The Future of the Times. 645 of the hour-uncompromising warfare against all forms of corruption, whether in national or local government. For years past the Times has been exposing the demoralizing schemes of self-interested politicians, and its recent warfare upon the Tammany Democrats has been received with universal approval. # They purpose that the Times shall continue to keep clear of all narrow and unworthy influences and cliques, and aim to represent the great body of the public as distinguished from personal factions. It occupies a perfectly independent position, and is free to speak the truth on all subjects and about all men. Its greatly-increased circulation throughout the country adds to its power and influence. It will continue to be a faithful exponent of Republican principles, and advocate with untiring energy every cause which tends to further the welfare of the people. This is twenty years' history of the New York Times. CHAPTER XL. THE NEW YORK LEDGER. ITS ORIGIN.ITS FIRST NAME.-WHY BONNER BOUGHT IT.-HOW HE BROUGHT IT INTO NOTICE.-MRS. SIGOURNEY THE FIRST CONTRIBUTOR.— WHO WRITES FOR THE LEDGER?-BONNER'S ADVERTISEMENTS.-HOW HE MANAGED THE HERALD.-HIS SYSTEM.-ANXIETY OF HIS PASTOR.-NovELS BY TELEGRAPH. - INTERESTING INCIDENT. - CORRESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL GRANT AND HENRY WARD BEECHER. HIS HORSES.-HIS COUNTRY SEAT AND THE FEVER AND AGUE.-CIRCULATION. WHAT is in a name? Is that of the New York Ledger a suitable one for such a paper? The Public Ledger of Philadelphia is appropriately named, because it keeps the public posted in the affairs of the world. The Herald is a good name for a newspaper as the harbinger of the tidings of the day to every one. The Times is excellent, because it is "the embodiment of the times." The Journal of Commerce and the Commercial Bulletin are capital titles for purely commercial sheets. The Daily Advertiser is good for a paper devoted to business notices. The Post is not a bad name if, as with the Ledger, all are correctly posted therein. The Intelligencer is not an inappropriate name; nor is the Sun for a morning paper; nor are the Dispatch, the Express, the Telegram, in bad taste. The News is the name for a paper that always gives the latest intelligence. Such names as the Tribune, the World, the Opinion, the Record, the Nation, the Commonwealth, are after the style of the French. There are the Opinion Nationale, the Monde, the France, the Peuple, published in Paris. It is only since the Revolution of '76 that new names have been given to newspapers. The old titles of Gazette, News-Letter, and Mercury, which run through previous generations, were only varied by the names of the places where they were printed, and the artistic devices which adorned the first page. Now, in addition to the Herald, Journal, Tribune, Times, Sun, World, Traveller, and Star, which are in the nineteenth century, we find such curious names as the following list exhibits: Iowa Hawkeye. The Daily Lever. The Eye of Mississippi. Some of these names indicated the object of the publication. Some were merely campaign papers, intended only for a presidential election. The Log Cabin, Whig, for instance, in 1840; and the Corn-stalk Fiddle, also Whig, and the Coon-skinner, Democratic, in 1842. But it is the New York Ledger that we have to speak of here. Its inappropriate name led us off on this digression. Mais revenons. The New York Ledger was originally called the Merchants' Ledger. It was devoted to mercantile affairs previous to 1851, largely, we believe, to the dry goods interest, and had less than three thousand circulation. Our researches produced an unpresuming and unimpressive advertisement of the paper as it appeared before its name and character were modified or changed-an advertisement as unlike the recent monster ones of Bonner as the " tall and pillared Alleghany" is unlike the Observatory Hill in Central Park. It was originally started by an ex-merchant, who conceived the idea of making a paper that would interest country merchants. It was purchased by Robert Bonner in 1851. Bonner at that time owned a small printing-office, in which he set up the type of the Ledger, and of one or two other small papers. He had been a practical printer in the office of the Hartford Courant, and a proof-reader of the Evening Mirror. It appears that the first proprietor of the Ledger had invented a printing-press which he thought would super tune. sede Hoe's lightning machines, and wished to devote his whole time and attention to its development, for with success there was a forWith an eye to the main chance, Bonner did not like to lose the weekly job of setting the type of the Ledger, and this, as much as any other reason, induced him to purchase the paper. "There is a tide," it seems, with printers as well as with politicians and other patriots. This is the way Bonner became a newspaper proprietor and the owner of Dexter. Having secured the establishment, he scarcely knew what to do with it; but, not being desirous of publishing a purely class paper of limited circulation, he gradually dropped its mercantile features, and substituted family reading matter for the quotations of flour, and bank-note tables and reports. This increased the circulation somewhat, which encouraged the new proprietor, who was a man of common sense and tact. It then occurred to him that he might branch out a little. He therefore, in 1853, engaged Mrs. Sigourney to write for his paper, and she continued to be a contributor till the day of her death. She was the first to "write for the Ledger." Two years later, or in 1855, feeling still more encouraged, he made arrangements with Fanny Fern, who had acquired quite a reputation in her peculiar style. Then the new journalistic star made a brilliant dash in publishing her famous "one hundred dollars a column" story. This created a sensation, caused the news-dealers to seek the paper, and the New York Ledger began its prosperous career. Stronger and stronger intellectually and financially, Mr. Bonner expanded his literary enterprises till he embraced all the leading writers of the day: Everett, Bancroft, Bryant, Beecher, Bennett, Greeley, Raymond, Dickens, Fitz-Greene Halleck, Mrs. Southworth, Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Alice Cary, and George D. Prentice. No less than twelve college presidents, and a dozen bishops, clergymen, and deacons, wrote regularly for the Ledger. After Fanny Fern's "one hundred dollars a column" story had produced its effect on the public mind, Mr. Bonner was prepared with another literary wonder. About this time an immense effort was being made to purchase Mount Vernon by public subscription. Edward Everett, full of patriotism and brains, lent his powerful aid to this object, and he visited every part of the country, delivering his famous lecture on Washington to swell up the sum to the necessary amount. It is said that he uttered this eulogy on Washington over two hundred times without changing a word or altering a line. It was considered one of the most finished and masterly productions of the age. It was at this period "in the affairs of men" that Mr. Bonner made an offer of $10,000 to Mr. Everett for a series The Ledger Advertisements in the Herald. 649 Aft of short articles to be called the "Mount Vernon Papers." er some hesitation, Mr. Everett accepted the offer, and devoted the money to the Mount Vernon Fund; and he continued ever after, till his death, a constant contributor to the Ledger, and a warm friend of its proprietor. It was the most brilliant success of all of Bonner's efforts. Meanwhile it became necessary to let the public know of these wonderful intellectual feats of Bonner. How was this to be done? Only by making use of the other papers. Then began the system of advertising that became continental in practice and world-wide in fame. Single columns would at first be occupied ; then half a page ; then an entire page; then all the available space any leading newspaper would let him have, with what appeared a reckless disregard to cost, economy, or common sense. The repetition system of advertisements, which has since become so common, originated with Bonner in the New York Herald. One day he desired to have his advertisement displayed. Mr. Bennett objected to any display; he had very sensibly discarded pictures and displayed advertisements in the Herald, and Mr. Bonner must come under the rule. "What are your rules?" asked the indomitable Bonner. On being informed what they were, he had his notices repeated ad infinitum. This was objected to after one or two insertions. "What do you want now?" again asked the irrepressible Bonner. "Not so much display," replied the sagacious proprietor of the Herald. "Very well," said Bonner; and he had published one sentence, announcing a new story, and ordered it to be repeated to fill an entire column, all to be "run in," professionally speaking, with no blank lines all, indeed, in one solid paragraph. What was the result? It was the most conspicuous advertisement in the Herald that morning. "How do you like that?" asked Bonner the next day. Mr. Bennett laughed and said, "Well, I guess we had better let you have your own way hereafter." The proprietor of the Ledger has paid as high as $27,000 for one week's advertising; he has paid $150,000 in one year; yet, strange to say, not an advertisement is inserted in the Ledger, and no money will obtain the insertion of one. He once paid the Herald $2000 for a single advertisement, and Mr. Bennett was compelled to issue a quadruple sheet to accommodate his enterprising neighbor. This was in 1858, and was the first sheet of this size ever issued in America. It was a Ledger-Herald, or vice versa. When this advertisement appeared, the good pastor of the church where Mr. Bonner |