The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-25

paper. And 1t was IN connection with
this statement that he spoke of the fact
that his own paper was read by people
belonging to both parties. ''What The
Republic had to gain by reducing the
price / don't understand. I had been
fighting reduction in this Office for
long time, but when I heard The Re-
public was going to reduce its price I
made arrangements to come out with a
like announcement at the same time. I
wrote a brief double loaded editorial
and gave it to the foreman of the COM
posing room Wednesday night. Then
made arrangements to have man get
an early copy of The Republic every
morning. I told the foreman I thought
the announcement would probably be
made Sunday, to take effect Monday.
And so it happened. 1 went home at my
customary hour Saturday night, and
when looked through the paper Sun
day morning I saw the announcement
that the price would be reduced tho
next day"
just Little Fun.
Then Mr.. McCullagh came down town
and wrote an editorial for Monday 5 pa
per accusing The Republic of following
the lead of The Globe Democrat in re-
ducing its price. He did not do this for
the purpose of deceiving any one, but
simply to have little fun with the enc
my-to see him fume and fret and pro-
test. Mr.. McCullagh is apparently never
so happy as when he is provoking and
aggravating the editor Of The Republic.
Mr.. McCullagh told me he had fig
ured the cost of the white paper in the
Saturday edition of The Globe Demo-
GRAFT, which has an eight page supple
ment, and it was greater than tho
wholesale price of the newspaper. The
paper cost 90 cents for 100 copies, and
the wholesale price of The Globe-Dem-
ocrat is one-ha1f cent a copy, or so cents
per hundred. The other weekday issues
are not SO large, but the half cent for
which they sell hardly pays the cost of
the paper on which they are printed.
The Globe Democrat, Mr.. McCu1lagh
says, has increased its circulation so
per cent by the reduction in price, but
the increase adds to the deficiency in
stead of 1essening it. The presswork and
the postage increase with increase in
circulation, and when the price paid
for each copy hardly equals the cost of
the paper it cannot be as great as the
entire cost of getting out the journal,
including press work, postage, telegraph
bill, salary list, etc. It is clear, then,
that only an increase in the amount Of
advertising will make The Globe-Der-
ocrat whole on its recent venture. And
Mr.. McCullagh says there is mistaken
idea commonly accepted about the re-
lation Of advertising to circulation.
Before 1 came to st. LOUIS he
said to me, 81 edited The Republican in
Chicago for time. The Chicago Times
was at that time by far the biggest
newspaper in the west. But it used to
come out day after day with very
small amount of advertising, much less
than The Tribune, though it had four
times The Tribune's circulation. Storey
did not care very much, because he had
other ways of getting money. But I was
surprised that The Times had so small
a share of advertising, and, meeting the
advertising manager Of Field, Letter g
Co. one day, spoke to him about it.
He told me his firm advertised in The
Tribune simply because The Tribune
reached the people whose custom they
wanted. :"
Chicago Newspapers.
/ asked Mr. McCullagh if he thought
there was any likelihood that the Chi
cago papers would go back to 2 cents or
more, and he said it was possible, but
no one could tell, because Mr.. Mediu
was a very positive man and very likely
to stick to the course he had marked
out.
Mr.. McCullagh expressed great in
terest in Mr.. Kohlsaat's Chicago ven
ture, but said he thought The Times
Herald was shooting a little over the
heads of its readers on its editorial page.
That class of literature, he thinks, may
find a reading public in New York, but
not in Chicago, or, in fact, in any west
ern city. He commented on the fact
that the loss to The Times-Herald and
Tribune in Chicago from the reduction
in price must be greater than that of
The Globe Democrat,y because the Chi
cago journals were printed on paper of
better quality. The Times Herald, in
fact, made it's reputation and secured
its circulation originally because of the
fine paper on which it was printed.
ST wonder if the Cincinnati Enquirer
has changed its price yet?" said Mr.. Nc
Cullagh, wheeling around in his chair
and picking up pile of newspapers.
NO. he added as he found the Gin
cinnati paper; 1T is still 5 cents. -
Then he spoke of the changes in Gin
cinnati journalism and the passing of
Murat Halstead from that field of labor,
where his fame was made. Mr.. McCul-
1agh was in Mr.. Halstead's Office when
he was young man.
"When 1 knew him first he said,
she would have laughed at any man
who suggested that he ought to go to
public meetings and make speeches. He
was content then to be an editor. But
after a time he got an idea that he ought
to figure more conspicuously in public
affairs. That was his greatest mistake.
but not the only one. I once said of him
in The Globe Demncrat that he had