The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-09
MEXICAN JOURNALS
Editorials and Essays Rather
than News.
HOW THE PRESS Is SUBSIDIZED
The Profits Of Newspaper Work and How
the Editors Grow Fat on Seven
Dollars Week.

MEXICO CITY, July Is Special CORES
pondence OF The SUNDAY HERALD. l.
'Here's your daily paper of tomorrow"
This ia the cry hear at o'clock every
afternoon in the streets of Mexico City
Dozens of newsboys are crying 1t, 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 to-mor-
row. 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
Gate of publication. The editors and re-
porters 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
prosey 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. Never
theless there are Twenty-Five dallies
in Mexico City. The most OF
these are subsidized by the government.
All have small REGULATION and the biggest
journal of the whole Mexican republic
runs out only about 5000 copies daily
This is Ell Monitor Republican,, which is
the great independent daily Of Mexico City,
which contains about three hundred thou
oh &c ~ how in
cinnati. / don't know the circulation of
the Cincinnati Enquirer, but it must be st
least fifteen times as great as this, and 1t
prints more kilograms in one day than the
Monitor Republican, does in year Still
the Monitor Republican, pays $40, 600 year
and IL is the best newspaper property IN
Mexico. 1t gets no subsidy from the gov
eminent and it is supported by the Conser-
vative party. 1t is one OF the most indie
pendent of journals it its advertising
methods. 1t will not take an advertise
ment for any fixed time, but only for so
long as it is convenient TO publish 1t, and 1t
will not make any reduction in price for
number of insertions. 1t has four pages
and sells for 9 cents copy.
THE PRESS GAGGED.
The editor of the Republican, 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 a few months or year or SOS
Imprisonment in the penltentiary. There
IS practically no freedom of speech in Mex
fco. The editor of a newspaper, who is
obliged to sign his name TO his copy, never
feels certain as to whether he will not be
taken to Belem, which is the name of the
Mexican penitentiary. There is in fact
corridor in this prison which is devoted to
newspaper editors. and which goes by the
name of Newspaper Row. The most OF the
articles in 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 news
paper Offices here the attaches assume
this responsibility turn about. The EL
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 e
year, and it considers Itself doing well.
TOP HEAVY AND Dull.
The leading government paper is Ell Unit
rerSdl. This Is subsidized by the govern
ment and it gets $1,000 month from Pres
i6ent Diaz. The editor has also been made
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 to long winded critiques and com
mentaries 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 TtcO Republics, which was established
fira orld rryhI ah
makes $4,000 q year. 1t editor is Mr..
Mas tella Clark and its business manager
is Mr.. Sidney Guy Sea, who was forced to
go to Mexico for his health. Mr.. Sea was
getting $4,000 year from the Chicago
Herald when he had hemmorhage of the
lungs and the doctors sent him to Mexico
10 die He rapidly recovered under the
making the TiCo Republics very valuable
property. The other English paper is
known as the Anglo american. 1t has been
only lately established, but it is fast in
creasing in circulation and influence.
TELEGRAPH SERVICE AT DISCOUNT.
All kinds of newspaper work in Mexico
are poorly paid. Editors get from $40 to SIS
q week in Mexican money which Is only
from $3.50 to SIS a week in American
money. The essay editors get the highest
salaries. As to telegraphic news the papers
seem to think nothing of quoting from their
contemporaries kilograms which have been
used day or two before and 6n event
three months old will be put IN with as
much assurance as though it had Just hap
pened. Time, in fact, is of no Importance
in any affair of Mexican life and neither
the people nor the editors seem 10 care as
to whether the matter Ii new or old l
found newspapers in every one OF the big
cities of Mexico l visited and there is no
perfecting press in all Mexico. The presses
in use are of the old French style made
after patterns which have long since been
abolished. The amount paid for telegraphic
service in Mexico city ranges from 81 to
$25 per week for newspapers, and only the
leading newspapers pay anything for
respondents, these are paid by getting q
copy of the paper free aud the papers
throughout are run on the economical
ground The printers get from 2Sc. to Csc.
per LOCO ems and a good foreman receives
9 salary of $40 a week. Such printers as
are on salaries get from So 10 $l2 week
and all OF these sums are in Mexican money
which is worth only 75c. on the dollar.
CHANCE FOR PAPER FACTORIES.
There seems to be good chance in Mex
leo for the establishment of paper factor
les. All kinds of stationery is very expen-
sve, and ordinary printing paper Is made
snd sold here at from L to 16 cents a
pound. The same quality of paper is sold
in the United States at from to cents a
pound, but the duties are so great and the
freights so heavy that little is to be saved
by importing it. II costs at least II cents
q pound to bring paper from the United
States to Mexico City. and this sum must
be paid for consular fees at the port of
shipment, custom house fees of many kinds
and there is a duty of cents pound in ad-
dition to the freights and fines. The Next