Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-24
THE HISTORY OF AN ORGAN.


When Chas. A. Dana took possession
Of the New York Sun in 1867, all the |
old employees on that paper pooled |
their capital and started paper of their
own, the New York Star. Although
men of experience in journalism they
made the new venture mere organ. 1t
took UP that section of the people
known as wage-earners and undertook
to devote its columns to them, their inter
ests and affairs. The attempt was a
failure. The workers themselves would
not support the special journal, as they
preferred daily paper that gave them
all the news, and treated topics con-
nected with all the phases and interests
of life among the people generally.
When the funds OF the pool were ex-
hausted the concern was sold out, and
its founders went back to their old oc-
cupations on regular daily newspapers
that were able to pay them salaries.
Joseph Howard, Jr., bought the paper
and proceeded to make it as little con-
ventional in tone as possible. He was
a bright, slashing, witty writer OF much
experience. He introduced special and
very novel features into the paper,
among others the cheap, inartistic and
nasty pictorial illustrations of the incl
dents detailed in the columns of the
paper. Mr.. Howard failed to make the
paper earn the expenses of running it,
=
stand for their interests, secured the
colrmns of the Star. They kept it
atloat by means of plenty OF money; but
as soon as they fell off the paper was
again in difficulty. Then John Kelly
needing a personal organ took up the
Star, and made it twinkle for time
with the lustre of his gold. The paper
had the backing OF all the saloon men in
New York, and of all the Tammany
gang. When Kelly died, the Star lost its
boss, and who now went back to some
legitimate journal where they could find
all sorts of news and all sides of all i'm
portant questions discussed. Even
these people preferred newspaper to
an organ.
About this time Lieutenant-G Governor
Dorsheimer needed an organ to make
known his personal views and
to advance his personal ambi-
ton. He bought the Star, putting
capital of 100000 into it at one slap.
But a newspaper that is not making
money, is hole hard to fill with coin.
1t is absolutely bottomless. When the
venture in these hands failed, G. P.
Huntington was just forming the opinion
in his mind that an enterprising daily
paper, run in the interest OF railroads in
general and of his specially, might do
much in molding public opinion.
He bought the Star, and first
and last sunk $1,0O0,O00 in
trying to popularize the journal. but
failed ignominiously in his enterprise.
1t was like trying to float ton of lead
by the aid of a plume of ostrich feath
ers. The Star shed no light on the rail
road question in the dark recesses of the
popular mind, for the reason that the
populace would not let its beams strike
the retina of the eye. The paper had
no readers.
There is lesson in that sketch of the !
history of the Star in the twenty years
of its existence. It is that only a news
paper can succeed in this country in
these days. An organ has no chance.
The people look to the press to watch
over and guard their interests. Besides,
they want to know the truth about what |
is going on and they want to see i'm
portant questions treated candidly and
freely on broad basis of fairness and
impartiality. They will not support
any paper that treats topics of pub
lie interest from any other point OF view.
Even politics must be so treated to make
a paper successful. There is not today |
a really great and successful journal in
the country that is not robustly inde-
pendent of the dictation of even its own |
party leaders. The political bosses are
few, and even the Office holders are not
many. The people are many, and it ls
their true interests newspaper must
keep before it's mind Look at the New
York Tribune, in its palmy days under
Greeley, who was very independent of
his party. who was, indeed, the real
leader and dictator of the party, and
look at what esteem it is held in today
under the narrow and subservient man
agement of an office-seeking and office
holding millionaire by marriage.