Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-11
TIME FOR ACTION.
Editors and Publishers.


Newsprint conservation is not legis
latiye problem thst is debatable on the
floor Of Congress- Ii seems inconceivablt
that Congress Of TIE United States
| should ever waste one minute in open dis
cussion Of the most highly developed
competitive business in the world. Al
business legislation in the past has beer
based on the safeguarding of the funda.
mental right OF open price competition
and the protection Of tho buyer and seller
| by the unhindered operation OF the NATURAL
law of supply and demand.
/ With one notable exception--that 1t
would in no WAY be fair TO consider IN
this conneetion--the natural business laws
| of supply, demand and preservation have
| existed with greater fairness to the public
| through open competition III the newspaper
business than any other
Newspapers cannot be measured by n
foot rule. Every newspaper IN every news
paper community makes an individual
appeal that means to it life. 1t Is the under
lying principle of law to mark the DIFF
ference between right and wrong in the
interest of the greatest number. The prob
lens of a newspaper are individual. No
general legislation has yet been devised
that will meet each Of these individual
and encroachment on the constitutional
rights Of the individual from tho standpoint
OF a free press and free speech.
The very life Of some newspapers
comes from. n strong editorial appeal;
Others from the detail and volume Of news
reports, still others from features. Each
meets requirement of service to the
community 1t serves. Each is complete
IN itself. No two IN any community could
he governed by single law and live and
fulfill their duty along lines that would
mean the greatest good for the greatest
number. To say that all newspapers must
be the same size is the same as to say that
because there Is shortage of bricks pre-
venting the erecting of an addition to
50-room hotel in Salem, Oregon, the Wall
dorf Hotel in New York City must be
reduced to the same size.
What might be called "loose paper"
in one instance would be siicide in an
other. 1t Is not n case of a pound of gold
being pound of gold In the last analysis
legislation designed to regulate the size
OF all newspapers would be comparable
only to making pound Of silver equal
pound of gold by legislative action.
The contents, each element taken sep
arately, are contributing factors to the
success or failure of the newspaper IN
which they appear. The appearance of leach
day after day, IS in answer to demand.
No legislative mind can devise law that
will regulate that demand.
Every editor and publisher in America
knows how this question can be answered
without injury to any and with final good
to all. There must he rebirth Of the blue
pencil in the editorial departments.
The thing called publicity that steals valua-
bic space for nothing whether il relates
to theatres. baseball. prize fighting in-
dustrials. politics, automobiles, govern
ments and fifty other things go.
Propaganda must be cut from news.
Features must find a place only in pro-
portion to the demand for each particular
one.
Circulation must be put on a fiat rate
basis and the price must go M to help meet |
additional costs. Waste, such as returns, |
forced circulation, extra rebates and free |
distribution must stop.
All advertising must be put on a more /
even footing. Space to each advertiser |
must be limited and department stores /
must pay far etc and share with the rest /
in the saving. Rates must he equalized |
and must go higher with each additional
cost.
News because il Is news features TO
meet the demands of each paper readers, /
circulation and advertising on straight
business basis, meeting every demand of
,he law of supply and demand-that Is
Inc answer. The problem belongs TO each
newspaper separately and the time to
ict Is now.