Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-08-15

World or gives evidence of such palms.
taking effort for cleanliness of express
sion, terseness and thought Editorial
writer's there are on the Chicago press
who bring to their art the attachments
essential to its highest development,
but as rule the Importance of the
editorial page has been underestimate
by newspaper proprietors, and Its
writer's are denied that leisure through
which alone the best literary results
may be attained.
Something Of the monotony in the
Chicago papers is due to their too great
reliance upon cooperative news-gath-
ering agency called the City Press AS
ISOLATION. By utilizing the reports of
this concern money is saved in the city
room, but Mt the expense of individual
ity. 1t Is not unusual to find the reports
Of a news event given in precisely the
same verbiage In every Chicago news
paper; and IL the reporter for the press
association has been careless his blum
ders will be repeated in every morning
daily. The City Press Association is
but one manifestation of the spirit of
cooperation among Chicago publishers,
for which the late James w. Scott, more
than any other man, was responsible.
There is financial profit I'M this co-opera-
ton, but one cannot but feel that the
fullest development Of the newspapers
has been checked by the limitation
which 1t has put upon free competition.
The Publishers Association, made up
Of the chief dailies, makes regulations
for the guidance Of its members. 1t
prescribes what class of news shall not
be printed-for example, putting the
court record under the ban. 1t limits
the inducements in the way of signs,
bulletins, ETC., which its members may
offer to newsdealers. There is co-opera-
ton, too, among the morning dailies
In their delivery system. A general
combination which would include all
five morning dailies was planned but
failed and now two cooperative groups
are formed. In the special trains for
out-of-town delivery all the papers join
The afternoon papers, however, are
compelled to maintain their individual
delivery system. ~, r'
Three Of the morning newspapers are
sold at 2 cents copy, the Tribune,
Inter Ocean and Times Herald. Two
the Record and Chronicle-are 1-cent
papers. All Sunday editions-the Rec
ord publishes none-are sold for cents.
A very heavy additional charge is i'm
posed upon the Sunday papers by the
use Of colored supplements, which in
tn case of the Tribune probably cost
over $1,000 a week. There is some
probability Of all the papers dropping
their price TO cent, as the tremendous
gain in the circulation of the Record has
alarmed rival publishers and trans
ferred to the columns of that paper
most of the week day advertising. OF
the afternoon newspapers the Evening
Journal and the Post are sold for
cents.
The circulation Of newspapers is a
perilous theme. Only two Of the Chi
cago newspapers-the Record and Daily
News-publish sworn statements of
their circulation. Two other dailies
keep standing at the head Of their edito-
rial columns the boast, Largest morn
ing circulation In Chicago" The claim
is obviously unfounded In the case OF
one Of them. A shrewd and practical
observer would probably rank the pa.
pers In order Of circulation thus: Daily
News, Record, Tribune, Times Herald
Inter Ocean, Post, Dispatch, Journal
Mail. The Chronicle is too new a conner
| to be fairly judged. In point Of pros.
perity the Tribune and Daily News
rank first with net profits probably
| about the same. Mr.. Medill recently
refused 100000 for his paper, say.
ing 1t was earning 10 per cent. upon
that sum. The gross receipts Of the
Tribune are of course vastly greater
than those Of the News, which is run
| inexpensively even for an afternoon
paper. The Times Herald prior to Mr.
Kohlsaat's purchase was earning mon
ey at the rate OF $15O,000 a year. What
IL any, effect its amazing political for
and the establishment of a Democratic
rival will have upon its fortunes 1t Il
too early to say. or all the morning
dailies the Inter Ocean Is the only one
to maintain weekly edition Of any
prominence, and as for Its subscribers
IL is q common saying In Chicago tha
the Weekly Inter Ocean might as wei
have its mailing lists stereotyped, as thu
only thing which leads a subscriber Il
discontinue his subscription Is death.
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