New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-16
ENGLISH JOURNALISM
THE NEW TINES EDITOR-IHE PAIL MALL,
NEW AND OLD.

resolved on trying BEFORE he discovered Mt BuchIo
il used to be SAID that he meant young MT M"ler
70 De the Jove of the future. Ii LOOKS rs IL 'no
Olymmau qualities which il was hoped time might
develop in Young Mr. Walter did not come 10 the
snrface decisive enough or rapidly enough TO con-
vince his father that he could safely De seated on
the throne Mr.. Buckle is young oNiorn man. OF
distinction in his university, IN whom Otner news
,orer nrorrietors than Mr. Walter fanced they per-
ceived the journalist of the future. lie was offered
mud refused a place as leader writer on The Van
chester 1pordiaa paper inferior in nothing TO its
METROPOLITAN rivals, except in the fact that II is
oublished in Manchester. Mr.. Walter not long after
pronosed TO him 10 enter The 1imG Office under Mr.
ChencTy and this he accepted. IL was the current
remark in the profession that Mr. Walter had made
ND his mind that history must repeat itself for the
benefit Of his paper Mr. Deane had been dScov-
cred by an earlier Walter, az much the same age
Younger still, | think-put on as assistant to
Barnes and upon Barnes's dca h promoted nj once
IL the cditOrship. The Inns was then by no means
the journal il afterward became. The Times as we
knew it ten years ago was, it is hardly too much to
saw the creation of Delanc. Never before his time
had il been so able OF so powerful.
If Mir Buckle has the stuff of a Delane in him, he
has .till great opportunity before him. Not that
The Times under anybodys control is likely ever
again 10 resume the position of uncha lenged SUI
premacy in English journalism which under Delane
IL held for quarter Of a century. The penny press
of London and the provincial press have got foot
hold from which they are not TO he dislodged by
ANYTHING bnt a convulsiOn. But there is an oppor-
tunty, and great one, to revive in the office the
trad tons Of Delanes time, and 10 make the paper
what it has not been since his acknowledgements,
full wise authoritative. Mr.. Buckle may reform
the internal Observation-Disclosures is hardly de-
nal
bn IL st irony by which, wheu The Times N its trb-
uc to Chenery tried 10 praise his great learning 1t
called him "scolarly" sic. The earlier proof-read-
ing scandals Of another sort a rlbald jest in
London for weeks. The sluggjshness about news
has long been notorious. The want of the exact
knowledge Delaue had in matters of high politics,
Cabinet prOree lngs aud the like was the pnzz OF
the profession. The failures TO perform the mission
it avOwedlv itself that of aseertaining, inter
preting and expressing public opinion III great
crises were repeated and almost continuous 1t
went wrong almost as often il possible 70 20
wrong. OF course il lost authority To regain that
authority to restore the prestige of the journal by
re-establishlDg its old superiority in news. in
prudent judgment, i'll general ability, is task for
giant Whether MIR. Buckle be Il giant is question
of the future. Let hope he has not stopped grow
Ing He must az the very first step 70 success put
whence it derives and over which it seeks to estab
lish its authority.
Whether all this can be done depends on some
thing besides Mr.. Buckles abiiit. II depends on
the measure of power delegated to him. he Times
edltorship in Mr.. Chenerys period WAS in counts
sion MIR Walter and Mr.. Macdonald were as much
editors as Mr. Chenery. The affairs of the paper
were debated in council NJ. Chcnery's opinion
was heard with respect. hut il not final. If
Mr. Buckle succeeds to Mr. Chener 3 post with
ONLY Mr.. Chenery's power, he is heavily hsndi-
capped. He may have force of character enough to
determine his own position; to have his own way
10 make mp his own mind and not allow Mr.. Walter
10 make It up for him. Re that il may, hold it
n fundamental proposition hat great newspaper
can be edited otherwise than b> dcspOtism There
must be one mind and will on which, in the last
resort. everything shall depend. Councils of war
never fight. .Waltermay think that EiSpaper has
been conducted with vigor and discretion during |
recent years He may propose to continue the Sys-
TEN. lie iOuS and mayn not like 70 Tellnquish |
the control Of his paper INTO everybody's hands. |
He is interested in certain questions and may stipu-
late for line of his own with reference to those |
questions. lie may be content with his own opinion
of bis own paper and Indifferent to other opinions
So long il is commercially prosperous But in the
interests of journalism and Of the public it may be
ment and that he puts the rens in the hands of his
new editor should like of all thugs TO The |
mcs in ,ts old position. should like to Mr.. |
Buckle autocratic and successful journalism suf- |
fers from the decadcnce of the greatest and most |
famous OF Eu"isb journals. And since il is written |
that for good for evil the power Of the press IN |
this country Is TO increase think if desirable that
there should he journal to which all men point
as beyond the suspicion of interested motives; q !
journal edited with the intellectual AMI admins |
tratiVe ability which shall make 1t respected by |
everybody, aud in reality as vel a. in nGIae the |
leaGing journal Of England
A striking example Of the influence tournalst |
yields and of whai he relInquShes by abandoning |
Journalism for Parliamentary life ma. be seen in
the of Mr. John Morley and his connection !
with the Egyptian question. So long he edited |
Tie all DGH asette Mr. Morley made himself felt
DAY 10y day, and his opinion on current affairs was
among the moss potent in Eng aud. His siugle will
modified The Ministerial policy in Ireland aud ma
terlally altered tie of events in Egypt He
was opposed TO English interference in the Delta.
he could not altogether prevent it, but he limited
H. lie stood resoluiely In the way of anything like
permanent occupation. He argued day after day
with cogeucy and ingenuity-all the more re-
asrka6lo because he was i'll conflict with the logic
pf ovents-agaiDst the assumption of responsibility
BY the English Government. lie had Mr. Gladstone,
b. had all the editHrs of Great Britain, he had the
leading Liberals for readers.
Since his retirement The Pail Mall GG,eiie has
changed lite hne OH Egypt-most wisely changed it.
n" tone OF the philosophical student of history no
longer penetrates its discussion of the events of TO-
cay II Its leading articles Oh Egypt are less
b1iiiSnt and admirable pieces of literature, they
are moro practical, more prudent more In conform
ity with public opinion, and fer sounder in policy
They have been 40 good, 20 frequent. so energetic
that they have restored to he paper much Of the
it seemed 10 be losing. They have had
that ud Of force which belongs to writing Of the
day which expresses nteliRently tho convictions
4 H.. u IL, a