Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-01-11
TERRITORIAL JOURNALISM.
Impressions of a VisitOr-LOcal Char.
acteristics Peculiar to Southwest
ern NewspaperdOm.

Mrs. Martha B. johnson, graciously re-
membered as the talented press CORE.
spondent who spent last summer at the
Palace hotel, has been telling the Women's
Press club at Des Moines, Iowa, some-
thing about newspapers in the territories.
Mrs. Johnson's subject, says the Daily
Capital, was "Journals and Journalists in
the Southwest" of which she said she was
grateful to have an opportunity to tell
the club, as she had the southwest much
at heart in every way and had found the
newspapers there as we'll as the news
paper people of the greatest interest.
Mrs. johnson spoke of the isolation and
remoteness of New Mexico and Arizona,
and of the very limited proportion of
people to the size of the territories, and
the large number of Spanish speaking
and Spanish reading people who care but
little for English newspapers. The ter
ritories comprise field from which it is
as difficult to extract news as it is to es-
tablish large circulation, but the loyal
american, however few he may be, is in
variably an intelligent newspaper reader
anu q QofolEu anu ISSuidl buPPoluCL vi
the territorial journals. Although many
of the big dallies from the far away cities
find their way into these places they are
very stale by the time they get there, and
neither their bulk nor cheapness can
weigh in popularity against the fresh,
spirited, clear, clever and thoroughly
readable little sheets printed at home,
and voicing the interests of the people
on questions of mining, irrigation, drain
age, land claims, free silver and statehood.
Mrs. Johnson characterized the territorial
papers as somewhat local, limited and in
tense in character, but followed this by
saying sin country where county is
300 miles long, and where the land hold
ings of single family may embrace
from half of county to two or three
whole ones, and where one may travel by
horse or stage all day over very old
public roadway without seeing trace
of human life or habitation, local does
not mean just what it does. to US, nor
does "a limited interest imply a boorish
inhospitality to new or strange ideas, but
rather an admirable determination not to
bother with or affect to care for the many
things in the great world which do not
concern life or welfare in the territories.
The territorial papers are neat, models
of condensation, never bulky, very little
plate matter used, special correspondence
in abundance, little social news, such be
ing very generally rated as ''gossip;" no
column more reliable than the "per-
sonals," condition very likely to obtain
in communities where nearly every man
carries gun; editorial utterances crisp,
direct, clear and keen; brief telegraphio
.eports of each days most important
events only, ana. takeif altogether, the
papers are fair reflection of simple,
natural and wholesome life and spirit of
the people.
Mrs. johnson said an editor might be
the toughest looking individual in the
place, scorning starched shirts and style
of any kind, but invariably kindly and
mpanionable person, keen and clever
in thought and speech, good judge of
human nature and cock tails, and, withal,
the most delightful type of the captivat-
ing westerner.
The price of territorial daily ranges
from So to $40 per year, the income thus
being derived rather from the size of it's
subscription list than from the advercis-
ing columns.