The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-08-17

agemenL ana people T6CelNSu uOTc
local news for two dollars In one
paper than they had been getting for
four dollars thru two papers. The
printers were better paid and were
paid promptly in money, while under
the old system they were paid at un-
certain intervals and there was much
loss of accounts at the stores be-
cause the printers could not be de-
pended on to pay at specified times,
and often had to be tied up with
orders on the employer. While
there was just one paper in the COM
munity the printers were we'll paid,
got their pay every Saturday, and
the merchants found the patronage
of printers was getting to be very
satisfactory.
The community and publishers to-
gether had been paying to have most
of the news of the community
gathered twice, set twice, printed
twice, mailed in duplicate. and paid
for in duplicate, besides the cost
of rent, light, heat, insurance, taxes
and the working capital duplicated.
Now all this duplication was cut out,
and subscribers received more news
for half the money. The publisher
had greater income, employed
more help, improved the paper rapid
ly, and all the money he made was
put back into the business in the
way of improvements to give the
public better service.
VII,
A tramp printer who came into
the community looked over the sit
uation and found that large num-
Der of homesteads were yet to be
proved up on in the territory ad-
jacent to one of the villages in the
county, and he got the people in
the village to help him to some cap
ltal to start newspaper in their
community, his purpose being to get
the publication Of these homestead
proofs and some canal notices while
they lasted and pass on when the
cream of the business was done. In
this he was successful, and he i'm
posed upon the business interests of
the village by overcharging them for
everything he could. When he had
worn out his welcome with them he
began looking for a new location
One morning the printing house was
reported on fire. He had just come
from there, and disregarded the
messenger who told him it was afire
He stayed away as long as he could
consistently, and then when he ar
rived at the burning building he did
what he could to prevent the crowd
from getting things. out. There was
insurance on the stuff and he did
all be could to convert it into cash
in this way. Part of the insurance
was assigned to a Blackfoot man,
and the printers endorsement on the
insurance draft was necessary before
the Blackfoot man could recover
and the tramp printer refused to
sign unless he was paid for the sig
nature. The Blackfoot man forced
payment in the courts and the way
the tramp printer got even is shown
in the next article.
1t was campaign year and some
| politicians would pay sum of
money to any newspaper that would
publish articles telling what great
men they were. The tramp started
a fy-by-night newspaper in Black
foot by buying few quires of patent
inside, or boiler plate sheets bear
ling the name of his paper at the
top, and having a few items of
Blackfoot news and some articles
lauding the politicians who were put
ting up for it, and one article each
week abusing this Blackfoot man
who had forced collection of the as
signed insurance without bribing
of the tramp printer. He would
have it come up from Salt Lake by
express, would avail himself of the
mailing privileges accorded to news
papers, and appeal to the advertisers
to patronize him because his was a
home industry. A good many of
the advertisers paid their good
money for advertising service and
did not know that he just printed
a few quires and placed the bulk Of
them around the business part of
town where it was of little value to
them. By the time the campaign
was over he had gotten in debt to
as many firms as he could, and he
disappeared, leaving the express
agent holding sack" for twenty dol
lars on the last shipment of his
papers which he said he would pay
as soon as he ran across the street
and back. He has never gotten
across and back.
TX!
1t began to be observed by print
ers over the state, that there was
only one newspaper in Blackfoot,
and they reasoned that where there
is room for one there is room for
two, and two fellows who boasted
that they were tramp printers boguht
printing plant on time and sestab-
lished a new paper in the county
seat. They bought clothes and fur
niture and all things they could use
of the local dealers on time and thru
this means got about all of their
printing and advertising, for every
body likes to try a new editor and
each dealer wants to sell all the
goods he can. The new firm had
good run of business from the
start, and the other paper ceased to
make any profits and had to re-
trench. After the first few weeks