The Price of Political Ink
Snohomish County newspapers unite to end the practice of providing free space to political candidates.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Pity the poor candidate! No more will the political news bureau flood the columns of the weekly press with canned dope unless it pays up space rates. The papers of Snohomish county are getting tired of giving away space to political candidates. The profuse thanks of the office seeker is not legal tender with the linotypeman, the paperman, nor the local tradesman, and hereafter only Uncle Sam's circulating medium will be accepted. Ten dollars for candidates' cards and 50 cents an inch first insertion and 25 cents for subsequent insertions for reading matter is the rate set by the boys in convention at Arlington, and they propose to stand pat.
“The profuse thanks of the office seeker is not legal tender with the linotypeman, the paperman, nor the local tradesman.”
This 1912 struggle over 'paid-for' political content prefigures today’s debates about campaign finance, advertising transparency, and the sustainability of local journalism. In an era where digital platforms often commodify political reach, the local editors' demand for 'legal tender' serves as a reminder of the historical tension between public discourse and the cost of the printing press.
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