider that
it is the one medium, in most cases,
that advertises the community to 9TH
er communities. They do not appre-
ciate the fact that, co-ordinating with
the public school system, the newspa-
per is the great edueative force in
American life. Editors in every COM
munity in the land know the type.
Some editors "suffer in silence" under
this stigma, for it is a stigma to be
looked upon as an object of charity in
such circumstances; but not all do.
These reactionary persons in Smith
vile, Tex, have recently been treated
to a process of enlightenment through
the columns of the Smithville Times.
One of the sort, airing his views, told
about his supporting" the paper
and he was overheard by Mrs. Frances
E. Sutherland, the editor.
Whereupon she took her trenchant
pen in hand and wrote the following
editorial:
"A subscriber recently remarked in
our hearing with reference to GER
tain news suppressed from these col
umns: 1T should have been published,
for the people Support" the paper
and are entitled to the local news that
interests them
First: the inference that people
support a paper in the same sense
that they do charitable or eleemos-
ynary institutions-that its proprie
tor draws a pension from them in re-
turn for which he is under allegations
to subserve his independence and self
respect for such gratuity, is gross
injustice.
"A newspaper represents an invest
ment-the average good country town
shop approximately 100000. The
proprietor pays for this, not the peo-
pie. He is usually a pretty hard
worked individual, and in most cases
amply earns his pension In other
words, newspaper is someone's bus
mess investment, and he sells his
wares over his counter in exactly the
same sense as does any other mer-
chant. The individual patronizing
him gets all he pays for, and the peo-
pie as a unit, get more. Probably no
other business is called upon for gra-
tuitious service and donations in
greater measure than the newspaper.
AS for the subscriber, the raw stock
of the fifty-two issues costs more than
the price of his yearly subscription.
Hence the paper owes him, individual
ly, nothing.
"But, ethically, good paper should
build for forces of constructive pub
lie welfare-good schools, good roads,
good citizenship, etc.
eff the conduct of certain individuals
acts as a destructive influence, it is
not only the privilege, but the duty
of the paper to rebuke this conduct,
no matter how unacceptable the re-
Duke may be to the individuals.
eff this rebuke can be most effec-
tive in the suppression of certain
news, then it is the duty an editor
owes his community to suppress this
news.
at is to be conceded, we believe, by
those who have consistently followed
these columns during the year and
one-half of the writer's incumbency
as editor, that we have done very lit
tie footing of our own horn But re-
Gently we have had it rubbed in as
to our public obligations by individuals
whose public contributions are by
word of mouth strictly, until, lest
they forget, we are moved to remind
them that:
"The Times gives, either in money,
space or job work, to every worthy
public enterprise promoted. When the
Chautauqua was unable to get their
advertising folders here in time for
the advertising trips promoted by the
Mothers Club, the Times printed
5000 programs free of charge. APP
proximately 500 was given in gratui-
tous advertising space to help the
Mothers Club win out. When the
sale of tickets was tagging, the Times
donated $50 in subscriptions as pre-
miums to help the sales. And the
money derived by the Mothers Club
ultimately finds its way to benefits
fer the public school!
eve furnished the advertising nee
essary to secure the pulmotor for
Smithville besides giving our pro rata
in cash. We give our pro rata each
month for the support of the Smith
vile Band Today the county demon
stration agent called upon the bust
ness people for donations for prizes
for the Bastrop County Girls Canning
Club. We gave $40 in subscriptions.
These are but recent instances. Every
week the year round there are such
calls upon the business people to build
for Smithville.
"Mr. Reader, you who are telling
these business people what their OBJ
legations are-what are you doing for
Smithville Remember, please, that
business interests can better support
community building if the community
better support the business interests"