The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-21
TribuIatioms of the Publisher

in doubling their price is the most
recent, but by no means the most
effect OF the predicament
which natural and artificial causes
have brought the newspaper pub
fishing business into. Literally
OF publications have been
put out OF business by the steadily
mounting cost of production, and
every day adds TO the number. And
while, of course, the first victims
have been the weakest-weakeSt in
the sense that they rendered a
small and doubtful seryice-the pro-
cess has not stopped with publica
tiors Of that general class. Mighty
oaks have gone down with the sap
lings. Only recently the Atlantic
Monthly had an article which adj
yerted to what might be called the
statistics OF the publishing
business during the last few years.
These included the demise OF a
good many newspapers which had
won fame and influence in their
communities. Among other things
shown was that Hourishing cities
which have grown in population and
wealth have fewer newspapers now
than they had at time when they
were less populous by half than half
than they are at present In four
teen cities OF Michigan, for instance,
the number OF newspapers has de-
creased from Y to %, notwithstand-
ing the population OF those cities
has doubled within the same inter
val Nine OF these fourteen cities
are now without a single morning
newspaper, whereas previously all
Of them had at least one. Even
Cleveland, the sixth city in the
country in point Of population, now
has but one morning newspaper.
one OF the two that hourished until
a year or so ago having had to sue
cumb to the throttIing cost OF pro-
duction.
1t may be said that, in the eco
nomic sense, this is not calamitous
from the standpoint OF the public
interest. But it has some effects
which are hardly to be contemplate
ed with the same degree of COM
placency For one thing, freed OF
competition, the surviving ncwspa-
pers will be subjected to a tcmpta-
tion to be satisfied with less eff
cheney in gathering the news OF the
worlds activities and interests, and
any yielding to that temptation
must entail both an intellectual
and social loss. Society needs moth
ling more imperatiyely than that the
several communities into which it is
broken up be kept intimately in
formed OF the ambitions, projects
and achievements OF one another,
and the generation Of that mighty
force OF peace and progress will be
measured by the efficiency with
which the newspapers perform their
function as disseminators OF intelli-
geucc. And then, too, the political
consequences that are latent in this
contracting and monopolizing ef-
tect or economic causes are not to
be contemplated without some mis-
giving. Ii there is evil in the par
tisanship OF the newspapers, there
is a saving virtue, from the stand
point OF the social welfare, in a
plentitude Of newspapers. For, with
a plentitude, there will be expo
nents OF all parties and political
creeds, and that will guarantee a
full and fair exposition OF the facts
that concern us politically. The
newspaper which, these days, in
dulges its party and political preju-
diceS in its news columns is the eX-
ception. and even a rare specimen
But the knowledge that any sup
preston of distortion it might be
guilty OF would certainly be ex-
posed in the columns Of its rivals
has contributed no little to estab-
lish this rule OF fairness and hon
esty This incentive is DESTROYED by
the process which is forcing SO
many newspapers out OF business.
Some thinning out was desirable
undoubtedly. A community is bet
ter served by one or two strong and
prosperous newspapers than by
three or four weak and unprosper.
GUS ones. And not only are strength
and prosperity essential if newspa.
pers are to serve their communitie,
efficiently, but they are also the best
assurance OF the independence anC
honesty that are essential ii news
papers are to be effective champion,
OF the public welfare. 70 speak o.
the disappearance OF so many news
papers as an evil tendency is not tC
imply that there can not be toe
many; assuredly there can be-anC
the consequences OF too many are
pretty much the same in kind
though greater in degrees, as thost
OF too few. The point is that III,
disappearance OF so many newspa
perS within two or three years i.
proof that natural and artifcia
causes have made the struggle TO
existence in the publishing business
harder than it is desirable that i
should be, from the standpoint o
the public interest.
This process, as has been said, i
the result of several causes. som,
600 men from the various industria
centers OF this country ought no