The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-13
Declaration of Independence for
American Publishers.

(From the Manufacturers Record.
July 4, 1879
In announcing the raise Of the sub
acripu0n price OF the Manufacturers
accord 1t Is well to call attention TO
some Facts i'll regard to the publishing
business not generally known to the
masses OF the people, often not un-
derstood by men who are familiar with
all other lines Of industry than that OF
newspaper and magazine work.
1t is fact, we believe, not to be
successfully controverted, that taken
as class the worthwhile publishers
oi this country, whether this term be
applied TO the publishers of the great
dailies, or the weekly or the monthly
periodicals Of business, science. pro-
gress or fiction. are leaders in the
constructive thought Of the nation.
Consider, for one moment, what it
would mean TO the life of the nation
and Of The individual, and to civiliza-
ton itself, If these publications did
not exist. The light Of the present
would be suppianted by the darkness
OF the middle ages, and chaos would
reign.
The publishers Of America meet
| their responsibilities in way that
| does credit to American genius, and.
beyond doubt, they make possible
the, great advancement we see in our
national life. They do it without
question as to the sacrifice of profits
for the nations welfare.
Despite the popular thought that
publishers make fabulous profits, the
business is at all times measured by
the work and capital involved, one Of
the least remuncra;i,o in the land.
And today, i'm war times, poverty
| trcads rapidly upon The heels Of nearly
every publication i'm the country, with
cost OF raw materials and all other
items which enter into publication
work leapinG forward with seven
league boots.
The publication business calls for n
display of energy and nervous force
and hard thinking and quick action to
keep abreast Of the times, that is not
| imposed upon any other business. II
| is beyond all question a business OF
specialists; highly trained, dependent
every day upon the nerve force and
the thinking Of the men who run it.
And yet, these men must, perforce,
work on a lower basis of remunera-
ton. by virtue Of conditions which
nave surrounded the publication bus
| mess. than any other set of men of
equal ability and equal nerve -racking
work in the country.
Because of circumstances, due, in
part, to the early history of publica-
ton work. in part to the modesty or
lack Of courage on the part of pub
fishers themselves, this business has
been conducted on q basis where if il
has not been i'm the position of Il sup
plant, it has, to say the least, never
had the courage to demand n fair
price for the product that it issues
and Il due recognition by the world of
the dignity and responsibility of its
work ANA OF the fact that the worker
is worthy OF his hire.
People have been educated to pay
but y small sum for a newspaper or
\ magazine, no matter how meritor-
ious it may be. ana without regard TO
how far below the actual cost of the
white paper and the printing, the price
may have been.
The average man has come to feel
that he has q right TO ask for n free
copy Of n newspaper, when he would
never think Of going to his grocer and
asking for Il free pound Of sugar.
Many men, even some business men.
who would view with horror the sug-
gestion that they invite from their
grocer or butcher a free contribution
| of food for their table, take it for
granted as Il matter Of course that
| they have right TO ask Of the news
paper free food for their brain; and
thus they put the feeding Of their
brains as far less important than the
feeding of their stomach
| The newspapers themselves are
partly TO blame for this condition.
! Many of them started without a dol
| lar Of capital and i'm early struggles
| sought business on the basis OF "help
The paper" when, i'm reality, the paper
was helping the community in which
| it existed far more than the business
men could possibly help the paper"