Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1938-03-11
Here And
There
BY w. M. Smith

frOm popularity to hidden taxes.
In that last item / was attempt
ing to show that the group pays
for a number of things it doesn't
get. 1t may not realize it, it may
not care, but feel it should, at
least, know what it is doing, and
learn that much of it's money is
spent in the interest of everyone
except itself.
A reader of my last weeks col
umn disputes the accuracy of my
figures and declares the per cent of
business advertising spending is too
high. This may be true and with
that i am not greatly concerned.
It's the principle involved and / am
interested in calling to attention
that if just one dollar is spent that
doesn't produce the desired result,
there is a reason. Either it has
been placed in the wrong channel
where it could not achieve the ex-
pected result, or in the proper chan
mel and some other reaped the re-
ward.
Just for a moment let's return
to some figures that can't we'll in
vite dispute. There are 10000 of
our group in the Twin Cities. l
should like to have it successfully
demonstrated that any one of them,
man, woman or child, can live a
normal life in Minnesota for less
than one dollar day. The income
of a family of five people must be
$500 a day. If the sum is not
earned in wages it must be given
as a dole by some person or agency,
So our 10000 people must spend
| $3,65O,OO0 a year just to live in
ordinary comfort. 1t may be a dir
ficult task to earn it. Getting it to-
gether is frequently ear marked
with many and painful experiences
These all disappear in the spending
when the Negroes dollar finds it.
way into trade channels and cam
be identified from any other.
The merchant who sells to th'
people, white and black, of this are;
buys advertising to induce tn,
spending of as much of it as pos
sible with himself.
The merchants may not spenC
five per cent of their income il
advertising. It's not important
whether they do or not. The i'm
portant fact is that whatever il
given to advertising is paid for
not by the merchant from his owl
money, but by the ultimate con
sumner where you and l find on,
place. 1t is perfectly all right TO,
our group to contribute its share
to this inevitable cost. What ism
all right is that your money ant
mine is paid almost exclusively t.
the dailies which as exclusivel!
cater to the white people.
When the (white) dailies give t.
Negro clients the same cOnsidera
ton given to others; when Negroes
not criminals or prizefghters car
be pictured in their pages; wheI
Negroes can find in the dailies news
of their social events, accounts Of
their church activities, ETC., anC
when Negroes are employed in al
capacities on the papers, then
shall be ready to argue for thu
abandonment of the Negro press
Therefore, I submit that adver.
Using paid for by Negroes money
should be spent largely with 6
Negro organ.
What can you do about it? First
think about it, so wien there comes
a time when you can do something
you'll be ready.
Numbers of the businesses with
whom you spend money don't know
about your special Negro press
You can give this information.
In all fairness, as you look
through this issue and find the in.
vitatiOn from merchants who have
learned the truth of the matters
herein recorded, don't you believ,
they should have the bulk Of you
spending?