Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1920-12-02
If YOU WANT ARMY RA|NC0ATS
MUST PAY TOLL OF PROF|TEERS
American Press Turns on the Light That the
People May See The Way Millions of
Our Money Has Been Wasted.

a narrow vision. 1t needs more than
a single track mind to see the over
whelming power for public good in
the recognition of advertising as
beneficial commodity in government
functioning.
But back to the raincoats for a
moment. We have not at hand the
exact figure the government paid for
these raincoats in the first instance
but it is safe to assume it was not
less than $5 each. This money was
the money of the people, raised by
taxation and the sale of government
bonds. Trace for a minute the de-
crease of the American dollar so far
as the unfortunate consumer is con-
cerned. The public buys a raincoat
for SIS Then, through its govern
ment it sells the raincoat for 25
cents. This done, it buys it back
from the profteer purchaser for $5.
! AS a matter of fact some of the
army stores in New York are charg-
ing $16.50 for army raincoats, and if
you don't want to buy them at that
price you can run around the block.
Is there publisher on earth who
will say that advertising would not
sell these raincoats to the public. Is
there publisher on earth who will
say that government advertising of
these raincoats would be a subsidy
and harmful to the public? What
would John Wanamaker do if he had
these raincoats on hand? He would
advertise them in the newspapers
and he would sell them TO the pub
/ lie. Would that advertising be
subsidy? Not at all. 1t would be
Legitimate commodity used by think
ing business man.
Educating the Public.
Do you publishers say the govern
ment has no selling organization and
that it must get rid of these surplus
stocks by wholesale Piffle. The
government has in the parcel post,
the greatest means of retail distribu-
ton in the world. 1t has in it's war
ships the means to supply water
transportation in bulk, and the rail-
road can be used for wholesale trans
portation by land. If not the rail-
roads then the army trucks, thou
sands of which have met the same
fate as the raincoats. The organiza-
tion is there. All it needs is the eff
ficiency, the imagination and the will
to put it in operation. If we had a
Congress that was interested in the
public welfare instead of in political
log rolling, if we had publishers who
would check up on the character of
the men they send to Congress, if we
had solid band of newspapers edu-
eating the public and exposing to the
public this system of inefficiency and
dirty graft, if we had newspapers
that pointed out to the public how
advertising would lower their taxes
and save their dollars and give them
the benefit of the things they have
already bought and paid for, govern
ment advertising would sweep Wash
ington off its feet.
"The American Press" has led this
fight through thick and thin. It
has battled in the face of persisting
opposition from many of its readers.
1t has fought this fight as it will fight
other fights, not for the popularity
of the moment, but for the good of
the public and the publishers which
are firmly linked together, and in the
knowledge that in the end the light
Will come to all and the truth pre-
vail.
There are other issues this news
paper has stood for and that have
brought down on it the temporary
objection of the short visioned. but
that is neither here or there. This
should be the very last article neces-
sary TO- bring to reason the publisher
who thinks government advertising
is subsidy, and that it would be in
the nature of patronage doled out in
Washington with results inimical to
the public welfare. Of course it will
not be the last article that will be