The Anaconda standard., 1895-11-24

In poor health. and anxious to close I'D
what other business I was engaged in
But asked him what would happen IL
/ said no. TN put up the shutters
replied Stone. We owe the printers a
weeks bills and are running into the
second week: that's far enough to go.'
In this emergency" said Mr.. Law
SON refectively. looking round at the
big. plain, but rich room. 'T bought,
with the understanding that Mr.. Stone
was to remain as editor. and q tough
struggle we had OF 1t for a time.
The News was the first penny paper
TO make a success In the West. and
there were tremendous prejudices to be
overcome. People were ashamed to be
seen reading a one cent daily IN the
horse cars. 1t looked cheap; nothing
short of nickel Journalism was respect
able. And there were no pennies. Our
little five-column sheet couldn't get it
self bought. because there was no way
of making change. We had to provide
cents as well as the one-cent paper.
More than once / sent to the mint at
Philadelphia for 100000 pennies. We
paid our help with them. We hatched
all sorts of schemes to get them in
circulation. We had to naturalize cop
pers before the News stood any show
of living in Chicago as a citizen.
But we got the cents and Chicago
got the News. 1t wasn't very long be-
fore II was plain enough that the paper
was going to succeed Mr.. Stone
bought in again on the basis of what
1 had actually put into the paper, but
IN 1888. he sold out finally. His share
cost me then s35O.O00." This was said
as quietly as IL one were to remark
that 1t Is one block from State street
TO Wabash avenue: but 1t meant sue
cess, spelled all the way through with
capitals. From the beginning of his
connection with the News. Mr.. Law
son was the business manager, and
since Mr.. Stone went out he has been
sole owner. sole director. chief in ev-
cry department. The whole West has
felt the influence of his indomitable
push and energy. so simply is his d.
rective spirit exercised that there is a
legend. not better vouched for than
legends are apt to be. that once a jani-
tor put him out Of the News building
as a stranger. the face of the CHIEF
being wholly unfamiliar to him.
The record Is the Morning News,
started five years after the afternoon
paper. but now going under a more in
dependent name. Its success has been
almost as phenomenal. In 1887 the av-
erage daily circulation of the morning
and afternoon editions was $1,000. In
1890 1t had jumped to 213.S70. At pres
eut, as already SET DOWN. rne morning
Record and Daily News circulate 35o.-
900 copies. This is like Chicago, wnero
gigantic enterprises spring up full
grown in an hour: 1t is also like that
keen-eyed. shrewd business giant, Vic
tor F. Lawson.
Mr.. Lawson believes in newspapers
and he believes in Chicago. II used to
have other interests" he said. 'I was
devoted to music. but the Record and
the News have absorbed me- As to
the city. If l live out my days 1 shall
see 1t the grandest on the continent.
OF course, we have outgrown our jack
cts and breeches now. We have built
miles upon miles of streets, too fast
to keep them cleaned or paved. But
that Is incidental to our unprecedented
growth. Everything is coming our
wav."
HAS Chicago gotten over the fair?''
There never was anything to get
over. A good many lines of business
were better the year before the fair
than while II was in operation. The
only drop since the exposition not di-
rectly attributable to hard times has
been in the rents of medium priced
tenements. Out around the fair
grounds the enormous number of