Evening star., 1935-12-08
Bv n grv.Carfer Roberts.

HIS WORK. BY Charles H. Dennis.
Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
T%HIS book, in addition to being
the biography Of one OF the
great newspaper men OF this
u country might also serve very
well as a text for use in the study of
the history of American journalism.
For the story of Victor LawSonS lhe,
as set down here, is to a great degree
the history of journalistic growth
through the years which the book
covers-that is, the period between the
seventies and the middle nineteen
twenties. The author of the work,
who was for years an employe Of
Lawson's. in the capacity of managing
editor of the Chicago Record, has
handled his material in such way
as to make the two themeS-Lawson's
life and his efforts for the improve
ment of journalistic practiceS-one
and the same thing. Indeed, if
criticism can be brought against the
book, it would be that it furnishes
80 little personal information about
its subject.
This, however, is a negligible point,
mentioned only because it empha-
sizes the contrast between Mr.. Dennis
method of biography writing and
prevailing popular style which in
clines to overwhelm the reader with
personal details which are often of
no real import For if Mr.. Dennis,
in telling the straight story of Victor
LawSonS life, has omitted all but
few direct statements as to his
character, he still has told a great
deal by indirection. The record of
the fights which Lawson made on the
issues of his journalistic career is
itself sufficient to mark him as one
of the generation of great and en-
lightened newsmen. The present biog-
raphy is almost entirely a straight
forward account of these fights.
The book begins with Lawson's
purchase in 1876 of partnership
in the struggling little Chicago News,
the first penny daily founded west
of the Alleghenies. The paper had
been started a few months earlier
by Melville E. Stone, whose idealiSm
and energy, however were not bal
anced by sufficient capital to provide
his venture with a very long life
expectation. Lawson himself. entering
the firm, had only little more money
than Stone to put into it, for his
working capital was just enough to
cover two months expenses. BY the
end of those two months, however,
the News circulation was on the
increase, and the papers growth was
never again checked. Under LawSon'S
management, and later his editor
ship, it became first the largest paper
in Chicago, and then the largest of
its price in the United States.
From the report of this modest
entry into the field of journalism the
story goes on to accounts of crucial
developments in newspaper history.
The institution of politically non
partisan journal; the fight for democ-
racy in news distribution, that fight
which brought about the present day
Associated Press; the building up of
o worldwide news service independent
of foreign subsidized agencies; the
employment of the first of the tribe
OF columnists. no less writer than
Eugene Field; the use of the press
in crime detection and in betterment
of civic conditionS-in all these enter
priSeS Lawson was a pioneer and
sometimes the pioneer. The present
work, in telling his part in each,
adopts the method of publishing his
own comments and letters on the issue
in question.
One of the greatest battles which
he fought was of course that one
which resulted in the establishment
of the present-day Associated Press
To quote the author. the reason for
the fight was as follows:
Looking back to the middle years
Of the last decade of the nineteenth
century, the newspaper executive of
today finds it difficult to understand
how it was possible for men
to think they could destroy the CO.
operative principle as it was applied
to the collection and distribution of
news Yet corporation organized
for profit, its shares held in only a
few hands, and its operation directed By
three men 3 set out tomonopolize
the news service of the American
Press. It's clients, the newspapers,
were to have no voice in its affairs.
Competition was to be Strangled."
This corporation was called the
United Press. 1t had, however, no
connection with the present-day news
service of that name. The men who
backed it were Olympians in con-
temporary journalism-"the great
Dana, the mighty Bennett, the emf
nent Reid and Miller of the New
York; Times"
Lawson headed the struggle to pre-
vent them from gaining monopoly.
Actively with him were Joseph Pulit-
ger, Adolph Ochs, who purchased the
New York Times while the fight was
at its height, and Frank B. Noyes of
The Washington Star. 1t was battle
that engaged the interest of newsmen
everywhere. Eventually, in 1897, the
United Press suspended operation.
Lawson was elected president of the
victorious Associated Press and, says
Mr.. Dennis, "was presented with sill
yer service by the Associated Press |
members in recognition of his leader
ship in the long tight"
Comic interludes mark the record
Of most of the battles which are in
cluded in this book, and one that oc-
Cured in the course of the fight to es-
tablish the Associated Press may be
retold here. 1t happened that, as the
fortunes Of the United waned, that or
ganization resorted to attempted brib-
cry in It's efforts to maintain its serv-
t0a. Melville E. Stone, Lawson's for
fner pArmer on the Chicago News, was
fighting az MS friends side. He un-
dertook TO expose the United Press
corrupt pracEce oy the following
method:
SAYS Mr.. Dennis: "Stone caused
to be inserted in cable dispatch from
India the name of mythical rebel,
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