Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1918 — FOUND IN ONE DAY’S MAIL [ARTICLE]

FOUND IN ONE DAY’S MAIL

EXPERIENCE OF ONE COUNTRY EDITOR IS THAT OF ALL THESE DAYS. It’s a delight to be in the newspapen business right now. Every day is one continual round of pleasure. Just to give you an. idea, here is the chronicle of one day’s happenings, and all other day sseeip to be more or less like this one. In the morning, and in the afternoon too, opening the mail— it used to be a task of pleasant anticipation ; there might accidentally be a remittance from some delinquent subscriber whose conscience had awakened. Now the editor is robbed of even that pleasure. The task has become one to be dreaded because of the increased labor in emptying the waste paper basket. There are letters by the score each mail, and all even demand a donation of advertising space—“on account of the war.” The Red Cross, K. of C., War Mothers and other worthy causes of this kind, want free space and dona•tions of cash—and get it. Purdue University asks for free space to tell the farmers what they don’t know about farming in war times. Herbert C. Hoover, the nation’s food director wapts free space to convince the people that “Save the waste and win the war” is the correct dope—and gets it. The National Liquor Dealers’ Association wants free space for a plea against national prohibition during the war —and gets it NOT. The Prohibitionists ask for free space—and sometimes get it. The state fair asks for free space for the purpose of show? ing the people that patriotism and fair attendance go well together. The state fire marshal wants free space to advertise what HE has done. The Y. M. C. A. wants free space to help their good work along. The tire and automibile companies want free space to tell the people the merits of their wares. A United States senator wants free space to set himself right on the question of national prohibition. A dozen—more or less —congressmen want free space to get mention in connection with some phase of war legislation. And then there is Tom, Dick and Harry, who want free mention of their business and their wares —“on account of the war.” Never a hint about paying even for the composition. From the government dovyn they all seem to live under the impression that no printer demands wages in war times, and that the newspaper gets the work done for nothing, when the fact is that the cost of printing a paper has more than doubled since the war started and the’receipts have decreased so; much that over 800 newspapers have been forced out of business since the beginning of the war. And to cap the climax at the bottom of the pile of letters is one from the print paper house with the pleasing information that the Federal Trade Commission has no authority to bring the paper trust to time, and consequently to prepare for still another rise in the price of print paper. How is that for a cheerful beginning of a working day? The weary grind of the day is interrupted occasionally. An advertise er drops tn to inform the editor that, due to war times, it will be necessary to reduce his advertising space—otherwise, how is he to buy a Liberty Loan bond and donate to the Red Cross? And then some church or ladies society comes in to get figures on a job of printing. Quite naturally the price quoted is a little more that before- the paper trust took advantage of the war to boost the price of paper to the country newspaper man and the customer suspects the home printer of scheming to hold him up—and the order goes elsewhere. , By this time the editor’s mental condition is such that he is busy wondering whether he is still fit for “cannon fodder.” Some of these days the publishers will wake up and demand pay for their goods.