Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-08

Mn OF their papers and say
that they contain ell the
news Of tomorrow. In the morning they will
cry the same papers as just from the press and
pretend that they contain all the news Of the
day. Mexican daily newspapers are always
printed the afternoon before the date OF publ
cation. The editors and reporters are too lazy
20 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 thres-colCmn editorial often
crowds out q 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
tventy-nine dsilies in Mexico City. The most
Of these are subsidized by the government.
All have small circulations. and the biggest
Journal Of the whole Mexican republic runs out
only about 5000 copies daily. This ia Ell Mons-
tor Repubiicdno. which is the great independent
daily Of MEXICO City. which contains about
800. 900 people and which is bigger than Gin
cinnssi. The Monitor Repubhcdno paws $40 900
syear and it is the best newspaper property in
Mexico. IL gets no subsidy from the govern
ment and il Is supported by the conservative
party Ii is one OF the most independent of
journals IN its advertising methods. 1t will
not take an advertisement for any fixed time,
bat only for as long as it is convenient to pub
hsh II. and 1t will not make any reduction IN
price for a number Of insertions. II has four
pages and sells for 8 cents a copy.
NEWSPAPER ROW IN PRISON.
The editor of the Repllblicdno is now and
then too decided in his criticisms of the govern
ment, anG like all other editors in Mexico he
suddenly finds himself arrested and given
fewmonths or a year or so imprisonment in the
penitentisry. There is practically no freedom
of the press in Mexico. The editor of a news
paper who is obliged to sign his name to his
matter never feels certain to whether he will
not be taken to Belem, which is the name of the
Mexican penitentiary. There is in fact a cor
riCfor in this prison which IL devoted to news
paper editors and which goes by the name of
Newspaper Row. The most of the articles in a
Ae1ican newspaper are signed, and the paper
has to print In every issue the name of a man
Who is responsible for those which are not
signed and in case of trouble to the unsigned
articles this man goes to prison In some of
the newspaper Offices here the attaches assume
this responsibility turn about. The FL TEMPO
or the Times is the organ Of the church party
and 1t often denounces the government Its
editors ere frequently imprisoned, but il
makes about $40, 900 year and it considers
itself doing well.
SUBSIDIZED JOURNAL
The leading government paper is FL Unirer-
sal This is subsidized by the government
and il gats $1,000 q month from President
Diaz- The editor has also been made a senator
and he gets . senator's salary. The Universal
has about fifteen editors to every one reporter
and this 10 the proportion 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 news
paper IL devoted to long-winded critidues and
commentaries on current events or ancient
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 T,ro Republics
which was established about TWENTY-FIVE wears
ago. and which makes about SIC. 900 year Its
editor Is Mr.. Masteua Clark aud its business
manager Is Mr.. Sidney Guy Sea- one of the
brightest newspaper managers Of the United
States, who was forced to go to Mexico for his
health Mr. Sea was getting $4,000 a wear
from the Chicago Herald when he had hem
orrhage Of the lungs, and the doctors sent him
70 Mexico to die. He rapidly recovered under
the pure air Of the Mexican plateau. and he is
making The Tlro Republics q very valuable
property. Tine other English paper is known
- The AnGto american IL has been only
htsly established, but 1t is fast increasing in
circulation and influence.
POORLY PAID WORK
All kinds OF newspaper work in Mexico ara
poorly paid Editors get from s1o to S25
week IN Mexican money, which is only from
SI.O 70 sls week In American money. The
essay editors get the highest salaries. As 10
Geographic news, the papers 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
Is much assurance as though il had inst han,
Pened- lime, IN fact, is of no importance in
any AFFAIR of Mexican life and neither the peonls
nor the editors seem TO care as to whether The
matter Ii new or old. / found neyspapers in
every one Of the big cities of Mexico i visited
and there Is no perfecting press in all Nexico
The presses in use are Of the old French style
made after patterns which have long since bean
aooilshec- The amount paid for teIegraphic
service IN Mexico City ranges from "a to SOS
per week per newspaper and only the leading
Newspapers pay anything for kilograms In
contrast 10 this some American neyspapersnav
eo.o0O per week for their kilograms As To
newspaper correspondents, these are paid bv
getting a copy of the paper Free and the papers
throughout are run on the economical ground.
Ihs printers get from 2S to IS cents per thou
sand ems. and q good foreman receives a salary
OF ~ a week. Such printers as are on salaries
GET from &C to Sl2 week, and all of these
sums are In Mexican money, which il worth
only IS cents 10 the dollar.
GOOD CHANCE FOR PAPER rAcroR1Es
There seems to be good chance in Mexico
Tor the establishment of paper factories. All
Kinds OF stationery Is very expensive and ordi-
mary pruning paper Is made and sold here at
from - 10 10 Cents pound. The same oualitv
OF paper u sold in the United States at from 2
10 cents pound. but the duties are so Great
and the freights 50 heavy that little il 70 he
saved BY importing 1t costs at least ~ cent
aPound to bring paper from the United States
70 Mexico City, and this sum must be paid FOR
consular fees at the port of Shipment custom
house fees OF many kinds and there ia a dutv
of cents pound in addition to the frsigb,.
and ines The Mexican government makes
almost A. much OF of its fines as from ira
duties The least error in a Consular invoiee
or merchants statement brings forth A heavy
ans, and this Is the case even where the mis-
take u IN favor of the government and a1ains,
the importer. II, for instance you shonIJ inn.
port thiriy-tive pounds of paper, and in your
invoice the amount should be put down \ a
forty pounds. making you pag a tax on more
than you have, the custom house officials
would tine you, and when IL is remembered
that this system extends to every class of ship
ments 10 IL no wonder that Mexico gets s35
Vo,OO0 year out Of its custom houses. Ii il
Rom the heavy duties and from these numer-
Gus nnes that the great profit on home manu-
lectures arises in Mexico Everything here ia
protected 70 such extent as TO almost pro-
hioit competition, and there is no better held
IN the world for manufacturing enterprises
such - have been established are making
money, and there 10 plenty of room for more.
In another letter i viii discuss this Question
more st length and will show how a number OF
smart Americans are already in the field and
are making fortunes
FINANCIAL succrsa
One Of the brightest Americans in the conn
h0 -.