The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-28
FRENCH NEWSPAPERS.
The Unenvlable Light in Which
They Have Been Placed in
CONNECTION WITH The SCANDAL.
Tie Paytslan Press Compared With
Tho Amsrlcan-The Blame for its
Interchangeable Partisan Mind
Responslble--In Quantity Out Of
Proportion to Their Quality.
Special Correspondence Of Inc hialigotcF.

IAi!sl req. among lle many III
situations more or less ,discredited by
the great Panama scandal there is not
ono which appears in worse light than
the French press This medium OF
popular enlightment the gnide aud
guard Of the peplo, as it ought to be, is
shown to have been subsidized in the
interests of mammoth fraud by which
money has been sucked in millions ont
OF the pockets Of rich and poor alike.
Not only this, but it ia convicted moral
Iy OF leyying8blackmail upon the pro-
moters OF this fraud. 1t did more than
receive that which was offered to 1t, 1t
WAS not passively bribed to puff this
enterprise; it was an aggressive claim
mt for brides, 1t seems really to have
been leader in that band nj social
brigands who, as Charles de Lesseps so
graphically put it, went at the directors
with drawn knives, and in true high
way style demanded their money or
their lives. Happily this does not Rp-
ply to all the Partisan newspapers.
There were honorable exceptions, Not
enough, however, to redeem the craft
from disgrace, or to turn the sharp edge
OF censure from the French press con-
sidered as an institution.
10 American thought these revela-
tions are all the more astounding, be-
cause, as it appears at present, no
steps are to be taken to punish them,
The papers involved pursue their ca
reer as though nothing had happened.
Editors and publishers, so far from
feeling themselves disgraced, seem
rather to be taking pride in the excel
lent management they have displayed.
We have not discovered either that
there is any marked indignation
towards them on the part OF their de-
luded constituency, the great French
public. Popular sentiment may change
after time, but at present 1t seems to
look upon this latest expose OF the ven
atty OF the press with remarkable lem
iency; almost, in fact, with indiifer.
ence. Norris it difficult to account for
this. Judged by its own recognized
standards the French press has only
acted in this instance as it usually acts,
and has done nothing but what it is
strictly proper. Its columns are al
ways for sale. Between advertisements
and editorial puts the line OF demarca-
ton is very dim, and in many papers it
vanishes completely out OF sight.
1t could hardly be said, perhaps, that
it is customary for French newspapers
to sell their influence to schemes OF
fraud. But they constantly sell it for
ordinary business purposes, and many
Of them are bought up regularly by
agents OF the government. This is no
secret, and we have not heard that
either the government the newspapers,
or anybody else concerned, has any
feeling of shame on the subject. As re.
CARDS the papers, they openly advertise
that they will publish what is sent to
them, and the rates are given. The
tariff in ordinary cases is from three
dollars TO eight dollars line, and it is
understood, OF course, that what is put
in at these rates will appear as ordinary
reading matter, with the tacit indorse-
ment OF the journal which publishes it.
Even society and the great world Of art
are subsidized in this fashion. You
may be quite sure that every notice you
read Of a wedding party, society ball,
or theatrical performance, has been
paid for at steep rate, and as to tho
many disguised mercantile "ads" which
the papers palm off upon the reading
public, everybody understands least
every we'll informed person in France
does-that as q rule they will be indif-
ferent, ELUSIVE or superlative in their
terms accordingly as the client may
have Appropriated to these degrees in
the necessary cheque furnished for pre-
payment.
Here Is good introduction, though
not very tattering one, to few notes
upon the French press in general. By
this we mean emphatically the Partisan
press, for whether Paris is France in
any other sense or not, 1t certainly is
in this. Outside of the city there are
scarcely any papers worth naming, and
what is more to the point, We should
find none in Paris itself worth naming
II We Judged them by American ideals.
The ordinary size is four pages, the
paper used being wretchedly poor, and
the appearance and makeup hardly
equal to that OF our average Shantytown
Gazette. Partisan newspapers have been
divided into two classes, the grave and
the gay, with lamps as the representa-
tive OF tho former aud Figaro as the
best type OF the latter. Needless to say
that in the gay capital OF France news.
papers of "a decidedly frivolous bent are
largely in the ascendant, and it may be
taken equally rs matter OF course that
tho sort OF gaiety which is most pre-
dominant has decidedly personal
flavor, with little admixture OF scan.
dal in il.
As TO the serious journals, those
which make pretence OF being real
newspapers and Of keeping their read
ers in touch with current events, one
can only say, judging again from tho
American standpoint, that the Paris
newspapers which aim at this object
fall woefully wide OF the mark. Enter
prise and freshness are two words Of
: which they seem quite ignorant. For
foreign and provincial items they do.
pend almost entirely upon news agen.
ccs. In TACT only few arc subscribers
even to these the great mass get what
little outside news they deigu to pub
llsh by clippings which are often vener-
able With ago. Not one Of them has
correspondent in the United States, and
when the render only thinks that repre-
sentati7es Of the American press arc to
DO found in every country under tho
sun, and that the columns Of American
papers teen with European correspond.
ence, much OF 1t from France, no will
have before him the data for fair com.
parison between American newspaper
enterprise and that poor apology for
the rOal thing which goes by this name
in tho largest city OF tho European con-
tinont.