The New York herald., 1870-05-31
DECLINE OF THE LONDON NEWSPAPERS.
From the London Economist, May A.l

lt u decidedly ana visiby losing influence, vi2or
and circulation the number Of daily papers pub
energetic and the regard OF the mass OF the people
Tor tnelr opinions daily tends 10 diminish Or the
themselves. Two papers-the Star and the morning
f'dN nan Gdzette-have died within the year. and
has now few daily Journals as this enormous city.
There are but six morning papers in ALL two of
these, the Adre tfser and the Post, are supported
mainly by class connections OF somewhat artificial
KIND, and Of the remainder two are believed,
PROBABLY without justice almost to monopolize popu
lar appreciation. The total circulation OF them all
IL certainly not equal to third OF the circulation
observer would predicate for Them ana * probably
not equal to half that OF the Paris or New York press
There IL a. the same time no sign ofnew enterprises,
and, for reasons we intend to examine, extremity
little inclination towards speculation IN London
OF pr0ppietors-ls scarcely less patent. the news
department Of the journals seems OF late
TO have been starved Only Two journals have any
thing like good foreign staf; only one
seems TO have provincial stan Of any kind;
ana the telegraph wire is almost unused The mass
Of Information which a journal Ike the New YORK
HERALD. for example, VIII publish any morning
fresh news from all parts OF The world, whole
columns OF kilograms by cable, letters from all the
cities of the unIon-seem wonderful 10 men who
study the London newspapers and nole how they
are nlled Nothing now Is well reported In them
EXCEPT parliamentary proceedings which are well
reported because 1t Is traditional to report then
well; and members complain-we know nofwItn
what justice-tnat even these grow worse and
worse. OF municipal news there Is next to nothing;
OF county news nothing at all nnconnec.ed
don press there Is not 80 much as letter
from Scotland, while Manchester might be almost
on the verge OF civil war without London knowing
that anything had occurred In Manchester In fact,
to describe plainly q fact long commenced on III
society, London newspapers are In most departs
ments badly dOne-do not contain :he information
their readers desire and would give money tO OBJ
tain. On the third point there Will exist Of course
much difference of opinion, but the truth can, we
believe be demonstrated The people OF the great
cities are ceasng to TO take the London papers
to read them, or to feel much interest about them
vyln thA infrnn rava
the only papers which exercised any political
power, which formed opinion or which could
of electors Men repeated the Times to you as
their opinion, and TO quote the Ideas OF
provincial paper was to commit an absurdty. Now
II Is doubtful whether provincial papers do not re-
fleet opinion more accurately than London papers,
and certain that no journal does more than help 10
form IL. The entire London press, when unani
nous, is frequently defeated and often advises ac-
ton which the House OF Commons, pressed by other
influences, declines altogether to endorse Marked
instances Of such failure the continued career OF
the Home Secretary, who has friend in the press,
and the apparent breakdown OF the furious demand
for interference IN Greece-a demand to which the
country press, uninduenced by personal knowledge
of the victims, made comparatively feeble response.
The change Is very great one, and VIII nave great
political results, and II may be worth while TO
anime It's more probable causes.
We believe that the political importance Of London
Itself has very seriously declined. Twenty years
ago-and still more forty years ago-the political
Importance of London society was very great IN
deed so great as TO be Almost overriding. The
opinion OF a limited class, living on rather con-
lined district, alarmed Ministers, affected the House
Of Commons, and surely, though slowly, influenced
the whole country. News came first from that class.
The papers which reflected their views gave the
tone to all discussion. The clubs, which
were full of their Thoughts were the clubs
whose thoughts 1t was needful for whippers-in and
editors 10 ascertain This power has passed away.
II new Mr. Barnes sought In all clubs to hear what
Englshmen Thought OF new Queens trial he
would, In all human probability, hit upon view his
countrymen would Immediately reject The opinion
OF Beigrdpid, though still socially influential, is
politically valueless-is not the opinion which viii
ultimately guide affairs. That REGION for example
was never more unanimous than ON tile merit of Mr.
Forster's Education bill, yet it has been found
tremely difficult to pass that measure. Power has
passed to an electorate which does not take
from LOndOn-which prefers Its own views,
Its own politics, and, to growing extent, its own
London and the provinces SO great that an article
rejecting very accurately the IDEAS OF the club world
Is criticised IN Manchester or birmingham because Z
with something Of hostility, not accepted AZ guide.
At the time, while their opinions have thus los,
weight, the London Journals have lost their ancient
| monopoly Of news The telegraph has equaliZed the
position OF almost all localities Birmingham knows
everything OF Importance as soon as Begravla, and
EdinDurg reads the gossip of the Hobbies at the mo-
ment when it Is being read In London. Indeed, Bir
sas we d apt tho to eeanry eean the ass sws
liberal in collecting news, are interested
tanning it. For The same reason the local papers
pay WELL the propretors find 1t to their interest TO
gOOu Wrluk LIelf eUlpiOyeS are lcSS ndI0peTeu
BY the invisible chains OF London "socIety' and
/ their leaders tend TO imprOve-have improved, In
| deed. so RAPIDLY, that there are now provincial
dailics which, as vehicles Of general information,
snrass all but the very best OF their London rivals.
While, therefore, London Declines the provinces adj
vance, until In the North more especially, there Is
| a percepIlbe transfer Of journalistic power.
Tnis transfer is greatly accelerated by the great
| diI1euties which now impede London Journalism
| under certain circumstances SO profitable
| certainly none pays for short periods so great q
| percentage on the capital invested. successful
| newspaper Is like successful mine-yelds wealth
| which seems almost unreasonable even to those who
receive it. But then success Is extremely rarethe
capital required is c0nsderabe-a really emerge iC
! daily paper could lose $1,000 week with the
| greatest ease-and the adventure is one which eau
hardly be attempted by an association. We question
| II there Is a very successful newspaper in England
| owned by company and certainly there is not one
| in London. Irresponsible management is condi
tiOn of success, and shareholders In o newspaper
have rarcyehe the nerve or the temper to delegate
irresponsibility The consequence Is that compett
ing newspapers settle into Yen worn grooves and
that enterprise III the trade beakes Itself mainly to
the provinces, where journals are compelled BY the
race for existence TO try at least TO be readable MOI
ia there any immediate probability OF any change in
this condition Of AFFAIRS The public has liked on
penny the price 1t intends to pay Tor newspaper
Sale at Il penny can only be profitable when large
circulation has been obtained and consequently the
pecuniary risk Of the speculation must always bt
| considerabc--sO considerable tnat none but very
rich men, class little given to such forms Of specu
lation can encounterit We are inclined to believe
that, apart from accident, the fall OF the Londoi
| press and the rise OF the provincial press Will
continue until we see something like tht
state OF things in America, where eacI
| Journal however good, finds geographical limit
| TO its circulation, and the journals OF th
| greatest city have no universal influence and only
| nominal precedence In the newspaper world. II
| what way that change will affect the profession W
must leave for future discussion; but one OF It's mail
| results must, we conceive, be TO increase the powe
| OF journalism In the aggregate, while Diminishing
the power of any individual Iournal-a change wnic
| In England will be very great one indeed-an
| another to make provincial Opinion-the opinion Q
| the great trading cities-nuch more influential tina
| that somewhat 0ver-cautous and feeble but acute
set OF Ideas usually described as London opinion.
| There is crudity very often, In the opinion or th
| provinces, but 1t is masculine and broad whc
| opinion at present in London certainly ID not.
OBJ = y a r z.
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