The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-07-29


paper, having invented press which
he believed would supplant Hoes,
wanted to sell it and devote himself ex-
clusively to his invention. Bonner was
afraid that in selling the weekly some
one would buy it who would take the
printing out of his hands. He did not
like the idea of losing his profit, and to
prevent this determined to purchase the
publication himself.
As soon as he had obtained posses
sion of the property he set about trying
to improve it, which was by no means
difficult. The first thing he did was to
drop the Merchants part of the title;
next was to leave out some of the old
commercial tables and substitute for
them miscellaneous reading matter.
Thus freshened, its circulation began to
grow, and in few months he discov-
cred that with very little expense he
had added materially to his income.
Every change he made had the same
desirable effect. His best course was,
therefore, plain enough; it was novelty
his readers desired, and he was resolv-
ed they should have it. The second
year after taking The Ledger he en-
gagged Mrs. Lydia Fl. Sigourney, then
at the acme of her popularity. to con-
tribute stories and verses to its col
umns, and she continued to be an ex-
elusive contributor until her death,
twenty-five years later. The next per-
son he secured was Fanny Fern. who
won wide reputation by her uncon-
ventional, slap-dash articles. paying for
story by her 800 column. This at
tracted general attention, and turned
the tide in favor of The Ledger. 1t had,
when he purchased it, barely three
thousand circulation, and within five
years he ran it up to one hundred thou
sand. When Bonner felt assured of
success he used for some time to 60 to
the bank every Saturday, and deposit a
clear 81, ,OO0,--the profits of the paper,
and that was probably one of the
happiest periods of his life. He made
several remarkable innovations in Jour-
nalsm, one of which was to refuse all
advertisements. on which most journals
depend for their principal profit. and
another to advertise in so lavish man
ner as to be without precedent. He
was the father of grandly-displayed,
mnnificeent advertisements, having
paid as much as $4,000 in one week
and $500 in a single year.
Bonner has made all his money, di-
rectly OF indirectly, out of The Ledger,
which is now nearly twenty-five years
old. He was the founder of the modern
story paper, though many such have
since appeared, copying his ideas and
methods. In these days-he is now 62
he takes things leisurely, apparently
enjoying trotting horses, of which he
has the finest stable in America, more
than anything else. He has obtained a
good deal of gratuitous advertising
through them. He is one of the shrewd-
est of men, leaving no stone unturned
to benefit himself and extend his repu-
tation. He has all the traits in ex-
treme of the stock from which he
sprang He has been more generous
to writer's than any other publisher,
his generosity also acting as an adver-
tisement. 1t is his custom to engage
writer's of stories exclusively for The
Ledger at $4,000 year, which is far
higher compensation than they could
get anywhere else. He has given ex-
travagant prices to many noted men
and women; but he no longer needs
their names or articles. The paper
now takes care of itself, and its propri-
etor understands his public and the
period.