Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-20
JOURNALISM IN PARIS
Another Daily Newspaper for
WeII-FiIIed Field.
"MESSIDOR" LATEST Conner
To Be Started by Gerault- Richard,
Socialist Deputy.
HAS HAD CHECKERED CAREER
Money Not Always Necessary to Cir
culate New Publication-Howt the
"Evenement" Was Conducted.
HAS HAD CHECKERED CAREER
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The Star. ..
PARIS. January 1s.-Paris is to have
yet another daily newspaper AS it al
ready has more than q score of daily news
papers. one more or less will hardly count
as an event in the life Of the French cap
itaL This particular daily newspaper is to
be called the Messidor, and it is to have
as director and guiding spirit M. Gerault-
Richard the, socialist deputy.
Fifteen years ago NJ. Gerault- Richard
was uncompromisingly socialistic. At that
time he inhabited q small room high up in
the heights Of Montmartre, and used to
dine and lunch in small restaurant in the
Rue Lepac, where the extraordinary cheap
ness OF the meals was their greatest quail
ity. The cooking was certainly inferior to
the Maison dor or the Cafe Anglais. but
what could one expect when the lunch,
wine included, cost only twenty-five cents
M. Gerault-Richard was just at the out
set of his political career and earning a
precarious existence by writing for social
istic newspapers. where the remuneration
per column was the reverse of generous.
He was, however. a good speaker, and Is
physically at least the biggest and the
strongest member Of the socialistic party
Today he sits member for Guadeloupe
In the chamber, owns chateau in the
country and is one of the main spirits In
the launching Of a new automobile enter
prise that Is to have capital Of millions.
Naturally his opinions regarding socialism
have passed from fiery red to a pale
pink. The name of his new paper. Mes
sidor. Is Of course uncompromisingly re-
publican.
Money Not Necessary.
1t does not take much money, however
to found daily newspaper in Paris il one
knows how One Of the most extraordinary
examples of the bringing out of a Paris
newspaper was the Evenement. which be-
longed to Senator Magnier Magnier had
nothing but debts, but managed to live all
the same at the rate of $40, 900 per year.
He had a magnificent chateau in the Var
(Which department he represented in the
senate) and fine house in Paris. 1t is
uncommon thing to find incidents oc-
curing such as the members Of the staff
of Eyenement writing in their great coats
because the coal merchant has refused to
deliver any more coal. And sometimes it
has been necessary to write by the light
of gathering candles stuck in bottles, the
gas company having cut of the gas. The
oaiy writing paper to be had was the backs
of the Havas kilograms. Every evening Of
course Magnier had to find ten louis or the
paper would not come out, the printer, to
whom he owed more than $4,000. having
refused to move machine except for the
cash down.
Strange to say. Magnier moved through
all with smiling bonhomie, II he had not
a care in the world. He turned out his
daily leading article excellently written m
the midst Of financial difficulties which
would have driven another man crazy. He
was a fine speaker and a politician Of great
talent OF course he could not pay his edi-
tors very often. though they all had nomi-
nal salaries OF generous proportions. But
they knew better than to ever go near the
cashier They were mostly pushfui lot
of young fellows, who wanted TO make
name. and as Magnier allowed everybody
10 f,,y,tn far yrrt,0
chronicled the turnover dogs, 1t was
means of getting known.
There is a legend that one subeditor did
get some money by sending sheriff's Off
Ger to seize the post Office orders received
at the post office for subscriptions to the
paper
Pursued by Creditors.
Every time Magnier left his office the
Office boy had to be sent on a accommodating
expedition to see IL the coast was clear.
AS the editorial rooms had their separate
entrances there was generally one line Of
retreat free and down this Magnier would
scuttle like a rabbit going to cover. An
hour later he was to be seen dining at the
Maison dor or Cafe Anglais or at the
premiers at the theaters. His financial
difficulties had made the fortunes of half
of the sherin's officers Of Paris, for he was
past master In the art of keeping his cred
i:ors at bay by taking refuge in the laby-
rinth of French legal procedure He was
certainly one OF the most remarkable fig
ures in the political world of the third en-
pire
M Francis Charmes, political editor of
the Reveue des deux Mondes under the
late Ferdinand Brunotiere has been SOL
emnly elected to succeed himself as the
chief editor of an extraordinary meeting of
shareholders against NJ. Rene Doumic, the
pugnacious dramatic critic of the same
fortntghtly periodical. All business a. the
Revues des Deux Mondes, which its readers
loftily call La Revue" is conducted with
magnificent solemnity. 1t seems incredible
nowadays that the Revue under the first
Buloz, who made an Independent fortune