The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-03-10
Here Il the Idea: Wet
Newspapers Won't Be Able
To Carry the Ads At All

or dry legislation, uOeSh mat Stliie
newspaper concede. at the same time,
that il was in the business2
Many years ago The Times reached
the conclusion that newspaper which
sells it's 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 adver-
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, is 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 will 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:
A Chicago advertising agent who has lately
been In Washington as the representative Of the
Western Advertising Agents association. Is also
convinced that this new piece Of congressional
legislation is going to mean untold trouble for
newspaper publishers who publish beer adyer-
tisements, etc. He ventures the prediction that
the publishers OF metropolitan newspapers viii
and that virtually all the profit is taken ont Of
this class OF advertising IL they have TO 30 10
the trouble OF getting out separate editions Of
each issue Of the paper for the wet" and dry
counties.
However, look at the improvement it
will mean in our own newspapers, which
were carrying liquor advertising on one
pare during the prohibition campaign in
Michigan, while supporting prohibition
on the next page.
They will be consistent, at least, in
those editions that 60 into the mail
without the liquor ads
1t viii be little like closing the front
door and letting the boys in thru the
alley, but it viii enforce consistency,
nevertheless and therefore, progress.
The publisher of weekly magazine
In the east comes forward, incidentally,
with the observation that it is going to
be mechanically impossible" for publ
cations 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
to jail
He declares that to go through his list
Of many thousands of subscribers, in
order to determine whether they live in
wet 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
fish an inch of it after the law goes into
effect.
There you have the real objection to
the law on the part Of the publisher who
admits. in raising it, that he was in the
business of selling booze.
The law puts him out Of the bust
ness of selling booze.
He was counting on rich returns from
brewers and distillers who wanted to ad
vertise their goods in dry territories, but
he has been put out Of business with the
other departments
And he thinks It's rank shame, that
what he does.
----