The Newspaper Revolution

From the RockfirJ (III.) Rigistér.] "The era of cumbrous Uanket-sheets seemi coming to an end, and newspapers like the Niw iork Sun and Tm Ciiicaco Daily NEWS are the prominent journalistic successes of the period. The papers that give enough reading matter to fill a eood volume in each daily issue are going out of favor with many people who hve some other employment for their time than the search through mountains ofstraw for kernels of news. Th ïtieeti that give the news sytematicallT and amply, and without unnecessary pudding, are taldng the lead iu the great cities." Forty years ago the hief duty of an editor, ín considerably more than the circulations of all other view of his limited facilities, was to gather all the Chicago dailies oombined. It is hardly necessary news he could and print it. Intelligence was to say that such a circulation could not beattained, transmitted slowly ; many occurrences of interest much less maintained, except by a paper of high were never heard of beyond their mmediate grade of excellence, as -wfell as onesold at a pOpUlocality; ocean mails were long in transit, and the lar príce. To win such recognition the cheap overthrow of an European dynasty was not known paper must be as good a nrwspaper as the best of here until long after the event. Suddenly there of its higher-priced competitors. And this The carne a change. The rtilroad and the telegraph Daily News certakly is. It is a member of the superseded old methods, and the newspaper was Associated Press, and is the only paper in Chicago literally flooded with news. The death of a petty which possesses a franchise which Jécures to it ward politician in San Francisco, the result of a both the day and night dispatches of the AssociaPresidential election, the accession of a sovereign, tion. In the general field of news-gathering it rethe outbreak of a war, and notice that a shanty had presente in the highest degree the progressive enterbeenburdeninTexas,allwerehurriedoverthewires prise of' American joumalism : as a w-paper into the newspaper offices, and there beingutíWWJit challenges comparison with any in the land. no idea ofdiscrimination, all were printed. SlJnlW HfWÁ)n its editorial columns The Daily News Thus originated the "blanket sheet." SUmhL spcaks from the standpoint of the indeThe publisher who could send out cÈpendent newspaper, and thereby escapes the biggest blanket for a nickel was thc&fi&W&SÉZslthe temptation of impairing honest and most enterprising; the biggest paper MR,S0jShonorable influence by condoning or was the best; itwasaperiodofbigness.'öidefending the questionable under the But after a time the very excess of theSjgfcPressure of party allegiance. It is not evil broughttíie remedy, and there be-jtefIïSe-an organ, neither is it a neutral in ganan era of discrimination, during which llUwquestions of principie. It has the courarose such journals as the New York Sun tyMfjft$i T ge of its convictions. The organ of and The Chicago Daily News. That the public no party, sect or interest, it voices the united deappreciated the new departure is best evidenced in mand of all those better elements of society in the factthat the Sun reached a circulation of behalf of purity, honesty and decency in all the 000 a day, and The Daily News 175,000. The relations of life. By just so much as it thus comwonderful and constantly growingpopularity of the mends itself to the regard of the truly " best peocondensed, low-priced papers has sofarbroughtthe ple " of the community does t voluntarily recumbrous and high-priced blanket-sheets to their nounce any community of interest with all others. senses, that they have now somewhat reformed So conspicioua a success must have its imiboth as to size and price, but they are still too far tators, and The Daily News has the endorsement removed from the true ideal of American such imitation always bestows. However as it is the nalism to meet the needs of the great majority. only one-cent paper in Chicago or the West which In the west The Chicago Daily News has is amember of the Associated Press - all other Chibeen the first to appreciate and meet the situation, cago Associated Press papers cost 3 cents - all and it now enjoys the results of its twelve years of imitation must continue, so far as news giving vcUue pioneer work in a daily circulation averaging over is concerned, to be but imitation. The Chicago three times that of any of its contemporaries, and Daily News is " the original," " the best." Sold by all newsdealers at one cent per copy, six cents per week. Mailed, postage paid, for $3.00 per year, or 25 cents per month. Every farmer can nowhave his daily paper at little more than the cost of the old time weekly. Address VÍCTOR F. LAWSON, Publisher The Daily News, Chicago