The Portland daily press., 1891-02-06
MANAGERS OF NEWSPAPERS.
Something about their NatIonsl
Association soon to Meet.

NEW YORK, Feb. 5.-Whatever meas.
ure Of success may be attained by news
paper is generally credited by the public
to the able editor; if, on the contrary,
the paper fails or drags out miserable
existence, the failure is ascribed to bad
business management. Between the
able editor and the humble publisher it
has been for years a game of "heads /
win, tails you lose" SO far as reputation
has been concerned.
The man who sits up stairs and thinks
thoughts and scratches them down on a
pad with stub pencil takes all the
credit, while the publisher who sells the
paper and hustles around to pay salaries
is regarded as mere sordid money
grubber. Yet if the publisher fails to
sell the papers printed, or neglects to
secure sufficient advertising, or does not
make satisfactory arrangements with
the printers, or slips up in any of his
multifarious duties the thinker of
thoughts can cogitate until his gray
matter becomes mushy.
People are beginning to realize that
the genius which evolves learned edi-
torials on the Mckinley bill and con-
structs pyramidal head lines over q
news sensation must be supplemented
by an equally pronounced genius in
different line, if the public are to be in
duced to read the editorials and the
head lines, and the paper is to be a sue
cess. Those who are more intimately con-
nected with journalism have discovered
that while the peculiar quality of brains
which line the skull of successful edit.
or are not too plentiful, the combina-
ton which goes to make up the success
full publisher is very rare indeed.
In other words, the business end of
journalism is coming to the front as a
distinct profession, and its value is being
appreciated. The publisher must be
something more than an ordinary bust
ness man; he must be endowed with the
journalistic instinct and know the value
of dollar as well. He must keep a
close watch upon the public fancy, and
know how to sell the paper which the ed.
itor makes.
If the compositors and pressmen strike
at midnight it is the publishers business
to see that the paper comes out on time
Ii the editor gets into libel suit the
publisher must pay the lawyers and pos
sibly the damages, and in good many
cases the publisher must hire the editors.
He must be active in Turing the elusive
dollar from the pocket Of the advertiser,
and he must be as stiff as iron with the
advertising agent who wants to cut the
rates in half, and then take 80 per cent.
commission on the balance. He must
see to the credit of advertisers, and he
must be as careful that he has every ad-
vertisement which appears in the COL
umns of his hated rival as the news ed
itor up stairs is not to be beaten on a
piece of news. If any one thinks that
the publisher has sinecure he should
try it for week. 1t would materially
change his ideas.
Naturally the first thing for a profess
sion to do when it begins to feel its own
importance is to organize. Aggressive
organization is the keynote of the age
The American Newspaper Publishers
association is comparatively young in
stitution, but it is a very healthy infant
indeed. The A. N. P. A., as the asso-
citation is called by people who realize
that life is short and time is fieeting, was
born in Rochester, in February, 1887.
The mother was well defined necessity,
and the godfathers were J. Ambrose
Butler, of The Buffalo News, and w. Fl.
Brearley, of The Detroit journal.
1t did not take long for the astute pub
fishers of the country to see the value of
such an association, and today it has a
membership of nearly one hundred and
fifty newspapers, representing over two
thirds of the newspaper circulation Of
the United States. In other words, al
most without exception, all the biggest
papers are in it. The president, Mr..
James w. Scott, of The Chicago Herald
and Chicago Evening Post, is now serv-
ing his second term. He is one of the
shrewdest and most popular publishers
in the country and wonderfully capa-
bic executive officer. He is president of
the United Press, the great Geographic
news organization; was three years presi-
dent of the Chicago Press club, and
has been twice elected unanimously to
the presidency of the A. N. P. A. It
comes as natural to address him as Mr..
President as it is to call Kentucky
man colonel.
Mr.. s. II. Kaufman, of The Wash
ington Star, is vice president, and is All
active, energetic worker. Mr.. w. M.
Laffan, publisher of The New York Sun,
takes care of the finances, and Mr.. R. H.
Campo, of The Pittsburg Chronicle Tele-
graph, is secretary. The executive COM
mittee is made up of equally representa-
tive men-W. G. Bryant, of The Brook
Ign Times; Col. L. L. Morgan, of The
New Haven Register and Boston Post;
Col. E. H. Woods, of The Boston Her
aid; Mr.. G. w. Knapp, of The st. Louis
Republic, and Mr.. Lewis Baker, of The
st. Paul Globe, administer the affairs of
the association judiciously and conserv-
atively.
The New York Office, from which
weekly bulletins and all sorts of conf
dental information is sent out to mem
Ders, Is under the management of Mr..
George M. Brennan, young man of
experience and shrewdness, whose spe-
cial training in the advertising business
and wide acquaintance among adyer-
tisers peculiarly fit him for the work.
The convention which is to be held
this year at the Hoffman House, on Feb
II and ~, will call together a meeting
of newspaper men such as is rarely seen
under one roof. Publishers from ST.
Paul and New Orleans, Boston and San
Francisco, Oregon and Florida will be
there. 1t would take too much space
and would hardly be of interest to the
layman to detail the objects and work Of
the A. N. p. A.
It is not out of the way to state, how
ever, that this association has done more
in its short existence toward harmonic
ing, systematizing and elevating the
business department Of the newspaper
press than any other agency.
The matrimonial state can hardly b,
SAD to have been extravagantly Landed
either explicitly or by inference. by tn,