The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-05-25

AS TO MUCkRAk|NG'
CHARLES EDWARD RUSSELL TRACES THE RISE AND DE- CLINE OF THE LITERATURE OF EXPOSURE-FUTU OF RADICAL JOURNALISM
(NeW York Post.l

RADICAL JOURNALISM (New York Post.)
 Several years ago a certain Presi- dent, with characteristic energy, in the same breath both christened and damned the undertaking magazine article. Soon after that undertaking began to languish. The magazines stopped exposing the treason of the Senate, grew indifferent to the shame of our cities, and suddenly developed a. lively interest in the hookworm, Paladino, and the "uplift'' Now, killed the undertaking article, or the public's loss of interest in 1t inspired the Presidents strenuous condemna- tion, was a. question. But what most people did not question was that undertaking, like last years fashion in ,. ladies, hats, had IT, gone t1e, out ns;rs and however, back it has come apparently bolder than ever. For, within the last few months, in this city alone, no less than two popular magazines and one daily have begun to muckrake. not merely grating Aldermen, Con- gressmen, Or Senators, but judges and courts, little and big.
 Has the undertaking article come back, then, for season or for good Is muckraking only a fashion in magazine literature or a real need? In what has it it's roots and what is it's future? These questions seemed so the interviewer took them to Charles Edward Russell-the only muckraker who was both foremost when the industry was at it's height and is still at it harder than ever.
 Whereupon the interviewer ran in- to most tantalizing experience. For after Illustrating his statements and wealth of specific data-all of them making meaty, juicy hitherto un- published news, about the inside oi the worlds Big Business and of magazines, names, dates, operations all of them authentic and verifiable and i've enough to make any news paperman's, mouth water-Mr., Russell wound up laconically with.
 But no names, son-nO. names, We're not interested in individuals just now-only in the general propo- sitions, I take it."
 Docs the public still want the undertaking journalism?" MT. Russell was asked.
 '.It does-and will continue to want it."
 'eWhy?''
 Because the American public is essentialtially moral, patriotic, sensi- ble and practical. Where there's anything wrong in the land they want to have it set right. And by this thing wrong going on-and they want to know all about it. When the magazines shut down on undertaking, the editors got floods of letters from their readers demanding to know why. And just as long as there will be any thing wrong the public will keep on wanting undertaking"
 twill they get it?''
 'eNot through the big monthlies any more. It's the big money interests that have made undertaking necessary and the interests have bought up the magazines. Oh, the monthlies may give the public some psuedo- denunciations, or ''uplift'' stuff These denunciations don't bother the In terests-they like 'em. But no more of the inside operations of Big Busi- ness for the popular monthlies! There are some live nerves they will never dare to touch.''
 ''Then where will the public get its reading?''
 'I expect as the next thing, a lot of radical weeklies to spring up. You can't start up @ big monthly any more it takes so much capital nowadays unless you go to the source of capi. tai, the Interests. But a weekly can be floated more easily. So the radi- cal weeklies will take up the good But as soon as these become really troublesome the Interests will throw their lasso about them. too, as they have about the monthlies."
 And then what?'
 ''Why, then the muckraker will have
 Y-A< m Toilette had to do when the whole press of Wisconsin shut him out in his fight against the combined politi- cal machines. And that's about as far ahaed as I care to prophecy"
 How did undertaking develop in this country?'
 "Mm-m let me see. The daily news It must be thirty years since Julius Chambers muckraked Wards Island in the Herald. The work the maga- zines have done since was then done by the newspapers. I remember undertaking the Coroner's office in 1890; Nellie By mucraked the New York Legislature in 1888. Some news paper was always at it in those days. The World very successfully mucrak- ed the Cleveland bond issues in the early part of 1895. AS I remember. it was the newspapers that started it.
 "But undertaking in the magazines began some time about the summer of 1904, winch Henry George, jr., wrote about the inside financial high jinks of United Steel, when Lincoln Steffens showed up rotten politics in the cities, Ida Tarben wrote up the Standard Oil, David Graham Phillips wrote on '"The Treason of the Senate,'' and Tom Lawson and others joined the band.