The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-09
PAPERS OF MEXICO.
The Editorial and the Essay
Crowd Out the News.
SUBSIDIES TO THE PRESS.


Newspaper Row I'm the Penitenfiary-
Editors Grow Fat on o. a Week
Printers wages-OId Book Stores.
MEXICO CRY, Aug. 3.-TSpecial Core
spondence. l-"Here's your daily paper of
tomorrow" This is the cry / hear at 5
O'Clock every afternoon in the streets of
Mexico City. Dozens Of newsboys are cry
ing it. Ragged, dirty little fellows, they
look out under big hats and stick cheaply
printed newspapers under your nose, while
they yell out in Spanish the names of their
papers and say that they contain all the
news of tomorrow. In the morning they
wiiLcry the same papers as just from the
press, and pretend that they contain all
the news of the day Mexican daily news
papers are always printed the afternoon
before the date of publication. The editors
and reporters are too lazy to think of night
work, and they have no idea of the value
OF news. kilograms are just as likely to
be printed three days after reception, or to
be thrown out entirely, as to be used at
once, and prosy three-column editorial
often crowds out big accident or good
news matter. The Mexican reporters do
not know what the word scoop means, and
many of them will not take kilograms
because they say they have not
the room for them. Nevertheless,
there are tgenty-nine dailies in
Mexico City. The most of these are sub
sidized by the government. All have
small circulation and the biggest journal
OF the whole Mexican Republic runs out
only about 5000 copies daily. This is the El
Monitor Repubiieano. which is the great in
dependent daily Of Mexico City. which
contains about 800, 900 people and which is
bigger than Cincinnati. / don't know the
circulation of the Cincinnati Enquirer, but
it must be at least fifteen times as great as
this and it prints more kilograms in one
day than the Monitor Republican, does in
year, still the Monitor Republican, pays
$4,000 year and it is the best newspaper
property in Mexico. 1t gets no subsidy
from the government and it is supported
by the conservative party. 1t is one of the
most independent of journals in its adyer-
Using methods. 1t will not take an adver-
tisement for any fixed time, but only for
as long as it is convenient 10 publish it.
and il viii not make any reduction in
price for number Of insertions. It has
four pages and sells for 8 cents q copy.
The editor of the Republicano is now and
then too decided in his criticisms of the
government and like all other editors in
Mexico he suddenly finds himself arrested
and given few months or year or so
imprisonment in the penitentiary. There
is practically no freedom of the press in
Mexico. The editor of newspaper who
is obliged TO sign his name to his matter
never feels certain as to whether he viii
not be taken TO Belem, which is the name
of the Mexican penitentiary. There is, in
fact, a corridor in this prison which is
devoted 10 newspaper editors and which
goes by the name of Newspaper Row.
The most of the articles in a Mexican
newspaper are signed, and the paper has
to print in every issue the name of the
man who is responsible for those which
are not signed, and in case of trouble as to
the unsigned articles this man goes to
prison. In some of the newspaper Offices
here the attaches assume this responsi-
bility turn about. The Ell Tempo, or the
Times, is the organ of the church party
and it often denounces the government.
Its editors are frequently imprisoned, but
it makes about $4,000 year and it con-
siders itself doing well.
The leading government paper is Ell Uni
eeTsaI. This is subsidized by the govern
ment and it gets 81 600 month from Pres
ident Diaz. The editor has also been made
a senator, and he gets a senator's salary.
The Universal has about fifteen editors to
every one reporter. and this is the proper
ton in most of the offices. The editorials
are chiefly essays. The Mexicans do not
know what the racy paragraph means
The first page of every Mexican newspaper
is devoted 10 long-winded critiques and
commentaries on current events or an
Gent history. and the only live papers that
the city has are two dailies published in
English and patronized by the English
speaking people of Mexico. One of these
is the 7m0 Republics, which was established
about twenty-five years ago, and which
makes about $1,000 a year. Its editor is
Mr.. Masteila Clark and its business man
ager is Mr.. Sidney Guy Sea, one of the
brightest newspaper managers of the
United States. who was forced TO 60 to
Mexico for his health. Mr.. Sea was get
ting $4,000 4 year from the Chicago Her
aid, when he had hemorrhage of the
lungs and the doctors sent him TO Mexico
TO die. He rapidly recovered under the
pure air OF the Mexican plateau. and he is
making the Itr0 Republics a very valuable
property. The other English paper is
known as the ARGlO-AmericGn. II has been
only lately established. but Il is fast in
cressing in circulation and influence.
All kinds Of newspaper work in Mexico
are poorly paid Editors get from SO 10
SIS week an Mexican money, which is
only from $3.50 to SIS week in American
money. The essay editors get the highest
salaries. AS TO Geographic news the pa
pers seem TO think nothing OF quoting from
their contemporaries kilograms which have
been used a day or two before. and an
event three months old will be put IN with
as much assurance as though IL had Just
happened. Time, IN fact. Is OF no import
ance in any affair of Mexican life, and
neither the people or the editors seem 10
care as TO whether the matter Is new or
old | found newspapers IN every one Of
the big cities of Mexico visited, and there
is no perfecting press in all Mexico The
presses in use are of the old French style
made alter patterns which have long since
been abolished. The amount paid for tel
egraphic service in Mexico City ranges
from 81 to S25 per week per newspaper and
only the leading newspapers pay any
thing for kilograms. In contrast 10 this
the Chicago Herald and the ST. Louis
Globe Democrat each pay s., 600 per week for
their telegrams As to newspaper CORE
spcndents, they are paid by getting a copy
of the paper free, and the papers through
ont are run on the economical ground.
The printers get from - 70 s. cents per
! .00o ems, and good foreman receives a
salary of so q week Such printers as are
on salaries get from S. TO SIP week, and
ali of these sums are in Mexican money.