West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-01-23
FAMED BRITISH PAPER
Career of London Times, Known
as "the Thunderer."
ITS CRITICISMS MUCH FEARED

For Century IL Affected Great Brit
aims Polictes-Its Enterprise Aston
ished tho World-Exampis Of Its
Success In Procuring q News Beat.
The passing OF the London Times. as
much n family as national instItu-
ton. from the control OF Arthur +.
Walter to that OF Cyril Arthur Pear
son, representing what Engllshmen Sc
riously believe to be the American
type" or newspaper publications. marks
an era In journalism. says the New
York Times.
During large part or It's 125 years
OF publication the Times has consist
emily stood for British conservatism
and. backing by dogmatic utterances
Its serious view OF everything. lnclud-
Ing itself. fairly earned IT'S title OF
''the Thunderer."
With the first rumor OF Its sale IL
was generally believed that the pur-
chaser was Lord Northcllfre, for II
had been understood that for long
time he had been anxious for the own
ership OF the Times. Report has II that
he offered $5.000.O0O for the property
In. 1897 and that his offer, was scorn-
fully refused by the Walter family.
q The Times was founded In 1875 by
John Walter, a bookseller and pub
Usher at Charing Cross. but II was
first known as the Daily Universal
Register. The title In 1888 became the
Times and Daily Universal Register,
and In short time the double title
hnf ma fHA
ter. the founder. died In 1912, the
Times was firmly established as the
leading newspaper OF the day. The
next owner was John A. Walter. He
Improved the paper greatly and intro
duced steam printing presses In 1914.
For years and years the Times con-
tnued to grow In Importance and In
crease In prosperity. Its enterprise as
tonished tho world. Its influence was
potent wherever II chose to exercise It.
Its criticisms tremendously feared.
An instance OF It's power was given
during the Crimean war. when DIR.
William Howard Russell. who had
been sent to the front. so sharply criti-
cised the acknowledgement OF the Brit
ish campaign and was so stoutly back
cd up by his paper that great sensa-
ton was caused throughout the coun-
try. In those days. when the paper
was under the editorship of Colonel
Delane. 1t was said that the Times
could make peace or war at will.
An example OF the Times success In
procuring news ahead OF ali It's COM
petitors was exhibited in It's publica-
ton OF the Berlin treaty In 1877. Henri
Georges Stephen de BlowItz was the
Paris correspondent of the Times and
was sent to Berlin specially to report
the Berlin congress. In which Bis
marck. Disraell. Lord Salisbury and
NJ. Theirs took part. On his arrival at
the Berlin capital NJ. Blowitz put up
at the Hotel Kaiserhof. on the Inter
den Linden. and struck up friendship
with the secretary of NJ. Theirs.
lie made arrangements with him
that the secretary should drop a note
into his hat every day on leaving the
congress, stating what had been done.
This was cleverly managed by Blowitz
taking the secretary's hat who In re-
turn took Blowitz's. BY this means
and the help OF a diplomat, whose
name he would never dlvulge. the as
tute correspondent obtained the text
of the whole sixty-four articles and
then only wanted the preamble to
make his copy of the treaty correct.
lie went to NJ. Theirs and said that
he had all the treaty except the pre-
amble and asked the minister to favor
him with copy OF It. NJ. Theirs re-
FUSED to do this. but said that he
would recite II for him. which he did
In slow, distinct voice. and Blowitz
rushed home with IL In his head and
wrote the preamble without mistake.
AS he could not send the treaty by tele-
gram from Germany. De Blowitz hired
special train to go to Brussels, where
he filed his long dispatch to London.
1t was published In the Times on the
morning that the treaty was signed In
Berlin.
There was no interruption Ito the
Times successful career until the time
of the Parnell letters 1t was after
the defeat OF Gladstone's home rule
bill In 1886 that the Times published a
series or articles under the heading of
"Parnelllsm and Crime" which con-
tained letters In facsimile purporting
to have been written by Charles Par
nell and seemingly proving his COM
plicity I'm the crimes.
On the night OF their publication
they were denounced by Parnell as
forgerles In the house or commons and
eventually proved to have been the
work of Richard Plgott, an Irish jour
nalist, who fed to Spain. where he
committed suicide. In the action
brought against John Walter. proprie-
tor OF the Times, Mr.. Parnell was vim.
dicated and obtained $4,000 damages.
In the last few years the Times has
had to compete with two cent and one
cent papers OF excellent character. To
retrieve it's fortunes II took up with
outside ventures, In sort OF partner
chip with a keen American. Mr.. Hoop
er by name. One OF lts enterprises
had TO do with the sale OF the En-
syclopaedia Britannica. II recently re-
sorted TO a book club scheme devised
by Mr.. Hooper At first II seemed that
1t might add largely to its subscription
list through this operation. but before
long It became involved In bitter war
between the book club and the London
publishers, who felt that the sale OF