The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-24
THE FRENCH PAPERS
Whitelaw Reid Discusses Their
Merits.
AMERICA AS AGAINST FRANCE
The Cheapest Thing in the World To-day Is
the Daily Newspaper-The Use
or Signatures.

correspondence of The SUNDAY HERALD. l.
No man in the United States is better
posted on newspaper matters than the Hon.
Whitelaw Reid, who has just returned from
his mission to France and who will now
leave diplomatic life to resume the editor
ship of the New York Tribune. 1t is now
thirty-six years since Mr.. Reid began his
newspaper career as the editor of the Xenia
Ne'Cs, and it is thirty two years since he
began TO be famous as the war correspond
ent of the Cincinnati Gazette. From that
time to this he has been in the thick of
journalistic life, and until he accepted the
post Of minister to France from President
Harrison he had refused all sorts of official
offers in the past. President Hayes wanted
TO make him minister to Germany, and
Garfield offered to appoint him to the same
place. He preferred, however, to WELD
the power and influence Of the New York
Tribune, and he thinks there is no position
so great as that of the editorship of big
newspaper. l met Mr.. Reid just after his
return from France and had an interest
ing chat with him in his room at the
Normandy hotel about the newspapers and
newspaper men Of France. He is pleas
ant talker, and in the half hours converse
zion which 1 had with him he gave me some
interesting facts about the great journals
Of Paris.
"There is,' said he, considerable differ
ence between. our newspapers and those Of
Paris. The French newspapers pay more
attention to form, while we pay more at
tention to news. The news is everything
IN the American newspaper, and the style
is secondary consideration. We devote
n
would not get lines in a French journal.
Take for instance, the matter Of some
minor Improvement in city where the
paper is published. Such thing might be
WORTH COLUMN
in America, while 1t might not receive five
lines in Paris. The French do not care so
much for foreign news as we do, and they
are think more interested in literature,
art and the drama than we are. These
things form a part Of their daily journals,
and the articles about them are SO well
written that 1t is an intellectual pleas
ure TO read them. The leading articles are
furnished by some of the most noted writ
ers of Paris, and the newspaper proprie-
tors and contributors are men of wide in
1iuence. A great many Of the leading men
Of France either have been or are now con-
nected with the newspapers. Some OF the
most famous statesmen Of the country
the standing of the better class of writers
is very high.'
"Give me the names of some of the more
noted of the French journalists, and tell
me something about them" said l. MIR.
Reid replied
THAT asks too much Tor hasty CONVEX
sation like this.n 1.-The president of the
syndicate of the Paris press, however, is
Monsieur Hebrard, who Is the editor Of LIE
Temps, the great evening paper, and per
haps what the French themselves would
call the leading serious journal of Paris.
He is also & noted and able senator and his
paper, while not strictly speaking an
ORGAN OF THE GOVERNMENT,
las the closest relation to ii, is apt to have
semi-official news; and on account of its
information, trustworthiness and ability is
one of the papers you must read"
"Then all the world reads the Figaro, y
continued Mr.. Reid. ats editor, Monsieur
Francis Maynard, is a man of extraordi-
nary good sense, and he has the faculty in
sudden emergencies of saying to-day just
what everybody will be thinking to-mor-
Q row. He rarely writes an article over half
g column long, but there is no editorial
writer in France who is more regularly or
more eagerly read. His paper is great
financial success, and numbers among its
contributors many of the most brilliant
men of letters in France. The Petit Journal
is the most widely circulated paper, not
merely in France, but in the world. 1t has
bona fde daily circulation of over LOCO, 600
copies. 1t is most respectable and trust
worthy, is altogether a very satisfactory
paper to read. Its influence is always on
the side of law, order and good morals, and
it is never likely to be very partisan"
"How about French statesmen and the
Eewspapers!'
MANY of them are or have been con-
nected with the newspapers" was the
reply. AS | have already mentioned, Mr.
Hebrard is q Senator. One Of his daily
contributors is one Of the very most distin-
guished Frenchmen now living, Monsieur
Jules Simon, former cabinet minister,
and now q senator. Monsieur Jules Simon
writes charming little article almost
every day under the general heading Non
Petit Journal, and that is one of the things
that can never be skipped. No matter how
pressing the work in the senate, or how
keen his interest in his own special bills, ht
almost always finds time to furnish this
article. Sometimes it touches keen politl
cal disputes; at other times ii is an esti
mate of some famous author, or remin-
iscence of the politics of a more stormy
period, but 1t is always exqnisitely worded
In fact the style is perfect. Monsieur
Simon is a member OF the Academy. i
was considered great piece of good for
tune when the government persuaded hin
TO head the commission sent by France Il
the labor conference called by the German
Emperor in Berlin, where he was recog
nized as easily the Leading man of thu
whole conference, and where he made
profound impression upon the Emperor
Another Senator and member of the acad
envy also, John Lemoinne, has also beef
one of the most famous leader writers o
France principally on the Journal deS De
bats. His health has not been good 0
late years, and he is not now writing S
much.
s'The first minister of foreign affair
with whom l was brought in contact wa
MIR. Spuller He had been for years tn
bosom friend of Gambetta, and the editor
in-chief of GambettsSs paper, the Repub
liQue FrdncdiSe. He is now in the chambe
of Deputies and was until recently one o
its vice presidents. He retired from tn
cabinet
AT TIE DOWNFALL
of Tirard's ministry.
sThe present editor and proprietor o
the RepubliQNc Franchise is Monsieur Josep
Reinach, also a deputy and very abb
member Of the moderate republican group
who constitute the strongest element Q
the governments support. He is an e1
celent writer, and an admirable speaker.
There is nobody in the chamber @
deputies whom people are more eager t
hear than Monsieur Paul de Cassagnat
He is the owner and editor of the gres
imperialist organ LAutorite, and he write
In it constantly. On the other hand tn
great leader of the Radicals in the chambe
OF deputies is Monsieur George Clemen
ceau He is the political director of L
Justice which he also owns. Dozens c
others might be mentioned. Newspape
men in Paris take naturally to public life q
q duck does to water"
ssHow about business matters in th