New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-31
A SLIDING SCALE BY WHICH TIE PRESS AZ
ISOLATION MEASURES PUBLIC MEN
THE SUMMARY NOT PoPu-

ori, dnmands thai ends shall meet. speed
curacy and honesty Is its motto. Every heWs
paper has its own permanent stan To mr. , 10
own peculiar needs and obey its own speciai
behests The Press Association collects all lhe
general news disseminates it to IT'S customers,
and thus saves endless labor ana pTodisiouS
waste one example will make its business Clear
10 the layman on its books are between sew
enty and eighty morning newspapers Each OF
them receives circular which contains llst Oh
the important public events when are 10 Do en-
acts k.durug the weex suppose this to be one
Ior; Salisbury speaks to the Primrose Danes
Mr.. Chamberlain addresses a meeting IN ST
Jamcss Hall.
Mr. Asquith addresses a meeting in Newrast'e
III, Prince Of Wales opens new To"n Hall.
Drawing-room and state ball
The Church congress.
Et catera according to imagination.
A MARKET THAT CAN'T BE CORNERED.
OF each Of these events the Press Association
offers a report. the length Of which IS hXed ac-
cording to the judgment of the astute ara IoiS
headed manager. Mr. Robbins. He makes the
market as markets are always made. according
to the demand for and the consequent Value OF
the article offered for sale. Long experience
enables Mr.. Robbins 70 appraiSe the current
worth Of public man in public opinion as
surely as farmer samples beast or handiu,
OF wheat. All commodities are bought ana ao!u
By the one golden rule-tea. sugar. beer, WIS
key. stocks, public men. writer's. even poets. Up
and down they all go. just Ike therfnofiie'eI'
Certainly no millionaire could ever hope 70
engineer a corner in speeches. No power couid
manipulate the flow IF language. II Is the eX-
ception which proves the rule. with all other
commodities corners possible. There is no
reason why Aston. say. if he were 50 minded
could not through his agents buy up the output
Of Kiplings, Barries. Oliver Hobbeses Han
Gaines. Anthony Hopes. Conan Doyles ana so
smash every other editor IN the market. nut
not so with speeches. There is no lack IN the
supply Of them.
After this brief preface the public has now in
its hands a gauge by which to measure its pub
lie men They have only got IN note the space
which the important papers give up to the ora
tors to measure those mems current value IN the
eyes of the shrewdest. AS the season and me
session are now drawing to a close. called
upon Mr.. Robbins ard asked him to give me
idea of the rates ruling in regulations
He no objection. as even without his aid
one could make the necessary investigation tor
ones self with a FL # papers and foot rule.
Tie methods of markets are rough and ready
One measures a public man by columns. ny
inches. An author Is appraised by the thousand
words. which may bring him a guinea. two.
twenty thirty. according to the demand for
his goods. Even the finest writing is thus dealt
with by the brutal cashier.
THE VERBATIM CLASS
Here tfen. is list of the public men who are
always reported word for word. or in the blunt
speech of the market the vcrbatirns:
Lord Salisbury. Sir William Harcourt
Lord Roscbcr5.
Mr. Chamberlain Mr.. John Morley.
Mr. Arthur Ba.four.
Mr. Morley IS the only public speaker in this
first class who is not In office and is not past
or present leader or 4 party III e!tHeT fipuSe IL
will he noticed that there is a dash dividing the
leader Of the Opposition in the House Of Com
mons from the member for Montrose. This
means tnat the demand for Moreys woEbles
ever 50 little. The index finger is not quite
steady at verbatim in the dial of the reputation
barometer
A Prime Minister u.s. of course. ex officio stable.
So also is an eX-Prime Minister. especially
man who holds such unique position as Lord
Rosehery does. Then neither of these gentlemen
Is in the habit Of flooding the market. Both Of
ham civ II m I've
allowed to explain. is the good old English word
which is given in this brutal newspaper business
10 all deliverances. vocal or litcrary) one is
bitter. blunt. cynical and plain to follow Swift
himself. The other. being free Of official cares.
IS easy. genial polished. gayly malevoleEt,
abounding in witty thrusts. his speeches delight
full to read as AddsOnian essaA's None of these
qualities are conspicuous in 'Joes. His is re-
markedly good stuff" of quite another sort. and
always in large demand The cartoonists Of the
day often represent Sir william Harcourt as the
champion slogger. If must go to the prize
ring for our figures Mr.. Chamberlain might be
likened to Of those 1.-the clean-cut. crop
haired. foxy middle weights which Birmingham
produces. whose feints duckings. lodges. rat
Ting returns, never fail to bring down the
house. IL is possible that II "Balfours' were in
greater supply the demand would fall On the
other hand II Is remarkable that in spite OF the
abundant supply "HarcOurts" still fairly
steady among the verbatims. 1t must always
be remembered that verbatns may be abbre-
waited by a simple process.
MEN WHO ARE WORTH COLUMN
Now for Class . or the column men This list
Is much longer. They mentioned I'm par
ticular order but come just Mr. Robbins rat
tied them off. statesmen do their wares
Duk. Of Devonshre. Mr. George Curzon.
sGrS MchasI skspeach Mr Gerald artour
Mr. Il II: XsauOh iori George i,,mil'Gn
Sir II Campbell Zimmerman. Mr. II. chaplin.
Lord wolseej. Mr.. l.. 'ourtney