The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-29
FREE PUBLICITY

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 From Corn Exchange.
 Were Philadelphia to pay at com mercfal rates for all the free adver- tising which the newspapers now con tribute gratis, the annual outlay for that item would exceed the whole cost of the police department.
 There is never a single copy of any Of those papers printed on any day of the year which does not contain from one to twenty items, either so- called news or editorial, that is a. gratuity handed out for the common elfare and from which the paper di- rect1y and indirectly received not a penny Of profit.
 The people of this city never ex- rect a shipyard to do anything but ecne it's duty when it constructs rail- way engines. hat factory, flour mill clothing factory, bank, store, trolley road and telephone is not 1eckoned upon to give its time, serv- lee or capital for boosting any enter prise excepting US own.
 But a newspaper has dozens of re- quests every day to print or to urge, t5 commend or damn, to beg or pro- | mote something out of which the owner of the paper can derive no | financial benefit He is expected to employ his capital in that way for the | common welfare.
 A newspaper has but two possible sale of the paper and the other from the sale of advertising space. Whatever in paper does not at tract readers to ouy is not profit able thing for the owner financially
 Whatever in paper takes up space 1 where an advertisement might be printed as a direct and immediate loss Very little of what is called "civic boosting every brings to a newspaper single reader. Certainly no begging proposition does.
 Armenians always require relief so it seems. and the papers are ex- Ipected to print columns of appeals But no person would ever think ot buying a newspaper just to read al article asking him to contribute none, to someone 5000 miles away.
 An account of prizefight, base hall game, murder. election, elopemen in high social circles. a horse race a battle or hot debate in Congres would sell papers. Readers would bu. to see that sort of thing.
 Yet the Philadelphia papers give daily many columns Of space on whit raper that costs them dearly to tn , boosting or begging or promotin propositions. And let Philadelphia re
 member that such is not the cas everywhere.
 The journal which for a centur
 and a quarter has teen regarded all parts of the world as the great s est newspaper published is the LOT r don Times. But so far as boomin
 might as well be printed in Toki
 It devotes but little of it's resourct
 and capital to that sort of thing. : It may be contended thatasit is
 newspapers legitimate business
 urge and beg and boost. But it d no more the function of a newspap' 0 than of a margarine and magazin,
 thrive by publishing only such articl
 as their editors believe the publ l. wishes to read.
 !, The magazine tries and does secu circulation by interesting its reade
 and so gets advertisements. It pu fishes no Belgian. no Polish, nor A
 reenian appeals. never urges bett
 street paving and cleaning does n Y coax people to contribute for the su n port of hospitals and colleges; mak r. no demonstration for saving babit 70 swatting the fly or any of those pu
 lie things which daily newspapers a
 constantly asked to help ps Every newspaper publisher kno,
 that there is neither circulation II
 financial gain in such policy, y ie they all do it.
 ne So the newspaper gives more of
 services free than almost any oth
 institution that Is not an endow ID charity. while at the same time ,. voluntarily. for what it deems to
 the public good, refuses to acce
 profitable advertising. Who can es
 mate. therefore. the sum total ofNsu
 a policy. day in and day out. adher |