Minneapolis spokesman., 1963-08-15

days.
mains the chief bulwark Of pro-
gressive, orderly, and forward
looking communities the space
which these papers have devoted
to the church life and activity, free
of charge, has been of value to
the communities, as a whole.
The top ministers who serve the
leading churches in the Twin Cities
have found their projects sup
ported in the columns of these
papers through the years, espec-
tally when programs We're designed
to aid the entire community, as
well as the respective congrega-
dons.
If the Twin City congregations
had to purchase the space which
the papers give them free an
nually the total cost would be
approximately $1s,44O per year.
On the other hand, the churches
have played an important part in
the growth of the papers. Zion
Baptist church in Minneapolis In
the first years Of the SPOKES-
MAN allowed the paper to be sold
on Sunday mornings in the church.
Mount Olivet Baptist in st. Paul
did the same with the RECORDER
and has been most consistent In
its advertising support Of the
paper.
In st. Paul today, ten Of the
leading young men are former
newsboys for the paper, and many
a young matron earned money
during high school days folding
and mailing the paper, at a time
when Negro girls were not en-
ployed on downtown after-school
jobs.
Today there are over 40 young
sters earning money selling the
papers from house to house. Many
of the boys supplement the income
of parents with large families.
In the early days the office of
the paper in Minneapolis especial
Iy, served as a combination free
advice-free employment - free
social agency and political con-
sultant. There was nothing too
small or large to bring to the
newspaper and while the staff was
happy to be of help to the COM
munity individually and collective
ly, it found that its main purpose
for being, the publishing Of a
newspaper, was hampered by the
extra -curricular" activities which
the people seemed to think was
also the papers job.
This Is one of the reasons why
the papers promoted and support
ed such groups as the Urban
League and NAACP and other
organization, both as a public need
and in its own economic defense.
The burden Of intervening in the
courts for some hapless individual
who had ran afoul Of the law; the
time consuming task of treating
with welfare officials in an effort
to get additional help for families
who had difficulty in presenting
their cases adequately to social
workers; the constant job hunting
and pressure upon employers for
jobs for Negroes; the countless in
vestigations Of alleged and real dis
criminatory practices against Ne
groes; the constant appeals for
loans from individuals who thought
a weekly newspaper was a money
making business - all placed tre-
mendous pressure on the strugg-
ling papers in the early years.
The years and emergence Of
community organization and
leaders have somewhat modified
the picture, but there Is still too
much expected Of the papers in
fields other than It's principal
area.
MASTER BREAD baked by
zinsmaster Is the oldest continu-
ous advertiser in both papers fol-
lowed closely by Browns Clothing,
Minneapolis mems and boys out
filter, the first major Nicollet
Avenue store to use the advertis-
ing columns regularly.
The SPOKESMAN and RE-
CoRDER papers have run more
lines of political advertising than
any paper Of their type in the his
tory Of the state. Political aspir-
ants and their campaign managers
were at first amazed when they
found the only thing they could
buy in the struggling paper was
advertising space.
Many Of them are still resentful
hacausa a sim al doaa not o7-uY,f