The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-02-02
THE TWO SOURCES OF REVENUE

THE TWO SOURCES OF REVENUE
The running of any business is a
matter that requires time and expert
ence if one is to meet with any real
success. There are so many unknown
quantities, so many hidden mysteries
that no novice can possibly see. There
are ever changing conditions; an ever
increasing series of facts, some fun
damental, some non-eSSential, that one
comes to know by experience. And
we venture the assertion that the
newspaper business is one that occu-
pies the very top when it comes to
having a multiplicity of conditions
confronting it. have been going over
some of the situations that too often
the novice is slow to learn. Among
the discoveries I have made is this
startling one: A newspaper has moth
ing to sell, nothing to do business on,
save white space and it's subscription
fees. The honest newspaper has not
another thing to sell. The money
from advertisement and the money
from subscriptions make up the entire
income. 1t is true that the dishonest
newspaper may sell its good name.
There is always ar open market for
the selling of ones honor, particularly
in the newspaper business. The editor
may accept pay for suppressing the
truth and he may accept pay for CIV
ing publicity 70 lies. But the honest
newspaper has rot one thing to sell
save white space and it's subscription
price. Failing to grasp the apparent
ly self-evident truth of this, led us for
a long time to discount the value of
both the advertising and the subscrip-
tion price; and, as a result, every sort
of free space advertiser found us an
easy mark. And some few of our
subscribers, secure in the thought that
it did not cost us anything to make a
newspaper, forgot to pay up; allow
ing several years to elapse; then, per-
haps coolly informing us that they
did not subscribe" and "by heck"
would not pay for it. 1t slowly dawned
upon our benighted mind that we were
face to face with the bald fact that
it took money, good, hard money to
make a newspaper, and that we had
no way of securing in any honest
fashion this same necessary hard cash
to keep up the battle except the in
come from advertising and the income
from subscription. We finally reached
the further mental judgment that if
a county was worthy of decent
newspaper it would pay a reasonable
price for subscription and reason
able price for advertising space. These
progressive thoughts finally took such
definite shape that we determined to
sell our two articles of merchandise
white space and subscription, at a
price that would give US some return
for our arduous and never-ending toll.
Of you doubt the above statement,
kind reader, we can but pray that you
may some day feel the weight of the
harness.)
We have raised both our advertising
rates and our subscription rate. And,
the happy conclusion of the matter
has been that both have increased in
value and volume. We have always TAX
en- our readers into our confidence, and
this policy has led us into the foregoing
discussion. There is just this about
it: Union county needs a good, clean,
progressive newspaper. This kind of
newspaper is the only kind this, or
any other county, does need; such a
newspaper must have revenue; its
only source of revenue is from it's ad-
vertising and it's subscription fees.
We are happy to say that The Times
has met with a generous support from