Show We e Receive A ALetter ALetter ALetter Letter The following letter was re received received received re- re by the Editor on June 29 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Why the change in policy Upon reading over the columns columns columns col col- col- col of the M Messenger June 22 I noticed much to my amazement amazement amazement amaze amaze- ment the advertisement by Imperial Imperial Imperial Im Im- Whiskeys tucked away down in the corner of page five Why the change in policy For as long as as I can remember remember ber her the pages of the Manti l Messenger Messenger Mes Mes- have never been so graced by cigarette and lic- lic quor ads As far back as memory memory memory mem mem- ory will take me I fail to re remember remember remember re- re member the time when Messenger Messenger Messenger Messen Messen- ger editors would resort to the acceptance of of such means of money Why the change in policy In a community which is very predominantly it appears that such advertising is quite out of place I dont don't believe I would be out of place if 1 were to say that with a local newspaper such as the Messenger Messenger Messenger Messen Messen- ger which is supported by Mormons Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons bought by Mormons and EDITED by Mormons l cigarette and ads are NOT V WANTED WANTED WANT WANT- ANT ANT- ED It all goes back baek to the old question of Mormons 1 versus inu in- in u lL Uh in- in LuL i i I I in these inese evils but DUI DUT I its it's a good argument with good results quite in favor of Mormons and their policy One might justify oneself by saying Well V ell there will only be bo bea boa a few such ads a few always justify a few more and so on on until the supported Mormon Mormon edited and Mormon- Mormon purchased publication becomes non-Mormon non p pap paper a p e r. r Think it over Is it the editors editor's paper or the publics public's paper And let me ask again Why the change in policy A Mess less Messenger nger gel Subscribe Subscriber Editors Editor's Reply Frist of all let us say that the anonymous letters we re receive receive receive re- re are usually cast aside without a second thought Many lany businessmen and others receive unsigned letters from time to time and they usually ignore them also The writers of such letters usually offer a smear at the theone theone theone one to receive the letter but sometimes actually point out a good idea In either case we cant can't put much stock in a person person person per per- son who will offer an opinion but wont won't be associated with itin it itin itin in name This letter we received was written on a typewriter as many unsigned letters are arc The writers writers writ writ- ers of these letters also sometimes sometimes some some- times use their left hand for writing or hold their pencil or orpen orpen pen in an awkward position to II distort their penmanship Our reader must not go over the Messenger 1 very carefully if the June 22 ad was the first he or she noticed Liquor there is no c in the word ads had been running for two months prior to that date When our reader writes that he or she cannot remember seeing seeing seeing see see- ing such ads in the Messenger lessenger we are led to believe him or her to be a young person We Ve can open our files and show the advertisements of Whiskey Wine Vine Beer and Ale in years gone by Our reader hammered pretty hard on the bought by Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons edited by Mormons supported supported supported sup sup- ported by Mormons 1 etc idea leading us to believe that he or she would have us mix business and religion as much as possible He or she would then want the stores of Manti l to stop selling selling selling sell sell- ing coffee tea tobacco etc we presume That would be a afine afine afine fine thing no doubt but we doubt it will ever come about One of the largest distributors ors of tobacco in this area is a owned church operated church outlet A local merchant recently recent recent- ly told us of a letter from this firm suggesting a good display for cigarettes to increase sales This same firm was also the I largest wholesale distributor of hard liquor in the state prior to prohibition We Ve have no doubt that this owned church-owned operated church-operated Continued on Page 4 We Receive A Letter Continued from page 1 institution would give up its business in such times limes with a good feeling if there was no call caIl for such But right now they seem to regard it as a 3 alegi legitimate legi legitimate business a 3 business which they dont don't mix with re re- re I ligion I We Ve might go round and I round giving unwanted answers to your unwanted letter so lets let's I give the real reasons Our income from local advertising advertising advertising adver adver- has failed to show a gain for three years even though we have increased our rates Most 65 65 to 75 sometimes of our advertising comes from foreign sources Even many of the ads bearing local signatures are ordered and paid for by foreign companies In the face of this our expenses have gone up rapidly doubling on some som since we bought the paper in 1946 The foreign we mean Sanpete sources of advertising base their volumn of advertising on their production and with the cutback on production now in force have cut their advertising advertising advertising adver adver- schedules Faced with this raise in costs and decrease in advertising we signed up for liquor advertising We Ve did not use this advertising though it was available for our first 4 41 41 years with this publication Before we signed up for thes these ads however we investigated the matter for sometime We Ve found that cities where the newspaper uses liquor advertising advertising advertising advertis advertis- ing and most Utah papers do do not have any more or fewer drinkers than we seem to have Advertising does not induce any I new users either if our information information mation is right It does however however however how how- I ever induce the present users on the brand they might buy Our readers receive many na national national national na- na magazines on the same day they receive the Messenger lessenger and in these magazines find page full-page ads for liquor in full color They accept these without without without with with- out question as being legitimate business and we would like to ask that they do the same with ours We Ve have received only one other written comment on liquor li liquor liquor li- li quor ads and the writer of this other one had the courtesy to sign her name We Ve wrote her hera a 3 letter in answer to her comments comments com coin ments and received a very nice reply |