The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-13
IT IS OUT.
First Number of the Sheldon
Edition Appears.
People Were Eager to Sean It's
Columns.
NEWSBOYS PUZZLED.
Street Sale Was by No Means
Large.
PUZZLED.
Some Opinions From Newspa-
pers and Others.

Many Topeka people were out of bed
unusually early this morning. The
cause was their curiosity to see the first
issue of the Sheldon edition of the Cap
ital But most of them were doomed
to disappointment for owing to mechan-
ical troubles it was late in publication,
thereby causing the carriers also to be
late in their distribution. 1t was
o'clock or after before many people re-
ceived their papers, and the pages were
eagerly scanned by curious eyes.
The newsboys expected to enjoy a
big trade when the crowd got down
town, but they were disappointed. Most
people had either received the paper at
their homes, or had glanced through
their neighbor's, and their curiosity had
been satisfied.
The anti-smoking rule which Mr.
Sheldon enforced in the editorial rooms,
worked hardship to the reporters and
heads of departments who were ac-
customed to the seductive charms of a
pipe while writing their ''StOrieS," edit
ing copy, or writing headlines. During
the evening and night, they worked by
shifts, and while one shift was busying
Mr.. Sheldon with blue-penciling copy,
another shift stole out to enjoy a few
pleasant whiffs from a pipe or cigar.
in the moonlight. But the anti-smoking
rule was strictly observed in the edl-
torial rooms.
There was no theatrical news or ad
vertising in the paper and the market
reports were greatly curtailed In an
editorial H. r. Chase explained the
abridgement of the market reports on
the ground that stock jobbing is a kind
of gambling.
WHY IT WAS LATE.
The Capital press was started this
morning at 2:35, nearly a half hour
rli "a 71C1191 The dAlaV in the
carrier service was caused by the extra
subscribers which the carriers have on
their routes for Sheldon week Some of
the carriers have more than twice
their usual number of papers, and had
to make extra trips back to the Capital
office before completing their deliveries.
For this reason many OF the city sub
scribers did not receive their papers
1t was the intention of the mechani-
cal force to get the paper on the press
at O'Clock, an hour earlier than usual,
but they missed calculations by S5 min
utes on account of delays IN the edl-
torial department.
The matrices for the Chicago, New
York and London editions were shipped
on the 4:25 train this morning The
Chicago edition will be issued from the
Chicago Journal office tomorrow morn
ing, and the mail for the territory ad-
jacent to Chicago will be covered from
that point. The Staats-Zeitung, of
New York, will publish the New York
edition. and subscriptions from the
New England states, the Atlantic
states, and part of the south, will be
supplied from there.
The Westminster Gazette will issue
the London edition, but it may be two
weeks before it is started
USED THE BLUE PENCIL.
Mr. Sheldon had occasion to use his
blue pencil vigorously last night in the
editing of both local and telegraphic
matter. and at the request of the news
paper men he met them this morning to
tell them what he had done and why he
did it
zone of the items which I threw out
entirely was a police court item. 1t cid
not agree with my idea of what police
court news should be-"
what was it about?" asked F. L.
Vandegrift.
1T was about the arrest of girl by
the police.
As stated yesterday, continued Mr..
Sheldon, my idea of publishing crime
is to go more into its causes. I have
thrown out items about vagrancy and
drunkenness, but shall go into the
causes which produce these things. In
some cases may publish more of these
things than in others in order to COM
ment on them editOrially. For instance,
l allowed more of that New Jersey fire
story to be published than I should 9TH
erwise have done, in order to comment
the item today I see that I might have
cut out half of it and supplied what
was wanted just as WE'LL
This morning you publish the state
ment that seven divorces were granted
yesterday, but you give no names. Did
you cut out the names of the parties
intentionally?" Mr.. Sheldon was asked.
Yes, 1 did. Instead I published an
interview with Judge Hazen giving his
ideas of the cause of divorces, and ap-
pended an editorial note of my own"
How will you handle society news?''
THAT will be illustrated when the
proper time comes.
How about the politics? ?'
THAT will be non-paTtiSan, that is,
would give as much space to one party
as to another, but the Importance of
the question discussed by the party
would cut some figure. I would report
conventions, discussions and the like.
IF I had permanent charge of a pa
per-" continued Mr. Sheldon, Il would
have one man to go through the tele-
graph news and comment on it editor
tally at the close of the important
items. cannot do it>myself as / should
like to. I cite as an instance the item
about the mob in England in which
Olive Schreiner's husband was attacked
and a restaurant was destroyed. I ad-
ded an editorial comment calling -atten-
tion to the brutalizing influence of war.
l believe in scattering the editorials
through the paper where they will do
good instead of confining them on one
page
Dell Keizer, business ~manager of the
Capital, says that many of the stories
which have gone out concerning Mr..
Sheldon's turning down advertising are
untrue.
Mr.. Sheldon has been as fair to the
advertisers as possible said Mr. -Keizer
4 have gone over the propositions with
him and know that he has considered
them as carefully as possible. He has
rejected all medical advertisements, but
he does not wish to be understood as
rejecting on them. There are doubtless
some meritorious remedies, but there
are others which are spurious. He says