The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1942-11-28
The Negro Press
BY V. v. OAk
From the Close III the First World
War to the Beginning OF the
second World War

CROM THE close OF the First
! World war TO the year OF the
stock market crash Of 1929. at least
twenty-one Negro newspapers were
started The long, neyer-ending de-
preston OF the thirties Witnessed
the further addition OF over Thirty
TWO newspapers. the doubling. and.
in some cases. trebling OF total
circulation: the rapid increase OF
advertising lineage. the instasla-
ton OF new and expensive equip
ment: and even the dispatching Of
correspondence To Europe by two
papers. This period also Witnessed
the development OF chain news
papers, the Airo-American chain
leading others in circulation. close
~ followed by: The Pittsburgh
Courier, the Atlanta Daily World
and its affiliates. the Houston In
former and its affiliates, and the
Chicago Defender. A new daily. the
Atlanta Daily World, was started
on March -. 1888. by WA Scott,
and a special Sunday edition was
added 10 the regular daily edition.
In the fall Of 1894. The Harlem
Heights Daily Citizen was started
in New York as a daily. but within
three months ii was suspended. 1t
soon became evident that IL was
well nigh impossible TO start an
independent Negro daily and make
a business success OF IL. Never
thelese. this vitality Of the Negro
press as demonstrated under OBJ
viously difficult conditions" OBJ
serves Mr.. Joseph Il. LaCour. lis
the essence OF its strength ae a
business institution. In this strength
resides its economic and cultural
value to the Negro group. It's
automatic that a financially strong
press can best serve the true in
terest Of it's public. This applies
not only to its ability TO secure
and present news and features
but TO its ability 10 utter forth
right and honest editorial opin-
ions This same period also
Witnessed the suspension OF close
TO eighty newspapers, eliminating
thereby the financially weak ones
and strengthening further those
which were in capable hands.
II must be remembered, how
ever, that. in competitive econ-
omy. survival OF the fittest' does
not necessarily mean the survival
Of IN morally or physically fit,
but II means rather the survival
OF the cunning and the ruthless
who are often motivated by greed
referred TO bv the more pleasing
phrase enlightened self-interest.
Our present economic structure Is
so built that newspaper tbe II
white or colored) can survive only
on purely business basis. The
modern newspaper. therefore. has
gradually become a slave TO pub
lie opinion. witness the pussil' an
unity OF most OF the white editors
who realize that the Negro Is not
being treated properly but who
! sui say tndt luel CduuOt w
anything about u, Three and a
half miles from the village OF Will
berforce. ohio. Is the city OF Xenia,
Ohio. The Xenia Gazette told the
writer Of this article only recent
ly that II was not interested in
discussing race questions through
its columns as II did not care y
antagonize It's white patrons. The
tragedy OF the situation lies In the
fact that Xenia Is strong Rerub-
iican city located In the North and
had In the early hfties OF the nine
teenth century an underground
railroad station for runaway
slaves located within two miles
from Its limits. Add 10 II the fur
Their tragic fact that we are now
engaged In fighting HItlerism
abroad while allowing II to thrive
wlthIn,l
In 1899. there were 15s newspa-
pers, 70 religious. fraternal. coll
lege. and other miscellaneous newe-
papers. and 14O magazines and bull
letins. making a total Of $40 Negro
periodicals.