Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-02-20

Now, there's enterprise for you. ''The
National and Times of tomorrow. To-
morrow, mind you, and this in a land
where the flies are said to roost low OF
nights from sheer laziness. Have you
anything like it in your so called enter
prising New York?
1t sort of knocks ont the stranger in this
land of pulque and tortillas to find that he
can read, or rather could read if he under
stood Spanish, Sundays paper while he
reclines at ease in a big armchair on Satur-
day evening. 1t takes all the conceit out
of him, and the next day he doesn't carry
his head near so high. 1t is only after ne
has mastered the language that his old
time confidence returns, and the American
eagle flaps his wings as Justify as ever to
his eyes, for when he is able to read to-
morrows paper today he finds that it is
really today's paper of yesterday, or day
before yesterday, or week before last.
NO CONCEPTION OF NEWS.
To be sure the paper is dated tomorrow,
but if he finds any news of today in it he
puts it down as an exceptional case, and
when night after night, from z o clock in
the evening until o'clock in the morning,
he hears the cry, "El Nacional TEMPO
de mananar' he comments on it in the
darkness with a plentiful sprinkling of
swear words, for the Mexican newsboys
cry is exceptionally shcill and penetrating,
and makes sleep stranger to the nervous
mans eyes. Queer institution is the
newspaper here in this land of queer insti-
tutions. The word newspaper is really
libel on the genuine article, as we know.
Newspaper men have absolutely no con-
ception of news, and the much coveted
"beat' of New York journalism is an un-
known factor in Mexico.
And the people seemed to. be perfectly
contented with this sort of thing. / have
seen The Monitor Republican,, the chief
daily paper of the republic, come out,
time after time, without single item of
original news. Everything in its news
columns was copied from its local con
temporaries and full credit was given.
This is the practice among all the papers.
They make up their local news by taking
the few original items that appear in the
columns of their competitors. BY going
carefully through the columns of the city
exchanges they manage to fill the space
given to news SO called, and as each
paper is enabled to get at least an item or
two of something fresh every day, they
manage between them to keep the pot
boiling and fill from three to five col
umns Frequently have seen an item
travelling about for two or three weeks
going from paper to paper as the editors
happened to find it. That sounds very
funny doesn't it? Just imagine the cry
of s'chestnutsn' that would soar heaven
ward ii anything of the kind was at
tempted in your city. It's all matter of
education, however, and after awhile you
learn not to mind tin fact you rather
like it, do. 1t saves an awful amount
of wear on the nerves, and you need only
read one paper to get absolutely all the
news that has been printed, if you only
wait long enough All you require is pa
tience, and you somehow or other accu-
mulate wonderful stock of it here after
a short residence.
THE ENTERPRISE DISPLAYED.
About the funniest illustration-that is
funny to you New Workers, l mean-of
the enterprise displayed by the papers here
in laying the news before their readers,
occurred some time ago, when Mexico ex-
perienced the severest earthquake shocks
of which there is any record. Houses
were shaken down in different parts Of
the city, the aqueduct was broken, cutting
of the water supply, the great cathedral
was cracked, bridges were ruined and the
people were almost scared to death. This
Z
night. In your city you newspaper people
would have worked your reporters nearly
TO death and strained the nerves Of every
body in the establishment for the purpose
OF getting full and complete story Of the
earthquake and the damage In Sunday
mornings paper. Here the Sunday papers
had been printed many hours before, and
such thing rs an extra or anything Of
the kind for Sunday was not even dreamed
Of As there are no Monday papcrs-no-
body works on Sunday except few store
keepers-lt was Tuesdays papers that
were looked TO for the news.
On Tuesday FL Monitor Republicano
informed its expectant readers in about
twelve lines, that on Saturday night there
had been q very severe earthquake which
had done much damage. Its staff Of re-
porters was busily at work investigating
the damage, and IN a day or two the paper
would lay its complete account before the
public. And it did on Thursday morning,
just five days after the shock. This paper
has made great fortune for its propri-
etor; its advertising rates are enormous,
and the advertising department is more
arbitrarily conducted than that Of the
most independent journal in America.
1t viii print no cuts Of any kind or at
aA5 PAAANs ~ VIII 6IESpL MD dANETGASc-
ment for stipulated days or for consecu-
tive insertions. The best that you can
do, If you want to advertise in its columns,
Is to secure q contract for given number
OF insertions, the dates to be decided
by the publishers without consulting you.
And this only by paying in advance for
all the insertions, some Of which may not
be given for months afterward. Not
line Of paid matter can be secured in the
reading columns for love or money. Hum
dreds Of dollars OF advertisements are
lost daily because the publisher viii not
increase the size Of his paper. which il Q
four page sheet. It's circulation il about
4, 900, and no effort has ever been made 70
increase it. Like every other newspaper
God save the marl1s-in this city ard
throughout the republic, EI Monitor Re-
publioano closes it3 forms at o'clock Ii
the evening.