Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-08-20
YORKVILLE, S. O., THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1857.

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statement, that the active newspaper press of
London, with the exception of the Times,
does not pay its own expenses.
We have no such newspapers in America
as the Times, though we have many pre-
sumptuous imitators, whose attempts to rival
the independence and power of the great
thunderer, bring forcibly to mind the fable
of the frog endeavoring to emulate the d.
mensions cf the OK. The New York Times
has the same name, the New York Herald
an equal circulation, the New York Courier
as great arrogance, the New York Tribune
and New York Post as much unscrupulous-
ness and recklessness of consistency, but the
five combined did not indicate and could not
control the public sentiment of their own
city in the last Presidential election. The
FIVE combined have not 1.-THE of the power,
or the purse Of the great Jupiter Tonans of
newspaperdom. The paper and Typography
of the Times are things unapproached iu
this country, to say nothing of the statesman
ship, brains and knowledge, that, from that
intellectual throne, give law to the public
sentiment of Great Britain. Indeed, as an
exponent of public sentiment and national
character, it is impossible that, in our largest
cities, we should have journal resembling
the Times. The press of Boston reflects
different atmosphere from that of New York,
and could scarcely be expected to embody
public sentiment In the Southern States
Nor could the journals of Charleston exert
much influence in Boston.
We took up our pen, however, to speak of
unsuccessful, not successful newspapers
About five hundred thousand dollars, it is
said, have been sunk in the London "Daily
News" which though connected with the
great name of Dickens, is only beginning,
after many years, to have prospect of for
tune. Investment after investment has been
sunk in the London "Morning Chronicle. I"
Mr.. Murray, celebrated publisher in Lon
don, started daily paper with the aid of all
the genius of the lay, lost two hundred apd
fifty thousand dollars in few months and
then it died. The London Critic, to which
We are indebted for these facts, says there is
scarcely newspaper in London in which
three or four fortunes have not been sunk
and by which as many persons have been
ruined. The Critic itself was eight years in
being established: and upwards of twenty
FIVE thousand dollars we're sunk in it before
it paid its expenses. "The usual history of
q Journal" says, the Clipper, ''is this: A.,
thinking to make fortune, starts journal ;
he spends thousand pounds upon it and
finds it still exhibiting a loss. Money goes
very fast in newspaper, for the drain is a
steady one week by week, without pause !;
process that will soon empty the wealthiest
pocket. Having spent SO much, he does not
like to stop there. He proceeds, and anoth-
er91 900 vanishes. He stakes his last 9500
and that goes too. Then he is obliged to
sell at any price. Heperhaps gets el0e for
that which cost him $500, and he is ru-
ined. Then the buyer expends another e.
900, in like manner, and he is ruined, and
sells to a third for $4,000 perhaps. The
process may be continued even for fourth
or fifth, until even hope dies, and the enter
prise is abandoned. But sometimes it hap
pens that the fourth or fifth fortune has sue
ceedcd by mere force of living on, and the
journal is made to pay But even then,
what is that profit commercially considered ?
True, it is a fair profit for him who bought
it for e2OO and expended $4,000. But the
actual cost of establishing it was the three
previous fortunes of 97,5OO; add these,
and the expenses of establishing the jour
nails were in fact e10, 900; and the profits
do not pay as any other occupation would do
for such capital as that. Try it thus
What annuity could be bought for Ell 1000,
and would not that annuity be greater than
the profits of the journal, successful though
it may appear to be?"
The history Of newspapers in this country,
we presume, would exhibit similar results
There are few which make fortunes, and with
these, capital and energy, tact and talent, in
every department, must be put forth with a
liberal hand. Under such conditions, sue
cess is sometimes Won, and after years of
struggle, the golden prizeis grasped, though,
grasped like victories in war, upon field
covered with the fallen bodies of comrades
and foemen, and with gaudy banners tram
pied in the dust.