The herald., 1898-07-03

1t achieved as much in a given direction
as was accomplished by the greatest
confiagration Of modern times.
We may hope, II not confidently ex-
pect. that the consequences will be con-
fined to the lake shore. and that the spark
that has escaped from the smouldering
volcano may not ignite the combustible
material everywhere lying about loose.
Nothing, however. iss tc De. gained by
taking a one-sided view Of the episode,
whether It have only a local or a national
Significance.
Paradoxical as 1t may seem, news
papers are not prosperous. The war i'm
poses burdens out Of all proportion to
the benefits conferred. The augmented
sales of no enterprising journal in the
land, we will undertake to say, nearly
compensate for the increased expenses
of production occasioned by the war.
About the first act Of the government
was to declare birthstone contraband.
The visible supply was short, and
|straightway the manufacturers Of print
paper put up the price. Mills that had
yearly contracts staggered under the
load, and many have, gone to. the wall.
Several advances have since been made.
and others are almost inevitable.
This has been' equivalent to a solar
plexus blow to many journals whose sub
scription price barely covered the cost of
the white paper at the low figures ruling
before the war, and few are strong
enough to undertake to raise the price to
to meet the additional cost Of
production.
A still greater burden has been the
enormous additional expense of gather
ting and distributing war news, augment
ed by the fact that 1t has UP to this
moment been prosecuted upon the sea,
instead Of upon the land. and a larger
Of the intelligence dissent
mated has been subjected to the excessive
tolls Of the submarine cable companies
The Associated Press, the greatest news
gathering association in the world, is yet
mutual in its plan and dependent upon
individual journals to supplYit with the
funds necessary to the successful prose-
cution of Its mission. 1t has risen supe-
rior to the exigencies Of the new condi-
ton and made. a, record of which every
member is justihably proud. But ex-
penses have been multiplied, and one as
sessment after another, in the shape of
increased tolls, has been made upon every
journal owning a membership in the as
ISOLATION.
So complete, accurate and in all re-
spects satisfying has been Its reports,
that special correspondence has rarely
been otherwise than redundant, and yet,
because Of the profigacy Of few great
newspapers, in maintaining a special
service, others have been to an extent
forced to adopt like methods.
And so it comes to pass that whereas
the cost Of producing newspapers has
been very materially increased. their net
revenues have been diminished.
In the case Of the Chicago papers. an
increase in the pay Of men in one depart
in all, a departure which they would
doubtless prefer to make. could they see
their way clear, rather than accept the
humiliating alternative Of suspending
publications. concerted step that has
never before been taken in this country
Assuming that the controversy will be
short lived, the journals of Chicago will
score a net gain from the episode. The
people Of the windy city are likely to
have higher appreciation of their morn
ing paper. after being deprived Of it for
day, than they ever had before. They
will realize how essential 1t is to their
happiness and well being. They will be
inclined to be less critical and more char
table.
On the other. hand. let us hope, the les
sons Of the strike. will not be wholly lost
upon the s.ereotypers. The most import
ant is that 1t should be the last, instead
Of the irst, resort to secure an equitable
share in the rewards Of labor.