The Press: Circulation by Alcohol

It will be recorded that, in the eleventh year of its existence, Prohibition became a circulation-getter, instead of just a topic for debate, among U. S. magazines.

The Literary Digest is conducting a poll, with subscription blanks enclosed. The Pathfinder, more obscure, has already completed a poll (see p. 16). Plain Talk has been screeching about alcoholic conditions in Boston, Washington, Kansas, Minnesota—a campaign calculated frankly with a view to newsstand sales. Similarly Collier's magazine, which began a Wet series in 1928. Liberty's editorial this week said: ". . . since its open espousal of the Wet cause the circulation of Liberty has increased much more rapidly than before." Liberty announced a $1,000 per week prize for the best answers to this question: "Are you Wet or Dry?" And last week Life, exhibiting some of the initiative by which for 40 years it has made citizens not only laugh but think, inaugurated a crusade for consummate shrewdness.

Life bought a page in the New York Times and, beneath a weeping Goddess of Liberty, cried out: "HOW LONG WILL WE PUT UP WITH IT?" The text went into a smashbang flaying of current liquor phenomena, contrasting the $882,727,114 paid as individual income tax in 1928 with a figure of $936,000,000, which Life said was the cost of Prohibition enforcement "and loss in revenue." Then Life made this proposition: if you agreed with its sentiments, please send at least $1 to "the Life War Chest." It was promised that "every penny thus received will be used by Life to buy similar publicity throughout the country." The astuteness of this proposition was at once apparent: by working on Prohibition sentiment, the magazine would literally get the public to pay for a lot of out-and-out advertising. Yet no one would mind, in fact, all contributors would be glad to help so public-spirited a publication.

Life's president nowadays is Clair Maxwell, 38, aggressive sportsman-executive, able brother of able brothers.* But the astute "War Chest'' scheme was not conceived by him. Life's vice-president nowadays is tall Langhorne Gibson, onetime oarsman, son of Artist Charles Dana Gibson, who has worked for the magazine some 40 years, is now board chairman. the scheme was not Gibson-generated. of Life is Norman Hume Anthony, in last year from Judge as a resuscitator. But it was not Editor Anthony who thought up this smartest of stratagems. man whom an admiring fraternity in applauding was broad-browed Burtch Winters of the advertising of Erwin, Wasey & Co. That firm is one which, while the stockmarket was crashing last autumn, struck the note harped upon by President Hoover his doctors of industry: "Let's go to work."