Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-05-22
AN OPEN LETTER


both, and the greatest prosperity will
follow that town which continues to
exert the utmost activity, all other
things being equal
But few merchants OF each place
have been heavily taxed for the bene-
fit OF the entire community-some-
times with profit; but not always.
Where enterprise is controlled by eau
ton and directed by judgment 1t in
variably triumphs; but rivalry may
become merely captious and jealous,
and the winner may find he has paid
too dearly for his whistle.
There ia an impending movement
by the merchants of both cities, before
whose contamination bid You halt.
am not influential enough to he
consulted in advance, but I shall no
doubt be called upon to contribute my
mite i'll the others do, and I take
this method of volunteering my views
in advance.
After the recent election in Dallas,
Mr.. Il. l.. Marsalis of Marsalis
81 Co., the wholesale grocers,
shrewdly took advantage Of ali
uafriendliness toward the Herald on
the part OF some of the people, to
avenge on that paper the defeat of his
father-in-law, DIR. Crowdus, who had
run for mayor and was beaten partly,
perhaps, by the Herald's antagonism.
Steps were taken to form company,
but they were abandoned because it
became evident that, while with some
(such as Col. Hughes, r.. V. Tompkins
and Alfred Davis it was anything to
benefit Dallas" with others it was
anything to down the HERALD
MIR. Lowe of the Galveston News
has long had the idea Of establishing a
branch of the News in North Texas,
and he seized the suggestion of the
projected company.
Its capital had been put by newspa-
per rumor at $50, 900, and that is the
figure, therefore, Mr.. Lowe thinks
they can "stand.n
Col. Belo has always been unwilling
to go into 80 hazardous an undertake
ing, but when Mr.. Lowe assured him
of the unexpected generosity of the
Dallas people, he naturally consented
with readiness to accept their
munificence. A meeting was held
last week at the Windsor hotel, at
which Col. Belo and Mr.. Lowe were
received by Messrs. Hughes, Treze-
want, Davis and Tompkins.
Some others were invited, but like
Mr.. Sawnie Robertsou) declined, pro-
testing most strenuously against the
unwisdom, nay, the grave folly of SO
manifestly surrendering their auton-
omy as an independent news center.
While the deliberations were going
on, Messrs. Walter Huffman, Joseph II.
Brown, Theodore Vogel and Capt.
Martin entered the hotel, inspired
with the public-spirlted notion that
anything that Dallas wanted was
good enough for Fort Worth to try and
get.
From that moment the Galveston
News and its astutely commercial pro-
prietors have pitted the rivalries of the
two towns In order to increase the
amount of stock to be subscribed.
The result makes no difference to the
News, except rs to the amount of sub.
sidy 1t receives.
Each town gives about the same To-
cal support; each has about the same
facilities for distribution; each place
would equally we'll serve the purpose
of the News.
What does the town gain?
1t gains an advertisement.
But at what cost
Either could get as good newspa.
paper rs the News could give it, for an
additional expenditure of, at the out.
side, $4,000.
Then what does 1t get for the Other
S40,o 600?
If the News goes to Dallas it means
with the support of all its business
mep) death or extreme poverty to the
} Herald and the sacrifice of thousand,
OF dollars invested in it.
Dallas cannot now-nor will It be
able for five years to- support two
morning papers,
If the News goes to Fort Worth il
means the same fate for THE GAZETTE
upon which $4,000 have been ex,
pended, and through whose veins
courses the blood of Fort Worth as a
successful city.
1.-THE News buys THE GAZETTE and
takes away its name, it destroys the
I individuality OF the paper of the town,
OF the great Western Texas, and sub
: stttutes-the Galveston News.
AS the head ways In Galveston g,