New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-01
JOURNALISM IN ENGLAND.
"THE LONDON STANDARD


tiser was known Familiarity rs the tap-tub" from
Its being the Of the licensed yctuallers" or
tavern and hotel keepers and The Morning Post was
Jeames or jenkins in occult reference to the
reporter OF that journal, who was supposed 20 stand
behind the screen NJ fashionable entertainments,
put down the names Of arriving graudees and after
ward Dartake Of substantial refrcShment with the
upper servants in the honsekeepers room. AS The
POST was supposed to b. the organ Of the pantry
50 was Punch dubbed the organ of the nursery"
from the frequent appearance in ITS pages of juve-
nile subjects. The Daly telegraph was called. in
jealous spite OF its enormous and increasing crcula-
ton. the organ OF the kn.fe-b0ardn the latter
being the popular name for the outside seat Oh the
top Of an omnibus. The strHdard was at tine same
time spoken of as Grandmamma,' Mr.. Ha ris'
and so On, from its old-fashioned adhesion to Tory
principles. 1t was essentially the organ of the
country-hOuso and the ycarage. Country gentle
men, county Justices village parsons. and especially
wealthy rcctors and wears found infinite soace in its
pages where the divinity of Church and Queen
neitherderided nor discussed Amid sectaran attacks
and polite agnostic sneers The Standard displayed
ts good old formulas Of the d" Fear God and honor
the King" type. Sohd, uuhinching defender Of
Torysm it was, il hung in the wake Of its party
instead of attemptingto lead H. and was altogether
snubbed and DoOh-po0hed by the great educator
of his followers Lord Beaconsteid.
A great change has come over The Standard within
,hc last few years. Instead Of hanging in the ruck
of Toryism with what may De described as the ut
tcrly agricultural mind and thus being far behind
the active par OF " the stupid party il has come
quite into the van as a progressive Conservative
newspaper of very independent tone. 80 distinct
has been the line taken by The Standard on several
recent occasions from that Of the high and dry bu-
Tf.I
prised into acknowledging the conversion Of the
old Tory sheet TO Liberal principles. Especially
bitter have been the structures of The Standard on
those political bashi-bazodks known the Fourth
Party. and mainly di -tinCu.,hed for indulgence in
the pastime known as batting Gladstone Lord
Randolph Churchill, SIT Drummond Wolf and Mr.
James LOwther have been ul-pdrlucly criticised
by the most important Of Conservative newspapers.
Nh Lowthcr having Of AL bcca most severely ham
died. and on the eve of his election Lord salisbury,
too has been over and over again sharply al
monishrd Of hi- uuftuess to lead party which
he seems only capable OF guiding
INTO cal.-de-sqc in which there Is no
option but surrender. This revolution in the
management of the paper. which has greatly IN
creased its influence and circulation. Is due to Mr.
Mudford. the sole and irresponsible Editor, whose
position is quite unique III the journalistic world Of
London. and bears a closer resemblance to that
loved on The Time, by Mr. Drilne during ms reign
than any other editorsuip III this country So broad
were the views express at one time by The stand
ard that many of the Tory peers and Indurated
F county members declared that u had been sold to
Nj Joseph Chamberlain, the junior member for
Birmingham. and President of the Board Of Trade
in Nh Gladstone's Cabinet. A terrible hubOub
was raised and a legion of country parsonages re-
sounded with denunc.a,ions of the traitor sheet.
More than this sort OF indignation meeting was
held AT the Carlton Climb 10 consider the eXpediency
of requesting Mr. Nud.ord 10 resign his member
ship. II was a terrible scare, and Is said to have
caused. directly OF indirectly. the reduction Of The
Morning Post 70 Il penny in order that out-and-out,
back-and- dgr Tory ism might have at least one
representative among the London dailics, strong,
fierce and downright jngo,' Ike the afternoon
st. Jamfs5 Gazette.
The causes which led to the exceptionally pow
erful position of Mr. Mudford without his being
a proprietor of The Standard may easily DE
traced in slight outline OF ITS recent history. The
old Morning HerGd IN Its !attcr-day the laughing
stock of England thc exponent Of antquated
ideas came into the possession Of Mr.. Baldwin, the
proprietor of The Lrepipg Standard On Nh Bald
wins coming 10 grief, h- property was sold and The
Morning Herald and The Ereaig Standard were
bought by Mr. tombstone, who had for many years
held the post Of q messenger in bankruptcy. When
the newspapers by the abolition OF the stamp and
PAPER duty were enabled TO publish at penny Mr.
tombstone let The Herald drop OF rather absorbed it
into Inc t-io-4==rd. which has since then appeared
morning and evening Il Is sliu .14t he was so
staunch a Conservative that Ac opposed the rapoaI
of the paper duty. although thar measure was GER
tain t. make hi fortune ias the famous Charles
Butler on the other hand voted. at the time Of the
Gr.t Reform BIZ. for the Acknowledgement of that
borough O.. Looc n Cornwall tor which he SAT- IN the
uurs ormed House of Commons. Each might be
cornuared.to the man in Hogarth's Election who
is saving OF the opposition s5n5oard. OF which he
j. himself sitting ;str.Ie. But ar. Johus,one was
fortunate rs well spirited -peculator, and If not
very profound politician himself, know where %
find one of the most able of Editors. SO far rs II was
boss Die to adorn and make plausible the political
views of GRANNY It was done Dy Mr. llamber. an
exce,iontschoarand profoundly ycrsed mall the mi
mite ramihcations of party politics During Mr. Ham
ber', tenure Of office the famous Alanhattan letters
apoeared IN The standard and brought that news
paper before the public IN % striking manner. The
letters were of course. on the wrong side " Gran
ny never seemed 70 be right. They were bitterly
southern in bias. but their treuchant aud almost
savage criticism of the North excited vast attention.
and - all but the more clear-sightei Of EngUshmeu
believed IN the chlvairy Of the South was IN
tensol, rcllshed on thu, side.
How Mr. Hamber on the Introduction Of Mr..
Johnstone the younger. into The STANDARD office,
could no longer get on with his father, is too long
story to Tell in this place. Suffice II TO know that
Mr Hambe1, in conjunction with NJ. Morcr Evans,
subsequently launched the ON nOus.y named Hour
a daily newspaper which enjoyed very short ex-
isteuce Mr. Morler Evans died. and Mr.. HAmber is
now Editor Of The Noraiqg 1dr9tisa Meanwhile
Mr. Nudford who had up 10 that time been en-
ployed " in the Gallery" and in miscellaneous work
for the paper, was appointed manager and Mr'