The Detroit times., 1913-12-30

Side by side with this development
has come distinct check Ito the In
crease OF the number OF newspapers I'm
England That increase hJs been only
8 per cent In the morning land evening
neld for the past 20 ycafs In which
the population has grownS "a per cent,
and the reading public al an even
SaSy noS r3r @ o ee found i aPss Sqms anS
the aggressive reaching out into the
provinces of the LondoT dailies makes
The 10, =, Gf the inf,wsp9Pefs 85fs
competition is accentdated by the sim
ultaneous publication OF several
newspapers In two. centers. III this
r-----t.t-4f---ff- -lamAged- The ad-
vertising OF the press as a whole. the
advertiser feeling that the newspapers
OF great metropolitan and provincial
circulation till all his needs. The more
or less sensational methods Of the sue
cessfui London half-penny papers
makes Il impossible" Mr.. Donald de-
clares, FOR papers run on old fashion
ed lines 10 survive" He IL sure thar
he immediate future will see this
herce competition intensified, and more
and more Of the old fashioned kind OF
journals VIII go 10 the WALL II Is the
day OF the newspaper with tremendous
means Tor special trains. motor car de-
and endless billboard and poster ad-
verusing and Mr.. Donald prophesie-
that 20 years hence an English news
paper which has not at least a half
million readers "wlll not be seriously
considered as an organ OF the people
Ihe polNlcal and social power OF
these journalistic Dreadnoughts viii
not be any less. Mr. Donald feels. and
then 70 console the small journalist
who may see himself finally put out OF
business by the coming use of the
aeroplane, airship, "motorplanes run
ming on speciol tracks the merging
Of morning and evening newspapers.
with hourly cditios by day or by
might. which our authority foresees, h"
adds that there, Will De revival OF
tue purely tur7tf country rs
much improved in form and style"
But all newspapers. IL appears. viii
/ have to fear not so much competition
/ from one another - from new meth
/ ods OF delivering news by cinemato-
graph. telephone. or phonograph. This
Is indubitably looking little far into
| the future But what we do not get
| from Mr. Donald Is some assurance
: that under the wonderful new condi-
/ tions the character OF newspapers Will
! continue as high anG. their sense or
respec liability T. the public as keen.
/ That is the question which deeply con-
Germs everybody.
We wish the omen We're more fav-
! orahle on this side of the water, or
/ at least clearer. our worst specim mems
| or the yellow type combine all the
! bad features OF unscrupulous, ire
| sponsible proprietorship and OF cor
! poratlon management The only thing
! certain is that the day OF the old
/ Fashioned type OF newspaper ia rem
( NtIFb more NllUcuit Dy the JOufndl
which is the counterpart OF the
+, British half-penny shrieker. There is
I striking proof OF this In remark
| able editorial article that has Just APP
peared IN the Chicago Inter ocean.
which that veteran journalist. Mr., IL
! ii. kohlsaat purchased about a year
l ago. lie declares that from being the
| purveyors Of news and opinions in due
perspective for the public. the daily
and periodical press have become very
! largely the muckrakers OF the uni
verse. the distorters Of facts. and the
! debauchers Of thought for the masses
! In whom eventually abides the fate of
| tn" republic" In his crusade 70 com
| hnt this he has been producing In the
inter ocean newspaper according 70
tho deals OF 81 Paul in his epistle 20
| tho philippians He has made crafty
| ina prc gress. but here Is the warning
which is the real keynote OF the edi-
| tcrinl:
so long as Its present editor re-
tains control of the Inter Ocean II
| viii continue faithful TO Chicago true
10 the higher traditions OF journal
ism. alert and fair in printing the de-
cent news cf each day, sane and fear
less in tiAcussing the questions OF the
hour AS they arise. But II the busi-
ness men or Chicago, who have more
AZ stake than the Inter ocean, fan -
! accord il stendy and generous support
| the temptation 10 stand from under
may prove irresistible. And then
! journalism OF the itching palm and
| wanton eyes will have it's way"
Tt is the problem of every sane
| journalist which MIR. Kohlsaat con-
! fronts. but it H. still more the problem
| of the intelligent public. over decent
ana Indecent Journalism alike the pub
| lie has the power of life and death.
! The question is simply how far ~ viii
utilize this power--whether IL Will
guide towards good ends the rapidly
changing currents OF journalistic ac-
. tiVItv. or let them be directed solely
| b. the will-o' -the-wisp OF Individual
| or corporation gain.