, 1879-02-15
CHRISTIAN ADVOCATES.
The Recent Competition Between
the Methodist PubIi-
cations.
How It Was Brought About, and How
It Was Stopped.

There was printed in yesterdays paper dis
patch from Now York relative to tue meeting oi
the Methodist Hook Committee In tint city foi
Tic purpose OF settling, among other things,
tho disputes between tile various newspapers
an publishing houses controlled by the 1cnotni,
milton. In orticr to ind out something moro
definite on tho subject OF these tlisagrccments,
fcporter called upon Dr.. Hitchcock, Of tho
Western Book concern, and nsketl him what tho
trouble was.
"1hc New York Ad,ocate,n snId the Doctor,
"had been cncroaching oil our territory for
seven or eight years, ant had adopted system
Of pretnlums,-scndlng cut special circulars,-
much to CUR loss. as VIC wcr0 Obliged to 20 Into
tlle sumo business, and could not get from the
Now York house duplicates Of their premiums.
but now the Committee Inns put Us both on tho
same footfng."
"What will be the rcsultit
"Frobab'y the doing awny with premiums"
"Do you consider them unnecessarily
"}cs. Tie editor cut make tho paper. The
idea tint publishers should hire tho pcople to
tako 1t IA pseposterous."
"How mapy papers has the Western Concern
under its iurtsdlettonl"
"Threc,-ono In Chicago. mother In St. Louis,
and q third in Cincnnati.'
fAAk 0AiADEA AQE1 1fGW IQ{H (QDEGE0
controli"
cusc; and they also have charge Ut tue Sun
Francisco AIocate."
"Worc the Eastern publishers personally ben
Gifted by extending the circulation Of the New
York paperl"
"No; all are published for the benefit OF the
Church, the publishers getting a fixed salary"
"What WAS the idca, then, of running TINT
paper to the exclusion Of the othersl'
"About the aame tint influences New York
merchants. They wanted to have all the bust.
uess Of tie country done tn New York;
Was the West alone iu protesting agninst
this eourscf''
no; ,he Northern advocate, ut Syracuse, had
fought against IT,
interest of lie Churchf''
-, "Tes .li Tl.ey arc published By men appointed
BY tic General Conference, which meets onee III
tour years,-two bcre alid TWO in New York.
For !he last four years, the great err has been
consolidation. Tile New York housc, as said,
wanted everything to 20 out fran there But
the Church took hold,-the people autl the
psss.anGhisrs'-not proposing to naye that lone."
There was only glory ut the bottulnf"
=, That Is all. 1l1ers was noincrcasc Of church
literature, because the Subscribers were taken
from =. hon, onc paper, T., anl given to stother.''
"Yes. Take Michigan; 1t has been ;lrst on
ona side aud then On thu Othcr. III 1871 u list
went to New York; In 16sS IL GANG here; this
ycnE tt went thxre; and the gettcr up wouil re-
eciye two PREMIUMS for twenty or thirty aub-
ecrtbera; first III New York atld then III Chicago
We wouldn't know abuut the first une, hut va
tnal|y saw through It. und tllc doubling up tus
been stoppcd. In 1S00 the ccntre uf population
was within twelve miles Of New York; iow it Is
Church las moved Nest rs rapidly; but they
don't acc'n 10 realize tlat fact dorm East.''
Another geHt!c1,an who WIS caItru on bv the
reporter was little t1loSc specific IN hfs state-
mtnts, 1egnusc. not being collnectc'l.in my way
With thu Church or 1ta publications., he could
spcak out little more freely.
The difficulty arosc from. or vas intensified
by, TIC dcsrc 81 Dr. Fowler, who is the ca!tor
t!un ut tile next meeting ot tile Gclcral Confer
cnce. 1t was ILLS desire, rs It Is, presume, to n
crtan extent, tlsAt Of each OF tire editors to
lnnke Us gool allowing as possible, In order to
Rccure reelection. For tht' purpose of getting
as llany Subscribers as possible, .l,ld thus swell
nE the receipts VI The papcr, hn carried tn what
others considered excess this system Of glv,n.
premlums. anl invaded, in Its search for sut-
to the other papers Ut the Church. 1'ie result
Of thls giving Of premiums by hin necessarily
iorce1 inc ottGr papers TO 10 the tanie thug,
Tor II an 1tllnots h!ethotaist finds that, by SUI.
can make better tnr1ns tllnn By subscribing fur
the Chicago Chrtsftan 4tdpoeate. he Ii very mt to
do It, III order to ilght Tint tendency Tic ntl,er
papcrs, Including the Chtcago ddsucafe, hal also
competition which could only DO runous. It
was another case Of lIousu divided uru!nss
Itself. The papers should work together llar-
lnonionslY, not aghtiny one another, and nut
which ssulid lcgltt.nately 20 .ttU tIr col|crs III
the Church. It bceane apparent to tic Western
people, ! understand, that they ,ycro simply
cutting one another's tnroats by this cnmpeti-
fSpI&h . anil 41,,
ou to New York rcady for business. ami. ne.
corllng to tho dIspatch published In yuur M
per, t!lcy have succeeded In carrying their
polut.h