The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-01-08
By VIM. n. RANKIN

A review of the work done in 1917
brings forth the fact that advertising,
and especially newspaper advertising,
has done more than it's share to help
win the war.
While the Government has not found
1t possible to use an advertising cam
palgn to reach the people of this coun-
try, the business men, bankers, and
clergymen have all placed their I'M
qualified endorsement on the economic
as we'll as the educational value of full
page newspaper advertising.
Results have proven that their judg-
ment was good. These men showed not
only their faith in newspaper adver-
Using to bring the desired results, but
they backed their faith with their own
dollars in payment for this advertis-
ing as patriotic contribution to our
Government
While this plan of advertising orig
mated in Chicago last April and May
during the original Red Cross Mem
Der ship Campaign, nearly every city
and town of any size in the United
States have been furnished this plan
and have used it successfully.
In Chicago business men and bank
ers and advertising men have bought
and paid for half million lines of ad-
vertising in the Chicago daily news
papers from May 1 to date-first for
the Red Cross campaigns, then the
Liberty Loan campaigns, the knight
OF Columbus, the War Savings Stamps.
In New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Cleveland, Minneapolis, Des Moines,
Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and
Los Angeles and other cities business
men have done just as we'll if not bet
ter.
1t is estimated that nearly five mil
lion dollars of advertising space has
been bought and paid for by bust
ness men or contributed by the news
papers, magazines, farm papers, bill
boards, painted and electric signs,
street cars, and trade papers of the
United States-all to help win the war
and bring the people of this county to
the realization of their own RESPONSE
bilities during the war.
The Treasury Department at Wash
ington, the officers of the Red Cross
and the President himself, all have ex-
pressed their approval and have thank
ed the bankers, business men, newspa-
per men and advertising men for their
patriotic work in planning and secur-
ing this advertising for the Govern
ment.
The business outlook for 1918 on
the whole, is very encourage Mill
ions of people will have more money
to spend by far than during any pre-
vious year: the. great masses Of peo-
pie, the workingmen and the farmers
he OF 0,.it r,-s1 4,
more to spend; the minority--those
who have been accustomed to buying
nearly everything they want, will have
less to spend, because of the many
ways in which these men will have to
sacrifice to help pay for the war.
They are making these sacrifices
this means much for
the success of our war efforts abroad.
There is no question in my mind
that business conditions during the
next two or three years, whether we
continue to have war or not, will be |
very prosperous. Money will be spent
for desirable necessary things. 1t !
will be spent more carefully, more ad- |
risedly. more wisely than ever. Every |
dollar we have will be spent where |
the dollar counts most. Our per cap
ia of wealth is now S2,136; that of |
Great Britain, S1.751: that of France, |
s1,1o0; Of Germany, $1,33S.
Our present national debt is SIS per |
capita: that of Great Britain, $3.50: of |
France, $3.50; of Germany, $3.50 We |
could pay our debt 142 times over |
without being broke. We have eigh- |
teen billions of liquid money in our |
bank deposit subject to checks. Our |
trade balance in 1916 was over two !
billion in our favor. It's a bigger bal |
ance now.