The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-13

Manufacturers Record: It is fact
we believe, not to be successfully
controverted, that taken as a class
! the worthwhile publishers of this
country. whether this term be ap
piled to the publishers Of the great
dailies, or the weekly or the monthly
periodicals of business, science, prog.
ress 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 civil.
cation itself, if these publications did
not exist. The light of the present
would be supplanted by the darkness
of the middle ages, and chaos would
reign
The publishers of America meet
their responsibilities in a 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 a
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 remunerative in the land
And today, in war times, poverty
ueads rapidly upon the heels of near
ly every publication in the country,
with cost of raw materials and other
items which enter into publication
work leaping forward with seven
league boots.
The publication business calls for
display OF energy and nervous force
and hard thinking and quick acting
to keep abreast of the times, that is
not imposed upon any other business.
1t is beyond all question a business
of specialists; highly trained, de-
pendent 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
remuneration, by virtue of conditions
which have surrounded the publica-
ton business, than any other set of
men Of equal ability and equal nerve
work in the country.
Because of circumstances, due, in
part, to the early history Of publica-
ton work. in part to the modesty or
ack of courage on the part of pub
fishers themselves, this business has
been conducted On basis where if
t has not been in the position of a !
'oPP41oiiS, IL 0ds', " say Tie iGdSI,
never had the courage to demand |
air price for the product that it is !
sues and due recognition by the |
world of the dignity and RESPONSE
'ility of its work and of the fact that !
he worker is worthy of his hire.
People have been educated to pay
'ut small sum for a newspaper or
| magazine, no matter how meri-
orious it may be, and without re-
,ard to how far below the actual cost
# the white paper and the printing,
he price may have been.
The average man has come to feel /
hat he has a right to ask for a free
opy of newspaper, when he would
lever think of going to his grocer
nd asking for free pound of sugar
Many men, even some business
1en. who would view with horror the
digestion that they invite from their
ROGER or butcher a free contribution ]
f food for their table, take it for =,
ranted as matter of course that /;
hey have right to ask of the news /
aper free food for their brain; and ]
hus they put the feeding of their
rain as far less important than the
eeding of their stomach.
The newspapers themselves are
artly to blame for this condition. /
Iany of them started without a dol
IT Of capital and in early struggles ]
ought business on the basis of 'shelp {
ne paper" when, in reality the paper {