Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-21
CUBAN NEWSPAPERS
Some of the Peculiarities of Journal
ism in Havana.
new VENTURES RECENTLY STARTED
Not So Much News as Long
Political Discussions.
I H e ISL PRE- 6 5


Copyright, 1899. by Charles NJ. Pepperl
Special From a Staff Correspondent.
HAVANA, February l6 1899
am reading the Cuban newspapers pref
ty carefully these days. 1t would be some
thing of a task even to an experienced ex-
change editor, for few Of them have yet
taken individuality and it is not possible
to know what columns are worth looking
over and what ones can be skipped. But
in the present formative stage Of public
opinion and In the chaos of national de-
velopment a glimmer of light may be had
from the newspapers on what the people
are thinking. If they are still in the clouds
the atmosphere of the journals will be
cloudy; if they are getting Their feet on
solid earth that fact will also be apparent.
1t makes a big hole in silver dollar TO
buy all the Havana newspapers OF an
afternoon in order to make sure OF not
missing anything. They sell for cents
each, though most Of them consist of four
small pages printed on paper Of poor quail
ity. Under the old Spanish tariff paper
was very high and the high price has APP
parently been maintained from force of
nabit. A journal which sold for less than
. cents would be thought lacking In dig
nifty. An armful of the newspapers, once
bought, it takes the better part of an even
ing to read them. This may be done as a
matter of conscientious duty and relaNa-
ton and by dropping in to see the last act
at one of the theaters, because it is close
to midnight before the last act is put on
the stage. While all the journals are seri-
Gus and are likely 10 give an American
reader the headache, they reflect accurate
ly the surroundings The subjects which
will occupy the people OF Cuba for some
time to come are serious ones, and the
thoughtfuness with which the newspapers
address themselves to the questions of the
is credit able IN their DGrgpDt1On
Newly Established Journals.
find more interest in reading the newly
established journals than I'm perusing the
older ones. These leaflets drop, apparently
from the skies, as thick autumn leaves.
They all have mission. 1t is the natural
outcome of release from the bondage of
press censorship, which continued until the
last day of Spanish sovereignty. Walking
through some of the unfrequented streets
of the city with friend one day in Decem-
Der h. remarked the number OF small print
ing offices and wondered what they found
to do His question can be answered easily
in February. They are printing newspapers
or journals without news. The manage
ment of these journals is not the simple
affair that it might seem. They have
boards of directors. One four-page leaffet.
which is published three times "A week, has
twenty-seven directors, editor and man.
ayers and two reporters Others cannot
boast quite so imposing an intellectual
outfit, but each one has ut least board
of directors. The salutatory is an essential
part of the Cuban Journals first issue.
Som atimes it is a four-colUmn discourse
on political philosophy, sometimes a half
column glow of hope and enthusiasm. Their
old-eStablShed contemporaries are saluted
formally with the assurance that there is
room for mora and the expression of belief
that differences of opinion will not mar the
fraternity of the profession. The old-estab
lished journals always courteously
knowledge the salutation of the fiedglings.
Nevertheless, the tone of discussion occa-
sionally verges on bitterness and person.
alitieS follow. Formerly the Havana edi-
tors fought duels.
The names of the new papers give a hint
of their conception of their own mission
Liberty, independence. Free Cuba, The Gu
ban People, The New Ideal. The Star of
Hope, Free opinion are among the titles;
others have names of local Significance.
News has never been q leading feature OF
newspapers in Latin-Amarican countries.
The literary, Scientific and political arti-
cles were considered sufficient. 1t was not
therefore very serious undertaking to
start a newspaper without having news
facilities. The newer journals also sought
to break away from the charade or family
puzzle column and from the feuileton, or
French novelette,. which are part of the
older journals. Our people do not care
for news" the editors of several OF the
journals told me when their first issues
were coming from the press; they prefer
serious discussions of literary and political
matters. Inc literary ana pOllucaI aru-
cles are very good, but the editors have
already found that their readers are not
satisfied. They want news and informa-
ton. 1t is a sign of the awakening to
new things that has come over the people
And the editors are trying to satisfy the
newly developed appetite for information.
A Change of Tone.
Most of the journals which were born
with the new year that ushered in the
American military control are aggressively
pro-Cuban. Without being exactly hostile
to the United States, they have shown dis
to the meaning of this, that and the other
thing more than a temporary military &C.
cupancy. Their mood has been severely
critical Recently a change has taken place
in the tone of several of them. These now
counsel patience and lecture the Cubans
mildly for their shortcomings. This is due
to the fact that Cubans who have been i'm
the United States are taking, hold of the
editorial policy and are directing it into
conservative channels. In this change of
tone the germ of future Cuban political
parties may be discerned. All these papers,
besides their political and literary leaders,
have articles on the industrial conditions
of the island. These are quite valuable, for
they are full of information. They also
show clear perception that the political
future of Cuba is interviewer with indus
trial recuperation. L do not venture TO
guess how long these new journals will
endure or how many of them will survive.
Publishing a paper in Cuba is for all the
world like publishing a newspaper in the
United States. Everybody knows how to
do it better than the man who is doing it.
People quit hoeing corn and come in from
the farm to fill the long-felt want of an