New-York tribune., 1886-01-31
SUPPLEMENT.
PAGEg @ 10 ID.
"THE DAILY NEWS"
AID HILL AS EDITOR, AND THE TRUTH
' ABOUT RiS RETIREMENT.


Mr. Frank II. Hi, for sixteen years editor Of
~. noily Nacs. has been dismissed from his post
~, the proprletors, and Mr.. II. W. Lucy Ieions IN
rs s,ead uso the word dismissed because Ny.
,InI himself prefers to have it understood that he
hao not signed but has been removed. Various
reasops have been gwen for this step. They may
al he summed up III the statement that tne clrcu-
Iton of the paper is less than it's owners think 1t
,aht 70 be. and they hold Mr.. Hill responsible for
,ts stagnant condition. This would be fair enough
;tbe had ever controlled tie general conduct Of the
,or. Every journalist in london knows that he
tos NOT Mr. j. H. Robinson has been and is The
,,onoqer and his jurisdiction extends over every
denort,nent of the paper except the editorial
columns.
Nor mas Nj IInps authority been complete even
,lore The Dd,ly NewS has a proprietary, some
of the members of which take other than CONNER
c;al views cf their connection with the parer.
They have bad. from time to time something to
GOV about lis pohtical course Most of these gem
,,emeu are believe, Liberals perhaps all of them
are. Their Liberalism, however, is of various
co,o,s and complexOns: like that Of the party in
raneral They include men wide asundeT as Mr..
Ssmuel Morley and Mr.. Laboucherc. Mr. Samuel
Morley NAV perhaps be defined ~ NoIcOnformiSt or
Dlssenter first and Liberal afterward-a man in
whom Ito religious aud sectarian predomlnates
orer the pohtical. Mr. Laboncnere is a Radical
first last and all the time. The point of contrast
between them is financial. Both are excellent men
o bnslness and neither is content to hold shares in
q oconcern which does not pay. or which pays less
handsomely than it's rivals 1t may seem to ont
s,ders an odd idea that the profits of a newspaper
were ikelv &c be increased by meddling from time
IN time with lis editoysnp and putting pressure on
its editor uow in one direction, now IN another
That is point on which journalists would
arree with the outsider. paper OF
WHICH a slagle high mind has not the
direction can seldom have a great authority
with the public. The public Is sure to detect vacl-
lations hesltatons lnfrmty of purpose, divided
counsels. ard want Of definite leadership. 1t Will
not follow unless somebody leafs, and If half a
dozen people are to ead IL Is certain they VIII hoI
all aim at the same object
Now | think il is true that for some time past
The Ialy Ners has not always appeared to know
ITS own mind clearly. IL has trimmed its sails to
Zoo MANY 6reezes 1t has not adopted and pursued
inAexibIv one line OF policy The influence now
of one now of another order of ideas
has been uppermost. 1t has supported sew
eral Irish policies, not easily reconcilabe. II
has not taken the lead of any section OF the
Liberal party and kept it, To lead the whole
Liberal party was ont of tbc question, because the
Liberal party Is not homogeneous organization,
aud all that could be done in the way of leadership
hold il and invite others to seek its shelter That
1suot an invigoratirg counse. TO have to give to
narlv On the other hand. to throw the Wings
over and come out as a Radical would have been
to proclaim to the world the dissensions which all
good Liberals are bent OF cOnceallng and DENYING.
Tins the role of a Liberal organ was at best,
difficult one. can't say what Mr. Hlll would
have done if left TO himself. but he would have
done something better than wabbie. and Ihe
Daily Necs it must be admitted. has wabbied
good deal. But the proprietOrs need not have held
Mr Hill responsible for mistakes due to their OVID
interference If nc has been in fault it has been
in not Offering these mOneyef gentlemen a distinct
alternative between editing their paper themselves
and leaving him TO edit it. In such position as
that independence is the first condition of success
There is not much use in a mans making uD his
mind on a series of great public questions If from
time 10 time 1t is to be remade for him. or If he has
IN oovsrn his acts by the result OF this process in
other people.
So much | say on the theory of the pro-
prietnrs that the Ill success Of The
Do;Iv Nc,rs Is traceabe to the editorial
incapacity of Mr. Hill. But do not accept their
theory do not think Mr. Hill an incapable editor
very far from il. In many respects he has not a
superor on the English press. 1t has been part OF
b,s duty undcr the English system TO write as well
a. to direct and he Is an admirable writer master
of style at once forcibe and finished He as dis
cusaed politics with sincerity and elevation of tone.
His knowledge Of current politics and of political
history is wide he is a student and a thinker and
he has an acquaintance with literature which would
make him most excellent editor of literary jour
nal, Mr LabOuchere says Mr.. Hill is not man
of the world enough to suit him, and
suppose 1t must be admitted that between the
views of Mr. Labouchere and the views Of Mr.. Hill
upon the right treatment of public affairs there is
an irreconciable divergence. But il may be per
mssIble to oppose TO the opinion If Mr. La5oucher
the opinion of Mr. Gladstone. whose regard and re-
spect for Mr.. Hill are no secret.
Nor do | think the prescat position of the paper
due mainly to editorial shortcomings; be the cause
OF them what itlnay The stagnaton of Its business
is traceable to other causes some inside, Others
outside the Office Outside, there is the fact that
the Metropolitan area Is not Liberal but Ccnserva-
tive Liberal, still more a Radical Journal, al
WAYS has hard fght of it in London. OF late year,
matters have been getting worse and not better
You remember the verdict Of the metropolitan
boroughs at the recent election, aud the
Tory majority they poled. Add the
adjacent counties known as the home
counties and Tory preponderance becomes much
more decided. But tins is precisely the area within
which Liberal journal must find its support. Al
Understand The Da,iy Necs does find support and
isapayinc property. The complaint of Its owners
is that other journalistic properties find much more
support and pay much better. In the circumstance
the complaint does not seem a reasonable one IN
Tesrapi and Standard have run far ahead OF In
Daily Necs. True, but the former Is Conservative
Liberal while the latter is Libcral-ConservatVe
conservative with strong tendencies and viRor
Gus independence on many party questions. an'
personal questions too. For such papers, IN suci
aconstituency. q there is much larger market thai
for an organ of Dissenting Radicalism. Neithe
Radcalsm nor Dissent is popular III London.
ot,oo. I, ,,,,st be onIv n olanco-insIde TN