The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-19
Cost of. Propaganda
Many. People Would. Us e
Newspaper With Yelled Ad-
~ vertising
Dearborn independent.


Courtesy and an even temper to
any one are admirable; to sue
cessful city editor they are indis-
pensabe. But there are occa-
s;ons when he loses his temper, and
one of these is when an alleged
friend WI come in during his
busiest time and insist on unload
ing lot Of gossip for an hour or
more.
Six months ago a man entered
the office OF a city editor of a small
town newspaper and handed him a
box Of good cigars.
Whats the idea 2 asked the
man of many tasks.
7 "Oh, Just a little appreciation of
the help you gave US on our mu-
sicale," replied the man.
It is not recorded that the city
editor ever: revived. :. He seldom
gets any thanks. for his free. pub
licity. He doesn't expect them.
That is about all the city editor
Of daily in small: town. has to
do except-and this. exception. il
he is new to the task, proves his
greatest burden.
The editor knows. without going
through it, that in all that mail
there may be one or two. letters
worth reading, Others represent ef-
forts to work him and the paper
he represents for free advertising
or pleading for cause in which
the sender is interested but very
few. others:
Some one recently suggested that
a drive against drives" would
meet with popular approval but a
society for. the suppression OF prop
aganda would meet.with the unani-
nous support OF every editor in the
country ~ -, ~. <;l..-;;.
In America there seems to, be. a
society for everything and another
society to counteract everything.
An organization for a high pro-
tectiye tariff vii, attempt to broad
cast to the world, through the .edi-
tor, that unless a wall is built
about certain industries, they are
doomed for the scrap heap, thou
sands Of men will be thrown out
of work and millions OF capital
will be sunk without a trace.
The editor, after being bonn
barded with these appeals for two
or three weeks, Will about be con-
xjnced that perhaps these indus
tries should get protection and
that something should be done to
support them. He has almost
made UP his mind to write some
thing about it when along comes
letters from another organization
that these industries are iovercapl-
talized and their dividends huge.
To enumerate the propaganda
which reaches the desk Of the
average editor would be an endless
task. The public little realizes the
tremendous, lot of bunk that is car
ried in the mails. Very little OF, 1t
gets into the columns OF the pap
ers. Some will. Of course, for even
the most hardened propaganda
wrecker will sometimes let an item
pass.
| Recently, q letter came to the
! desk of city editor in peculiarly
tinted envelope, plain. The editor
opened it and started to read a
very clever story. 1t carried ON for
two or three pages and the editor
was congrasulating himself on
getting an unusually good feature.
Then in the last paragraph and in
geniously phrased was a boost for
nationally = advertised, product
That editor watches, for that TINT
ed envelope and its never opened
Only recently there were
weeks of observance for quite a
few things. For instance, there
was smile" week and be kind
to animals week. A few years ago
these would have been given some
publicity. But not this year. Hun
dreds Of papers, didn't even carry
an item about them, although
thousands and thousand of letters
we're sent out urging their obser-
vance. The editors know their
readers have been .fed up on that
kind of stuff and went fall for it.
So, why print it?
Reads Through Envelope.
If an editor attempted to read
carefully al, Of, the propaganda
which came to his desk, he would
do nothing else, the day would
have. to be heightened and he'd
have to forego eating and sleeping.
He can tell. almost by looking
at the envelope, whether the let
ter contains an appeal. for the
famished Of China. the starving Of
Poland, or describing the condi-
,ditions in Armenia. And his press
association carries all that his read
ers want to knew about these con-
ditions. His printing of additional
information would not help to- al
leviate the suffering. If it would
he'd print it and be glad OF. the OPP
pertunity, ~
An editor recently kept record
OF letters OF purely propaganda
material coming to his desk. A
very careful sitting lefti147 pieces
of mail in which the senders sought
free advertising for some cause in
which they were interested or some
condition which they thought