Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1920-03-19
Shall a Labor Paper AC-
Cept Advertising?

its promoters and editorial staff the
pleasure of reading what they write;
or is it a paper that, through its able
management, is able to get the
proper circulation and through that
get its quota of advertising, which
furnishes the money to pay the print
! ing of same?
A weekly paper, to have any in
fuence at all, MUST have a fairly
good circulation. 1t MUST reach the
rank and file of Labor and it MUST
keep getting new readers or it's in
fuence is naught.
Anyone having any experience in
the newspaper game knows that Cir
culation, at the best, is losing prop
osition, and the more circulation a
paper gets the more money it loses
unless it sells certain amount of ad
! vertising space, which enables it to
make up the loss on its circulation
and pay the many other items neces-
sary to make a modern weekly news
paper a success.
Some of the theoretical senti-
mentalists believe that a newspaper
which accepts advertising cannot be
! true to the principles it represents;
especially is this true of some labor
ing men who believe that labor
paper which accepts advertising can
not truly champion the cause of
/ Trade Unionism. AS matter of
| fact, these theoretical sentimentalists
have no facts with which to back Up
their theory, while we have many in
! stances to prove where some of the
| best journals, labor papers and maga-
zines, accepting any and all adver-
| tising, yet at the same time remain
Z true to the principles they represent,
and thoroughly champion their cause.
For illustration - "The Appeal to
Reason" published at Girard, Kas.,
with circulation of more than 800,-
900 accepts advertising, medical ads,
fair or unfair ads, and we believe that
any reader of "The Appeal to Rea-
son" will agree with US that it is one
Of the most radical Socialist papers
in America, and no one can accuse
that paper of changing its editorial
policy on account of its advertising
matter.
The Seattle Union Record, daily
labor paper, published at Seattle,
Washington, with reputation of
being one of the most militant labor
papers in America, accepts adver-
Using, and in one of its late issues
it accepted an advertisement from
the Tailors Employers Association of
Seattle, whose employees were on
strike. This advertisement gave the
employers side Of the story as to
why the strike was on, and when the
strikers protested against this ad ap-
pearing in labor paper owned and
controlled by Organized Labor, the
editor of this paper, in his defense,
replied editorially that he believed in
free press, and in his opinion the
trust press ought to be willing to ac-
cept any advertisement that Organ
lied Labor would be willing to pay
for, and when the trust press refuses
to accept an advertisement that
pleads in behalf of Labor it proves
it's unfairness, therefore it is proper
and fair for labor paper to accept
an advertisement from the employers
in which they give their side of the
story. Any reader of the Seattle
Union Record will agree with US that
because the Seattle Union Record ac-
cepts advertising, as stated by its
editor, the editorial policy of the
paper has never changed one iota.
"The Philadelphia Trade Unionist"
is the biggest weekly labor paper
published in America-16 pages every
week. This paper is owned by Or
ganized Labor of that city and it ac-
cepts all advertising, Bull Durham or
anything else. Anyone that reads
this paper will agree with us that it
is a good labor paper and is a true
champion of real Trade Unionism.
The american Federationist," the
only real official organ of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor and edited
by Samuel Gompers, accepts adver-
tising, and by glancing through its
pages you will note many "open
shop" ads, such that would easily
shock some of our theoretical stu
dents of labor. Who will dare to say
that the american Federationist" it
not the best edited monthly publica-
tion in America today. Our theo-
retical sentimental friends have not
been able up to date to produce a
publication such as the American
Federationist," nor can they honestly
criticise the policy of our able leader,
Samuel Gompers.