The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-12-26
ENGLISH
Retained Editorial Writers-Un-
enterprising Reporters-War
Correspondents.

The lot of the English journalist i!
agreeable or d~isagre.able, according
to his position upon the paper. If &
reporter, he is looked upon very
much as q day labOrer, and is paid 8
vary small salary. There is not thai
importance that attaches 10 " mem.
berS of the press" in the United
States. With very few exceptions
reporters do simply what they are
told, report meetings. etc; but they
are never on the lookout for news in
dependent of instructions from the
editor; and, in fact, they are not en-
couraged to do SO it they are SO dis
posed.
The position of the editorial writers
is different. They are gentlemen OF
distinction, and though the public is
supposed never to know who is The
author of any editorial. the author
ship of any important articles usually
gets noised abroad, as was the case
when The Times published IN edi
tOrial written by Queen Victoria.
The editorial writer's have what are
called "phat" positions. Some of
them are paid retaiDers, the same as
lawyers are, and are expected to
keep themselves so we'll informed
upon their s%pecialties as to be able to
write a leader upon short notice. For
the article itself they are also paid,
according to its position in the paper.
The Times is said to pay a few of its
staff a retainer of s.. 200 a year, and
$50 when the article is published as
the leading editorial, and $25 when
following. When John Delane was
editor of The Times. it is that he, on
or three persons write upon a single
subject, and then combine the several
articles, taking the best of each.
Each writer was then paid $50. the
same as though he had written the
entire article.
Delane was not much of a writer
that IS, he wrote very little; he had
not the time-hut he was one of the
rest editors. Every editorial that
went into the paper bore the impress
of his active brain. He cut and
carved articles until they suited him,
of the wishes or feelings
OF the writer's, but when he was
through with them they were as near
perfect as human power could make
Though the Times was
given the title of The Thunderer be-
Delsne's time, it was at the
of its political power during |
his connection with it. The title of
was originally bestowed
upon the paper in ridicuIe, and grew
out of the publication of an editorial
written by Capt Sterling, the then
which began: When We
the day before yesterday"
The most highly appreciated men
IN the English papers are the war
correspondents and the resident cor
respondents. The latter are stationed |
vt various political and news centres,
md are selected on account of their
opportunity. either from birth or az
iuaintance with public men, to OBJ
ain political information. Tne for
ner are not required to do much dur
ng times of peace further than to
Keen thoroughly Informed upon the
of political events in all parts
IT the world. After a war c]OrrespOn-
lent has once shown his value to the
PAPER employing him his future is
lssnred, and he is given unlimited
attitude. News from the seat of war
las been the making OF several pa
,ers. During the Franco-Prussian
var the circulation Of The NeWs rose
rom 10000 to $50. O0O, and any one of
he London daiIies would be willing
0 spend a small fortune to get the
Jews Of an important battle three
loUrs ahead of its rivals.