The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-24
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.


LONDON, May 3, 1858.
The Telegraph flashes its intelligence across the
land, the Star shines with undiminished lustre, the
standard OF revolt is raised, the Times is out OF
Joint' and unless the ''leading journal lowers its
price, 1t will be blown from the precincts of Print
ing House Square. Such has been the revolution
caused by simple act of Parliament abolishing the
newspaper stamp. .l. ....
In the opening of the above paragraph you will
see some horrible puns the names of the leading
newspapers of London. Ten years ago everybody
read the Times, and few read any other paper
Some four years ago the law was altered, MAKING
the stamp no longer obligatory except on such pa
pers as were to go by mail, and even these a post
age stamp or "Queen's head' will answer as we'll
AT once there sprung up shoal of cheap papers
both in London and other cities. The majority of
these died natural death in a very few months after
their premature births. But in London there arc
three leading permanent penny papers, the Star
one of the first, in the third or fourth wear of
Its existence-the Telegraph, and the &andard
The Star is said to be owned and controlled by
Mr.. Golden, Mr.. Bright and other leading Lib
erals, usually known as the "Manchester School"
The Telegraph is the organ of no particular party,
but takes up everything that Offers to be popular.
1t apes the Times in having three ponderous edito-
rials every day, and exhibits nothing particularly
brilliant or original. That is nearly as old a paper
as the Star. The Standard is one of the old higb
priced papers, lately put down to a penny, (you
know this is two cents of your money but without
abridging its size or quality. 1t is an able we'll
edited paper, and altogether the best of the London
cheap press. 1t has eight pages each quite as large
as the DAILY EXCHANGE, and of these nearly one
page consists of editorials. 1t the first penny
paper that came out on double Sheet and before
the Telegraph and Star knew what they were about,
their circulation was down to small number and
the &aHdard bOasted of printing 100, ,00O The
London newspaper reading world having been so
long on spare diet, at once bought the Standard
very largely, as they were glad to get the most
they could for their money. Finally the TeIeqaph,
In sheer sef-deience, came out on a double sheet
the size of the Standard and Smith, the great
newsman who sells papers ata the railway stations
In the kingdom, refused to sell the iSandard,
because the publishers would not supply him be-
fore every body else-as the Times did-and now
the Tlegraphs is probably ahead of the Standard in
circulation. The latter has only been penny pa
per since February. The newsmen always know
about the circulation of the different papers. For
merly immense numbers of the Times were taken
by the local newsmen all over London and loaned
out at penny an hour, and then sold to go into
the country, the next day, at half price, after max
ing clear four, five six pence more off of each
number Now, they tell me- they do not take half as
many Times to hire out ''lend" as formerly but
that their customers buy one of the penny papers
instead Another result is seen. All over London,
just as in the American cities, You now meet that
wonderful genus the newsboy. | stopped and talk
ed with one the other day who sat on the railing of
a bridge, counting up his mornings gains, at
about seven o'clock, A. M. He had taken seven and
six pence (nearly two dollarsl that morning In the
afternoon he sold nearly many of the evening pa
pers did not mention that the Star enioys a yerv
good, and almost uninterrupted evening circulation
The newsboy here is not quite sharp not quite as
cool at selling you last years message his profess
slonal brother in America. My informant of the
bridge railing seemed to bestow attention on the
rivals interlopers that poached on his manor He
drove them off by selling his papers at half penny
"a positive loss. He generally used them up in one
or two days, and remained the sole eagle of the cliff
with no one to dispute possession of his eyry. If
not up to all the tricks of trade of his American
brother he deals as largely in slang, and is equally
cute at detecting customer, by the cut of his b.
Now and then shark or pirate comes along in
these commercial waters, and under pretence of
selling papers cliffs watch" or ''plucks wine"
from the needless wayfarer. Having accomplished
his object, he vanishes
Saying unto the sunburnt maid
''Come, Liz its all serene
Eve naild the covey's ticker:
Oh crikey, amt he green?"
But if you want the career of a newsman az Is a
newsman. look at "Smith,' or rather w. H. Smith
Son, of the Strand. few years since tbey
showed great activity in sending expresses to ali
parts, often chartering an engine on purpose when
news was Important and telegraphs were not; and
by getting all OF their supply of the Times and other
Journals before any one else was served thew made
quite monopoly of the newspaper business They
next rented stalls at all the railroad stations in eyery
town. ndbound themselves under heavy penalties to
show no partaty to any paper but to sell all as
wanted and you have little idea of the business done
by this firm. gentleman who knows them init
mately, told me he knew that the senior laid by in
permanent investments, land mortgages and stocks
from t5O,O0O to 100000, ($250, 900 to $3.50, ,0OO]
each year out OF his profits. He is getting old now
and wishes to retire, and no doubt there are many
who would be glad to take his business off his
hands.
The Times from circulation of IS, 900 or co. 0OOO
IN the Crimean war PERIOD is probably down to
circulation now of 1000 $4,000 1t had little
over 200 in 1850. Not only is its circulation di
but it has diminished advertising pa
tronage, the Standard and the enlarged TeleGraph
nearly rivallng it. Advertising terms also are
cheaper, and the Times old rates are not kept up.
The Manchester GUARDIAN once paper of IL 900
circulation, twice week, at 3L pence a number.
opposed, abused, and rdiculed the penny press, as
'cheap and nasty" but it finally had to become one
ITSELF to save its bacon, and keep from total extinc
tion. 1t is penny daily. Canada, with its
l35 weekly journals 81 semi-weekly l6 tri-weekly,
and 10 daily, has just about the same number of
separate papers as all of Great Britain.
Another class of papers has come into existence
in London. and these are species of local parish
papers, published for the most part on Saturday,
once week, and at the price of penny, or
more frequently a half penny. Near where |
live hourishes the ST. Pancras Gazette penny
hebdomadal; and in the Parliamentary district Of
Iy OH,)
Press" the "Haborn Journal" the "Clerken-
well News, the '.Finsbury Herald" the ''St Luke's
News" the ''Shoreditch Observer" the "Islington
Gazette" and the '1slington Times" The firsttwo
of these are sold at penny, and the other six at
half penny, Zone cent? each. They are all weekly.
The journals do not rival the Times certainly, but
they flourish cheap drapers shops, corner groce-
ries, stray cows and lost children, and wax warm,
if not eloquent on home matters, vestry meetings,
municipal affairs and local gossip. All of the above
or mn IN thair
s0th, and one as high its 155th number. This last
and oldest of the local metropolitan papers, sells at
q half penny, and claims circulation of 14,00O-
Whether it actually comes up to that, can not saw
These cheap papers neither scurrilous nor vim
dietiye, but appear to be both decent and active
Now, what are the effects of the cheap press YOU
may ask. Various, and all good. 1t hunts the old
powerful monopolist, the Times, and that certainly
does good. 1t gives an opportunity for hundreds
of thousands of toiling, active industrious we'll
meaning people, to interchange their views, discuss
local topics, and advertise their goods and wares in
the neighborhood, measures that one or two great
inadequate to. Then if Smith of the Bunqto,cn
Squash or Trumpington iSpi6licator calls Jones
abusive names, there is no reason why he should
not have the privilege of giving dig back with
the PhanirrtHe Ramrod. Above ALL the penny
press gives an opportunity for the poor laboring
man to read paper at home along with his family
whereas before he had no way to accomplish that
ObJect but he must go to rum hole, low cof-
fee shop, and expend one, two, or three pence for
liquor, or dirty Coffee in order to get sight of a
paper Great good will grow out of the cheap press
to the people of England. 1t is now fixed, re-
cognized fact, and one of the institutions of the
land. One more result is soon expected 1t is ru-
mored that the great ''thunderer" the redoubta-
Bile Times is to come down to two pence If so, it
cannot retain or have a good circulation at
that price if conducted with one whit
less energy and talent than it is now, and this
for the simple reason that one or two of the
best of the penny papers now about equal as
news journals to that long established sheet They
exhibit editorials every day that show quite as much
talent all the learning, and often activity and
vigor. And the Times has greatly improved since
the advent of the penny press, and many is the hint
it has taken from the once despised but no longer
despicable journals. The Times is lion, erecting
his name, roaring, and gnashing his teeth at the
fight of pigeon. The penny press is the fox, ac-
tively darting round tree. and carving off the