The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-02-06

A True History of this Jour-
nalistic Enterprise.
Why It Failed. and What it Cost
to Try the Experiment.

A BAzoo reporter met Major ]. n. Ed
wards yesterday, who had just returned
from st. Louis and Jefferson City To settle
up mis- own private affairs, and asked him
il he had any objections to make . state
ment in regard to the Dispatch as . news.
paper and as business venture.
"None," he replied, none whatever. On
the contrary. We she began it-Bacon
Montgomery. Harvey Plattenburg and my
self-would Be glad to have the exact CON-
dition of Affairs we'll and truly known"
In the first place, then, what induced
you to start the newspaper
That is matter Of no importance. 1t
is sufficien, to know that il was started
and that il failed"
"Ho~ much money did you put into it p
"Just SS.Y75 in actual cash. give you
the figures to . cent 1t was a very expen-
nearly $500 per week. Its telegraph bill,
per month, Tor the Associated
Press dispa ches. was Sl20, to say
nothing Of specials. Our main ides
in beginning As we did vas to make Cen
trail Missouri Dewspaper-one which would
hold Seda!ia up rs the business, CONNER
cisl and political metropolis OF this geo.
graphical section of the state. Then
rsniiy in every other direction. Perhaps
No Journal OF like size and character ever
took mold 80 upon the people outside of the
immediate place where it was pablished as
did the Dispatch. Yon would scarcely
expect newspaper published here to have
It's daily subscribed Tor literally through
out the state, and its weekly constantly de-
mande,I in Colorado, Arkansas ard Texas.
but such was actually the case with ne one
i'm question. Away from home our sub
scription list was growing rapidly. la
Peitis county, outside oil the city, the
weekly was being universally subscribed
for In the city the daily number supplied
nv carriers was som.w where between 400 snd
500"
mo more than thar"
NO more than that, and | doubt that
even this small number was ever gone be-
You'd by any other newspaper ever pub
dealing with our own affsirs-not with
those vi snvOody else"
and job work ?"
'We had no Job office"
advertising patronage%
Mex, TO nothing, comparatively. Where
one business man advertised, no matter to
what extent. there were ten VINO did not Ii
Was their right, They did as they chose
Nobody complains for a single moment.
The dispatch was simply aniinvestmenijust
like anv other business investment Ii
could not live by iavorirism. Ii it could
not convince a man by it's enterprise, its
vigor, and its usefulness, that i, would be
profitable for him to either subscribe for il
or advertise in il, or both, No amount OF
persona! solicitation would have avsiled
aught. How we'll the newspaper did this,
Is no, for the TO say Judging by results,
however. IL did il bat poorly"
And now what will you all do2"
"One thing above every other thing
Firs,-pav every dollar that We owe.
Fortunately We are IN = condition, or will
o. an a coIsjiii ion very soon, II he able To
do this. We have some valuable timber
interests and contracts, and some still more
valuable silver mines. Already negot aIiOns
at. veil advanced for suiiicient money to
paw whatever is We; unpaid, Not alone Il
those whom xe owe IN SSdalia, but 10 rvim-
0urse every subscriber who has
paid III advance for either the
daily or weekly. We intend IL give him
his choice between ? money and having
SUtne other newspaper >eut 10 him that
wou;i please him Duch better. perhfp
than The dispatch might have done This
NAV he accomplished an thirty DAYS, in sixty
al The verv iur;hs>- - our nrgut a,ions
are being done in New York. II may take .
litlIy ion,vr"
WHY hav" you no, utilized your mines
beicre?"
Because OF the Ute Indians. Wher
Teller was appointed secretary OF the in
terror, he made a clean sweep Of the Utes
but II was then too ,ate 10 get In. We arr
ready, however, ana. better than all, the
money and aslchinery are ready"
Who are interested with Montgomery
Plaiienburg and yourself in these mines p
There are six of us in all. Jne. 1
Hesrd ia on-. Another one is vel
known railroad man vf the old N X. 4
+. railroad. nov living III st. Louis. Tbs
sixth man IL another equally we'll knowr
railroad official Of the old NJ, X. Il I.
now . millionaire in New York. But wh'
cares for all this? We were talking sbOu
the Dispatch"
well, will it be resurrected?'
Never by AS
"Wha, became OF its Associated Pres
franchise"
1t went to Its creditors"
"What will they do with il ~
"What they please IL cost $4,000 casl
in the first place, and more personal he'll
and influence in strong, high quarters tina
any one dreams of outside OF our own man
agement. BIT for persona! friendships tn
Dispatch could never have succeeded il
getting in at any price"
Suppose it is extinguished; wha
then ?"
"That makes the Democrat the sole pos
SCISSOR of the franchise in Sedslia, not onl
now, but for all time. Or at least a
long as the present. relations exist betwee
the Kansas and Missouri Press association
and the Western Union Telegraph CON
PAW
as it valuable?"
| GVstuahloi Supposa Won owued n locf