The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-02-27
From President Donnelly. to
an Alliance

y. y. JEPSON, ESQ.,,
Secretary of Alliance, 675.
Renville, MINI.
DEAR SIR:-Your valued favor of the
18th, inst, is received. l would say,
in reply, that no investigation has yet
been made, by the Executive Com
mittee, as to the value of the plant OF
"THE GREAT West" We simply re-
ceived their proposition and turned
it over to the local Alliances to con-
slider.
It is difficult to fix the value of news
paper property. 1t does not consist
in type and presses alone. I am told
that there are newspapers with fifty
thousand circulation and doing an
immense business, they do not own a
dollars worth of material. They get
their work all done by others. "THE
GREAT WEST" claims 1 am told a
circulation of seven thousand and
they also claim, that the circulation
of the paper, is worth a dollar for
each subscriber, because it probably
cost that much on the average, to get
a subscriber. The Executive Com
mittee, however, have simply submit
ted the proposition to the members of
the Alliance in order that they might
thoroughly discuss the whole subject.
A large majority of the Executive
Committee, has agreed that, if it were
possible, the State Alliance should
own it's own paper: There are many
reasons for this. 1t would save a
great deal of money in sending out
circulars, if we knew that paper of
our own was read by every Alliance
member in the state: We could then
probably consolidate our whole
power and cast our entire vote in a
solid body, in favor of such measures
as the Alliance deemed to be right.
Moreover, the establishment of a
state organ would put an end to the
chickering's and contentious which now
distract us. Two state newspapers in
the Alliance means two factions in the
Alliance; and two factions in the AL
lance means, ga house divided against
itself can not stand"
But there is another more impOr-
tant considerations: We should have
some paper that we can build up and
place in every farm house in the state,
but the trouble is, that if we were to
SO develope newspaper, owned by
private parties, and gave it a clrcu-
lation of fifty or hundred thousand,
we are building up a gigantic power
that may, in time, turn upon and
crush us.
In saying this I desire to make no
reflections on DR.. Fish, or his associ-
ate, DR.. Frain. / believe them to be
as honest as they are capable, and
truly devoted to the interests of the
Alliance; but DR.. Fish's health is pre-
carious; he may die at any time, and
the control of the paper pass into the
hands OF stranger.
Again we can conceive this possibili-
ty; let us suppose that in 1892, the
Alliance has a state ticket in the field,
and candidates for the Legislature in
every county. The Railroad Compan-
les perceive clearly that the fight is
against their exactions, and, if sue
cessful, will squeeze the water out of
hundreds of millions of watered stock;
What is to prevent them at that time,
going to the publishers of ''THE GREAT
WEST" and Offering them twenty or
fifty thousand dollars, if you please,
for their paper? Such sum would
be a mere bagatelle to men who are
taking twenty millions a year out OF
the people of this state to pay inter-
est on watered stock. Could we
blame the publishers of ''THE GREAT
WEST" for accepting twice, or thrice
what their plant was worth, especial
ly if the fear Of approaching death
suggested to the principal party the
necessity of providing for his family.
What would be the RESULT if such
purchase was made? Our friend and
advocate would become our enemy;
an enemy that would enter the
house of every Alliance man in
the state, to confuse, deceive
and bewilder him with cunning pre-
fences. The result would be as disas-
trous as disgraceful.
1t was these considerations that in
OOCCO 1EAC w OIASo$3CoO UAAbO IL VIC AlO AlOO
own our own newspaper, outright, we
should at least have some legal con-
troll over it, and then do all we could
to build it up into a tremendous sue
cess. pay no attention to the mean
and petty attacks made upon my mo-
tives. l have not and never had q
dollars interest in "THE GREAT
WEST" and l have no more control
over its utterances than you have.
am simply striving to do my duty by
those who have trusted their interests
in my hands. Any fool can blunder
headlong into folly; the reasonable
man looks ahead and tries to provide
against dangers of the future.
If for any reason your people are
not satisfied to purchase THE GREAT
WEST" at. the price suggested, but
still believe that the Alliance should
own it's own organ, then would sug-
gest that you make a canvass of your
members, and find out how much
Alo~~ I'LL - 49, -