The Glenwood post., 1922-10-05


suits in one or two years are vague
Results in three to five years are not
only possibility but probability. OF
from five to ten years, positive. From
that on hopelessly indispensable. OF
course the foregoing facts are depend
ent on persistent advertising.
The newspaper is manufacturing
plant. The editor gathers in the raw
material, works it over and fla slly
prints the finished product, that which
he sells to his subscribers. The Public
Service companies are in peculiar
position relative to that plant. They
furnish, or should furnish, the raw ma
terial for use in public service writeups
and in turn are indirectly buyers of
the finished product.
A specific case came to my notice
recently in which an editor was rad
ically opposed to utilities. The name
seemed to "touch him off, although
he was not definite as to why he was
opposed to them. Recently his paper
was included in the list in which the
Rocky Mountain committee. .placed paid
advertising. He accepted the order and
was pleased to receive it. When the
second and third ads came he read
them and began thinking. He was re-
ceiving information about a side of
the utilities of which he was entirely
unfamiliar and his eyes were opened.
He soon realized that he had been labor
ing under a wrong impression and to-
day he is a utility booster, not because
he received paid advertising, but be-:
cause paid advertising had placed him
in the frame of mind to realize that
there was another side of the question
and made him open to education and
conviction. This editor lives in dis
trict IN which there is an independent
or community telephone system and he
is working hard now 60 interest the
Mountain States Telephone company in
taking it over.
The logic of encouraging, rather than
harrassing a utility is mentioned in the
current issue Of the Rocky Mountain
Utility Information bulletin. People
in the past have harrassed the utilities
because they have found listeners.
There have been good listeners because
there has not been enough of truthful
utility publicity given, and enough use
made of the public press.
Editors are not in favor of public
ownership of utilities. They own their
plants, they are interested in Their
work because they own their plants,
they work harder for themselves than
they could possibly work for another
and therefore are rising to higher
standard in their profession.
L wish to quote here from q speech
made before the Missouri Association
OF Public Utilities recently, by ]. f.
Hull, president of the Missouri State
Editorial Association:
There are many in this country-I
believe very great majority-who do
not favor public ownership of public
utilities. They believe that. the perpet-
uity of this civilization is best assured
through the development of the per.
sonal Initiative of an enlightened citi-
zensh p-the public ownership discour-
ages individual -submerges
the individual and sets up mass dule in
his stead. Public ownership of public
utilities is the thin wedge with which
the Socialist hopes to separate the
forces of representative government
and make room for the communistic
state.''
eff there be truth in what l have
said, then the tremendous Importance
of public confidence and good will in
the assets of public utilities may be
recognized, and any policy of public
relations that will maintain good will
where it already exists and develop it
where it IS now lacking, deserves the
most serious consideration not only of
those of you who have your capital in
vested in public utilities, but Of all
citizens of this country who are con
cerned with the future of our form of
government
You may ask whether or not the
newspaper can be considered the best
channel through which to reach the
public. There are many channels,
many important channels besides the
newspaper, the channel of human touch,
the channel of direct publicity, the
channel of perfect service, but we do
consider the newspaper the best of all
and the reason is this Subscribers
read their papers at time when they
are in receptive mood to absorb what
is presented to them. If you should