Newspapers / Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, … / May 15, 1903, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE GASTONIA W. P. MARSHALL, Editor mod Proprietor. _ _QASTQMIA, XlAY 1C. 1QQ3. M*. BOnNEirS STORY OF THE LEDGER. * - - Famous Editor’! Own Version of the Beginning and Rise of ilie Papar.—Wonders ol Advertlslng.-How He Engaged Noted Per seas as Contributors and Groat Sums Ho Paid. .^ew von ncuu The Ledger Monthly was sold last Saturday to the Everv Month Publishing Company for $0,000 caah, exclusive of outstanding accounts. Creditors will receive about tweutv five cents ou the dollar and the scholarships will be continued by the purchasers. So passes to the journalistic boueyard the paper that has made millions for its founder and which became a wreck with his death. A poor Irish boy, with only $5 in his pocket, Rob ert Bonner landed in New York and commenced his Ttrwspspcr career on the TI irtford C* •nranl. at Hartford, Co i □ wJk'.j v iir I drifted to New York. In an interview with Fr.t k G. Carpenter some six years atjo he told the story of how lie caiue to start the Ledger. This story is now reproduced in the current uuuibcr of the Journalist of this city. "The New York Ledger,” said Mr. Bonner, was in 1850 a little financial sheet known as the Merchants' Ledger. At this time I was working in the print ing office. We liad an advertis ing solicitor who liked the way in which I displayed bis adver tisements. He left the paper a little later on and became con nected with the Merchants’ J«edger. He told the proprietor he conld get a great many more advertisements if 1 were to set them up, and it was in this way that I got an offer of a better salary from the Merchant's Led ger. I took it. It was a small sheet, devoted to mercantile affairs, and it bad less than three thousand circulation. Soon af ter I became employed upon it the proprietor wanted to sell and 1 bought him out. I ran the pa per for a short time as a mercan tile paper, and gradually turned it into a family one. GOT FANNY FitRJJ. "One day I decided that if it had the best reading matter a paper of that class could have it would get a very large circula tion, and I concluded to get it. 1 began at once to get the best of contributors, and, among others secured Miss Fanny Fern. Miss Fanny Fern was the most popular woman writer of that time, but she had never written for the newspapers. A book of hers had just had a circulation of something like 5,000 copies, aud I think she rather looked down upon newspaper work. I first offered her $25 a column for a atory. She refused it. I wrote her again and made the offer $50 a column. "This she also declined, when the return mail brought her an other offer from me of $75 a col umn. Upon this she said to a friend, 'I like the spirit of that man Bonner, and I wish you would go down and see him.’ Her friend came and we event ually got together. "l men proposed to give her $100 a column, but said 1 did not want the story to run over ten columns. Sbe replied that she would write the story for $1,000 nlded I would take it whether in nine columns or eleven columns, os she conld not tell iust how mnch It would run out. "I agreed to this, and the story was published. The circum stances oi the engagement were told, and nearly every newspaper in the conntiy published my ex travagance in paying $100 a col umn for a story. I got 150.000 worth of advertising out of the arrangement, and the people be gan to oak for the Ledger. Be fore thia 1 hod had trouble in gettinMhe news stands to take tne Ledger. After this they were glad to get it." Speaking of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher’s connection with the paper, My. Bonner said that he became acquainted with him through a poem of one of his lady mends. BKCAI-U MB. BgJtenitB. "He tent me the manuscript, stating that if I used it a check would be very acceptable to the lady. I wrote back at once that I yd plenty of poetry, but that I told him that if be firould give me from a half to three quarters of a column a week I would pay him $2,000 a ftarj I sent a check for $2,000 with the letter as the advance salary for the first ye at. He ac cepted it, and from that time until bis death he wrtrte for the Ledger. He wrote editorials chicly. Many of them were pnb llshed under the heading of, ‘Thoughts aa They Occur by One Who Keeps His Eyes Ooen. The first article. 1 remember, was entitled 'A Cannon Ball in • Hat.’ It gave tbs tape rleoceof s mau wbo attempted to carry a can non ball in his hut. It described how the caution hall grew Iteav icr and heavier, Hnd how the fear of detection ale into the soul of the thief. A persoual moral was brought out from this which struck home ,to every reader. "A great deal of the mutter written bv Mr. Beecher was not published over his own signature and this was nlso the case with the articles of Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was during the years just preceediug the war. We hnd iftcn a lar:: - v.- ::fntion in the South, and th£ name of Mr Beecher as one o( the comribu tors would have lost thousands of subscribers.” "Was not $30,000 a great deal to pay for a novel?” "Yes.” replied Mr. Bonoer, "it was. But I think the ven ture was a good business invest ineut. The way I came to pay just this amount was rather cu rious. I had made an arrange ment with Edward Kverett to write a series of articles for the Ledger. nnn advrstminu. "Mr. Kverett was at that time the leading statesman of the country along certain lines. He was anxious that Mount Vernon should be bought and preserved, and he was giving lectures over the country for the purpose of raising money for what was called the 'Mount Vernon fund.’ I proposed to him that I would give $10,000 to the fund if he would write a series of articles for the Ledger. He accepted it. His articles were widely read, and the Ledger again was the uiast talked of paper in the coun try. I afterward paid him $14, 000 additional for other articles. This was done some time before 1 asked Mr. Beecher to write a novel. When I did write I first offered to pay him $24,000 for the story, or as much as I had paid Mr. Everett for his writing Later ou I increased the amount to $30,000. "MOST CLEAR MY HEAD." " Here is what he answered in reply to my 6rst proposition: — " Plymouth Rock at a Council. "Dear Mr. Bonner—1 am almost dumb after reading your proposition and most clear ray head before I say a word. Signed, "Hrnkv Ward Brkchrr.’’ "Wbeu it was announced that Mr. Becchcr was to write the story there was a decided sensa tion in literary and religious circles. Some preachers, and especially a Rey. Mr. Seeley, criticised Mr. Beecher’s actions in making money in that way. I wrote an editorial on the subject which was rather facetious and sent the proof of it to Mr. Becchcr, suggesting that if he thought.well of it he might give me a recommeudation whereby I conld get a place on the London Punch. Within an hour after my boy had left the office he came back with the following notes:— "Mv Drar Mr. Bonkbr-I think you like to gobble up a minister or two every year to aid yonr digestion, hist as hen* swallow gravel stones. You have swallowed me in one way and Mr. Seeley in smother. 1 like my way best. ("Signed) Hjinry Ward Bkxchrr." "Then on the other side of the sheet he had written this recom mendation:— "To the Ixmdon Punch:— "Robert Bonner desires an en gagement on yonr paper. It gives me pleasure to testify to his good character. No other one man made me laugh so much Just to look at him would make one feel good netured end there iTii ?uftTe,t th#t his picture be published Should he begin contributing to tbe Pnnch he would in lese then two years own end edit H, but otherwise he may be trusted. (Signed) Hcxry Ward Brkchkr. "Thet letter gives you some idee of how quick Beecher was. The most of the two hours was taken up in the boy’s going from my office to Mr. Beecher's bouse and beck, end Mr. Beech er must have dashed the letter off within five minutes. He was venr quick, and was always full of ideas.” "What kind of a man was Ed ward Everett?” I asked. "that rouimitr :ctcL«.* "H* was s much misunder stood man,” replied Mr. Bonnet. You remember whet Wendell Phillips.once said of him. It was when Mr. Everett was in the Senate. Said Mr. Phillips: 1 am speaking of the Senator from Massachusetts, not that polished icicle, Edward Everett, but that huuiau gentleman, Charles Summer.’ When Everett was onr Minister to England Queen Victoria is said to have remarked that be was the only American gentleman she had ever met. Mr. Everett was more than a polished icicle. He was not a mere intellectuality, bnt lie was a man of great soul. His. letters to uie were full of feeling. lie seldom slighted any one. lie was a high minded, conscientious, patriotic, Christ ian gentleman.’’ "Was he u good writer?" I asked. "Yes," replied Mr. Bonner. "He was the first scholar of the land, and still he w.is very care ful of his work. He made mi mistakes in puncluatiou sud some of his articles he wrote and rewrote before he sent them to me. _ He was glad to get sug gestions and sometimes asked mv advice as to the publication oi certain paragraphs." The conversation here drifted to advertising matters and I asked Mr. Bonuer to tell me the secret of of his success in adver tising. He replied:— I can hardly remember when 1 was not studying the advan tages of different advertising features. When I was a boy the New York Herald was very much criticised by the other newspapers of the country. I saw that the more the Herald was talked abont the more the people bought it, and when I took the Ledger f saw that ( must get the paper talked about. I most not only have a good paper, but the people must know it. I would not borrow, but 1 spent all tuy surplus iu advertising. One time I spent $2,000 for a single advertisement in the New York Herald. At another 1 offered the New York Tribune $3,000 for one insertion in the daily, weekly and tri weekly. I paid during one week $27,000 for advertising and in one year $150,000. "These ^trais in those days were as big as ten times the same amounts now, and many of my friends thought I was going crazy. At one time I paid $25,000 to the papers for pub lishing instalments of a certain story which ended with the words, ‘Continued next week in the New York Ledger.’ 1 did this once in the Herald, pub lishing two instalments, so that the readers thought they were going to get the whole story in the Herald, and then at the close of [the second instalment stated that they must look for its con tinuation in the Ledger. All of this rapidly increased my circu lation. "6ne of the secrets of good advertising is to have your ad vertisements unlike those of any other man. II all advertisements in a paper are displayed this is equal to no display. My adver tisements were always original; they attracted attention, and the publishers of the papers who were adverse to a display ob jected to them. Once the elder Bennett sent word that I must use leas capitals. I answered that I wonld not use any, and repeated one sentence a n notincing a new story over and over again to the extent of several columns without a break. "The letters were continued out to the edge of the colnmn line without regard to the finish ing of the words, and the next aay i.haa several cohmius of solid type in the Herald. The advertisement was about the most striking the Herald had ever had, and after that Mr. Bennett told me that I could do as I pleased. At one time the Tribune refnsed to give we a page in the weekly. Mr. Bennett heard of this, and sent word that the Herald would always give me all the space 1 wanted? I replied that I would take the whole paper on the next Satur day. Mr. Bennett aald all right. And he published an additional sheet, giving me a page op posite each page of reading “frier. 1 could give yon fifty ° l ,*T. ‘n*hmcea of advertisements which attracted attention, but this is enough. One of the great secrets of anccesa I believe, is to first have a good thing, and then to advertise it so that the people cannot help knowing that yon have It.*' Utah lisa adopted amazingly drastic legislation with regard to tobacco and opinm. A law has bees passed providing for a fine of $5 or five days’ imprison ment for aay one under 18 years of age who even has in his or her possession a cigarette, a cigar or aay other kind of tobac co, or say opium. THE POSTAL IWVESTiflATIOH. ■alM the Cartels and Let the Peeple Have a Chance te See Malttranrr America*. A few years ago, when the Cuban postal frauds were first brought to light, the question on every lip was. "What will they do about it?" It was on the eve qf a Presidential campaign, and the public was In doubt as to whether the thing would be hushed up uud smoothed over 01 ventilated and the guilty pun islied; But the answer to the question was not long in coin ing. President McKinley and his advisers determined at once that the best way to end a scan dal was to let the people know the whole truth, keeping noth ing back nor trying to *bi*ld anybody. The result was hint for not one single moment did the administration have to bear blame for what was done iu Cu ba. With that unerring power of discernment which is theirs, and that innate dense of justice and (air play for which they are famous, the people saw immedi ately that the fault was individ ual ; that certain officials, acting upou their owu responsibility, were alone guilty, aud the smell of sinukc never reached the ad ministration. rliiugs are slightly different now. The scandal in tbe Post office Department is of Jong standing, and the public's ac quaintance with it dates back several months, it drags along with an occasional outburst, but keeping almost constantly be hind the curtain officials of the department seem anxious to keep drawn. Vague and indef inite rumors are about a» to the conduct of this division chief and that some strange things have happened, and still the public knows nothing. Charges and counter charges are made and nothing seems ever to come of them. This official and that is under investigation, and still there it no action. Inci dents are specified and the proof is presented, but tbe de partment sits in ease and com fort, while all of the officers in volved, with one or two excep tions, continue to occupy their positions, having full access to all documents and the files of their offices in which irregulari ties arc alleged. It is a strange proceeding to say the least. It may be that tbe rumors of scandalous, even criminal conduct in the various offices have been greatly exag gerated. It may even be that there is no ground whatever for scandal. But certainly the atti tude of tbe department is not calculated to encourage this be lief. Things appear to go upon tbe assumption that there is something to be covered up, and meanwhile tbe public’s idea of the scandal grows apace. It would be infinitely better for all concerned if the curtain should be raised and the people be giv en a cbauce to see what is real ly in tbe Post-office Depart ment. _ Storage aad Domorraga Ckirfu to Govern Railroads la this Slate. liMrt Special, SUi. The corporation commission to-day made the nilea to govern storage and demurrage charges to go into effect July 1st, next. The rules allow railroad com panies to charge $1 per day on all car loads not unloaded within 48 hours after notification and 1 per cent, per 100 pounds per day on leu than carload ship menu. The rale further re quires the railroads to place loaded can in 48 hours after their arrival; otherwise the ship pen are to be paid $1 per day in excess of that flame. It is far ther provided that when ship pers make application for un loaded can the railroads shall furnish the same within four days, otherwise the penalty of $1 per day in excess of this time is imposed. The Charlotte Observer says: There are at present 17 cotton mills in Charlotte operating 113 000 spindles and 2,0000 looms. The new factories midar contract to be built this year will increase the number of spindles by 80, 800 spindles and 1,300 looms, giving Charlotte nearly 200.000 spiudles and 3,300 looms. And this docs not include a new silk mill of 70,000 spindle capacity, which, it is said, is to be built here this year. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE THE MEDICfS MEET. MPafr Play and a Free FtaM la Mediciae aa la Tkaolafty.” Boaioa niebe. The conveulion of the Amer ican Medical Association has been held in New Orleans this week. It was the largest con vention ever held in that city, there having been several thon*. and physicians ia session. I’ll* Christian Scientists may I probably find aortic significance in Hie fact that the speech of Dr. Billings was largely on the oversupply of medical men. which he attributed to the excess of medical colleges. The country needed shout 2,500 medical graduates annually, be said, and it graduated from 10,000 to 12,500. He wanted the nnmber of medical colleges reduced to twenty-five or thirty,and thought this work could be beat ac complished by the medical de partments of the State univer sities. Much time was spent on the proposition to change the medical code, there having beeu practically no change since 1847. To a larger extent titan perhaps ever before, it was stated that patent medicines were breaking iu upon regular practice; physi cians were advised not to tike papers which printed medics! advertisements, and it was sug gested that articles be written to tbe papers on the use of quack medicines. The American Medical As sociation is all right, so long as it does not attempt to interdict free competition in the prepara tion and sale of medicines. When its so-called ethical code' presumes to count men out of the profession who are not "regulars,” and to assume other functions which give it the character of on exclusive medical trust, the people are likely to vote it out of order. Pair play and a free field in medicine, as in theology, would seem to be the correct idea. Oar Age. Joka O Wbituer la tkc Outlook.. Nothing ia clearer to my mind than the fact that the world ia growing better. It is sweeter, tenderer; there is more love in it. A worthy deacon of the old time in New England one.; de scribed a brother in the church as a very pious man God word, bnt a rather bard one mansard. It cannot be denied that very satisfactory steps ia the latter direction bed been taken i i the century now drawing to its .lose. Our age ia tolerant as ret ards creed and dogma, and practically recognising the brotherb of the race; it is quick and gener oos in Its sympathies whenever atd wherever a cry of suffering is beard. It c moot look on pov erty or pait. vithoat seeking to diminish its evil. It has ab olished slavery; it is lifting wo man to an equality with nun be fore the law. Oar criminal codes no longer embody the maxim of "an aye for an eye and a tooth fora tooth." i but bave regard not only to tha safety of the community, bnt al so the well-being of the criminal. All the more tor this amiable tenderness do we need the coun terpoise of a strong tense of Jus tice. All the mom for the sweet humanities and Christian liber alism which am drawing men nearer to each other and increas ing the turn of social influence we need the bracing atmosphere of the old moralities. It is well for ns that we have learned to listen to the persua sions of the Beatitudes; bnt there are crises in all Uvea which re quire the emphatic "Thou ahalt not" of the Decalogue. Rev. Theodora D. Bratton, rector of Bt. Mary's School, Ral igb, has announced hia ac £ cently elected. ALL READY HATS FOR TO-MORROW’S CUSTOMERS *> to the fetnine fancy to ace and to Indie the finished, readv-to-wear i im cbffdfta htvc t^e Petket nnmn, wmen have aude the prodnctsof our work room popular and cause theta to he admired r wherever see*. * Jwat a word of warning ■■ we have a goodly lot of these hats,ImtAete may not be enough to go around to Saturday’s pnrchasers, they are popular ottering*, and yours—well, let ns urge yon to be among the day’s early buyers. JAS. F. YEAGER, LADIES* FURNISHINGS. New line of Neckwear just arrived. Stock of Standard Patterns always on hand mnerns HORSES MOVING * Wc now have oa hand only about 29 head of »fntr end Males. The last car load for this-fa has already amived. : :::::::::: i : : : ; # ' ».* Twelve car loads is our record for this season! The choice stock we now have on head is moving fast; come at once and wake-yoor selection. : j » NEW BUGGIES. With the arrival of spring we have recived a lot of aka new Baggies just oat of the factory. Wc are going to sell them. Get one and enjoy that Barter ride yoa ace plea* ning for. .. CRAIG & WILSON HAMMOCKS Good Hammock^ Better HammociraT Best Hammock^ They Are All Here. Oar He***"1■"’'"“ - ’““' AS .«. win «*»«““* *“T“ “** We want you to see them. You artii|y~ I-™ — *“ "* offering. __—v Por your summer hammocn I come to hammock heaguuarters. We sell the hammock, you ^feSS?*
Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 15, 1903, edition 1
1
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