St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-22
THE CHICAGO PRESS.
Many Radical Changes During the
Past Year.

Special Correspondence to the Globe.
CHICAGO, March PA great many
changes have come over the newspaper
world of Chicago in the last year. A
successful editor and proprietor has
died; a new paper has started; new
force has entered the field and made
itself felt; and the price of the leading
papers has been reduced to 1 cent each.
That reduction in price is the most
astonishing development Of the year.
The Tribune led the way, and it was
followed quickly by the Inter Ocean
and the Times-Herald. Today there is
but one paper selling for as much as 2
cents copy, and that is the Evening
Post. It's competitors sell for a cent
each, but the Post, with it's 2-cent price,
prospers, and the keeper of the news
stand in one Of the big office buildings
told me recently that he sold twice as
many copies of the Post as he did Of
any other paper except the News. His
sales Of the News were IT'S; Of the Post
140 copies day.
The story of the reduction of the
price of the big morning papers is told
very quickly. Victor Lawson, the pub
Usher of The Record and The News,
morning and evening papers sold at
cent each, was making heavy inroads
on the circulation of some of the older
morning papers. The Tribune seemed
to feel the competition most, and one
day, without warning, it met the COM
petition by cutting the price Of the
paper to one cent. The other papers
followed, the Times-Herald protesting
vigorously. The Times-Herald has
never ceased to protest, and it's pub
Usher, Mr.. Kohlsaat, says he would be
very glad to join the other papers in a
return to higher prices. All the papers
now are losing money on circulation
and the advertiser is paying the profits.
Every extra paper printed now means
an additional loss, and when it was
proposed recently to print some extra
copies OF one Of the papers because of
a big news event, the proprietor said
no. When the regular edition was sold,
he said, people might buy some other
paper.
of course, If a publisher saw a possibility
OF increasing circulation to point where ad-
Verusing rates could be raised he would
seize 1t. But temporary increase is not de-
sirable when circulation represents loss.
The result OF the reduction was loss of
circulation to the Record at first. But that
loss has been repaired, and the other papers
cannot find any phenomenal increase. In
1act, 1t has been the experience of editors
elsewhere that reduction in cost brings unly
temporary increase of circulation-that no per-
manent gain results from it. 1t is quite pos
slble that the price will be restored by some
of the papers before the year is out.
In the matter of country circulation the
records of the postofice here show the Times
Herald now has the lead. Mr.. Kohlsaat who
graduated from bakery into journalism, has
developed surprising capacity as a newspaper
man. His chief editor, Maj M. P. Handy
tells me he never knew man more fertile in
suggestion than Mr.. Kohlsaat. If he develops
on the lines of his recent progress In journal
ism, he promises to give the newspaper world
one OF the most striking examples In history
Of independence. Mr.. Kohlsaat can afford to
be independent. Usually the journalist of high
lC 10 hor opAIH xyT -
counting room. Mr.. Kohlsaats paper is edit
ed and it's policy controlled entirely up
stairs" 1t has left the field of sensational
Ism and is building up a family circulation.
1t was probably the only paper in Chicago
which published the story of the recent prize
fight in an inconspicuous place on an inside
page. The Tribune, which once represented
dignity and conservatism in Chicago journal
ism, now caters to the taste for sensation
more than any other journal.
But sensational journalism is at a discount
in Chicago. The recent conviction Of Joseph R.
Dunlop, the publisher Of the Dispatch and
his sentence to the penitentiary on charge
OF sending obscene matter through the mails
will be a lesson to publishers for a long time
Fortunately for Chicago, Dunlop was the only
one of his class.
But to return to Mr.. Kohlsaat-for Mr..
Kohlsaat interests me- The proprietor of The
Times-Herald promises to become a factor in
national politics. He has been q warm adj
mirer of Maj Mckinley and he is pressing
McKinley's claims to the Republican nomina-
IAoh III INC OOiuLLS VI paper, not, he says,
for any influence he may possess in case Mai
Mckinley is elected, but because he believes
Maj. Mckinley to be the best man to be presi-
dent, and because he thinks the people want
him nominated and elected. He has told his
friends that he does not want anything from
the administration II Mckinley is elected
that he will not take anything and that he
will not sign recommendation for any man
who wants an appointment.
1t will be an object lesson to the news
paper profession If Mr.. Kohlsaat lives up to
his ideal In journalism and prospers
The transfer of the Times and Herald from
Democracy to Independent, hyphenated Re-
pubicanism left the Democratic party with
out an organ, and The Chronicle came into
being to fill this short felt want. H. W. Sew
and prosperous under the late James w
Scott, is the manager and he has succeeded
In giving the paper an excellent start. John
r. Walsh, who was the hacker of the Herald
is behind the Chronicle. and 1t is pretty sure
to prosper. Though the Tribune has lost
some of its prestige, it is still a leading fac
tor. and the Inter Ocean is still prosperous
and influential. There is plenty of room in
Chicago for 1--WE irst-class morning papers
One act of the Chicago publishers which fol-
lowed close on the reduction in the selling
price Of the papers has met with applause in
many quarters. 1t was the first step In the
direction of abolishing the chrome in journal
ism. The publishers signed an agreement to
give away no more colored pictures or like
supplements" AS these chromos cost as
much as cent apiece in some cases the
publishers are saving a great deal of money
But they are sinking that and more in the
cent price at which they sell their papers
George Grantham Balm.