The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-11-09
London Newspapers.

JAME3N18k%I.sOuAVhS.A As.ALlAbN.s0uebterl
l1ondqn Newspapers,
The discpntinuance of the London
Star, and the transfer Of its interests to
the London Daily Ne,os, are the subject
OF considerable comment, both by the
Englisk and American press. In stating
the reasons for their retirement from the
field OF journalism, the proprietors say
that their objects in establishing their
Paper fourteen years ago were two-foid-
theEfirst being the advocacy and propaga-
ton Of principles which were then re-
garded as extreme in their liberalism,
and the second the establishment Of the
feasibility OF supplying the public with a
good newspaper for o penny. It is
claimed that their old principles are now
the accepted and organic articles of the
liberal party, and that, under these cir
cumstances. there is no sufficient neces-
sity for dividing the newspaper strength
Of that party, and hence the Star is
merged in the Ne,cs. The Tory papers,
on the contrary, assert that the Star has
accomplished it's mission in one sense,
but it is because the ideas it was founded
to spread have been abandoned by its
founders.
It is suggested that there is certain
amount OF truth in both statements, the
moderate liberals and the radicals having
now effected q compromise, and there is
no occasion for Gladstone and Bright to
have more than one organ between
them! The london correspondent, how
ever, who advances this idea. says 1--WE
suspect truly that the paper was dis
continued becanse it did not pay, and it
did not pay because it was established
and run as q personal organ, or, at best,
as the organ OF q clique. The same
writer adds that there nre only three
morning dailies in London which are
supposed to be paying at the present
tinne-the Times, the Telegraph and the
Morning 'Aduertiser. What truth there
is in this. we do not know, nor con we
imagine that the writer has certain means
Of information. There were five leading
daily Journals in London in the latter
part Of the eighteenth century, when
London WINS q village compared to its
present mensions. The papers referred
to, were the Morning Chronicle, founded
IN 176S; The Morning Post, 1772; the
Morning Herald, 1881; tho Times, 1885;
and the Morning Adve,liser, 1894 Most
of these, if not all, still survive, arguing
considerable vitality.
The Lone \ Times, which subsequent
ly eclipsed all English journals, origi-
Hally appeared under the name of the
ter, of Printing House square, by whom
It was first printed and published, added
the name of "IImes" to his journal in
the issue of January 1, 1888. At the
beginning of the present century thou
sand copies day was the extent of its
circulation, while that of some of its
neighbors was nearly four thousand.
The subsequent remarkable success of
the Times has been ascribed to freedom
from party ties, to its efficient system of
obtaining and transmitting the earliest
news, to Its unceasing care in improving
its mechanical resources and securing the
best available talent and chiefly to the
application of steam power to its print
ing press in 1914.
It is now about fifty-five years since it
availed itself of steam, its readers being
informed on the morning of November
%, 1914, that "the journal of this day
presents to the public the practical re-
suit OF the greatest Improvement con-
nected with printing since the discovery
of the art itselfV Besides being the
leading organ of public opinion in Eng
land, the Times is the chief medium of
advertisements. Without, however, en-
tire journalistic Independence. it is
doubtful whether the Times could have
retained. in the midst of so many politi-
cal and social changes, its undsputed
supremacy among English newspapers.
Men in these days look to the press
chiefly for facts and reliable information,
and consider themselves, for the most
part, capable of forming their own con-
illusions; though the wiser and better
disposed they are the more ready are
they to consider the views and take coun-
sci of respectable. conscientious, and
Independent journalism m.-BaNimore SIN.
The Recorder of Baih, Mr.. Saunders,
in paper read before the British Social
Science Association, alluded to the ano-
maly that, with the enormous national