Omaha daily bee., 1893-07-09
ALLIANCE JOURNALISTS ROW
History of the Trouble Among the State
Independent Newspapers.
LATEST PHASE OF THE SITUATION
Vhornton's Victory VIII Not End the Battle
at Lincoln-Details of the Dis
putes between the Va
rious Factions.

LINCOLN, July S.-[Special to THE BEE i
THE action of the executive committee of the
state alliance last evening was a partial VIC
tory for Mr.. Thornton, but all indications
are that the battle is not yet ended The
story of the feud between the rival leaders
of the Independent hosts is long but rather
Interesting one.
The Farmers Alliance was started in this
CITY some five years ago by young man
named Armitage. He had little money,
but his newspaper experience was limited.
Jay Burrows was afterwards associated
with him in the publication of the paper,
and il was not long until Armitage dropped
out, and the firm name became Burrows x
Thompson, the latter being the secretary of
the alliance, then just beginning TO be a
power in the state. Soon after Burrows 81
Thompson took hold the alliance (the organ
tzation) took wonderful spurts, and in 1889
and 1890 first demonstrated its strength.
The paper was the state organ, and with
Burrows as chairman of the state executive
committee and Thompson rs secretary, the
newspaper was soon valuable property.
Established tho Independent.
In 1891 the Independent was established
here by several enthusiastic independents,
bnt it dragged out weary existence until
S. T.. Thornton came from Kearney, pur-
chased 1t and proc eeded to attempt to make
II n state organ to compete with Burrows
paper The new paper was generally be-
hevedto have been backed by General Van
Wyck, who was then ut bitter war with
Burrows, and to its standard hocked all his
friends and those who did not love the
tilley statesman.
= Suddenly the announcement was made
that the two papers were To be consolidated,
Burrows withdrawing because, it was ex-
planned, of the i'll health of his wife, who
required his care and attention Thornton
took charge as editor-in-chlef of the consoli-
dated paper Thompson, however, retaining
his interest until last December when his
stock was levied on by attachment and sold
for few paltry dollars. Mr.. Thornton's
friends have always cUntended that the
attachment proceedings was merely "a ruse
on the part of Thompson to withdraw from
the paper, and Thompson partially corrobo-
rates II by saying that the controlling
interest was piling up debts and endeayor-
ing to freeze out stockholders,
In the meanwhile W. &. Holden came on
from kearney, started his Liberty, and
turned in to make it warm for Thornton
Dech, Wolfe, Pirtle and the element in the
pops that had the upperhand, In his fight
some very bitter things were said, and
Thornton insists that Burrows wrote or iu-
spired most of them. He in turn lampooned
Burrows and Holden, and later when Bur
rows X Thompson began the publication of
the Alliance Leader and said some scorching
things about Thornton, he took revenge by
filing charges against both of them, basing
his evidence on what he had found in the
books OF the Alliance Publishing company,
when they came INTO tho hands OF the new
company.
substance OF tho Charges.
The charges have never been fully
indicated, but the ones against Thomp-
son were that he had charged the
state alliance from two TO SIX
times reasonable price for work
that the firm Of Burrows x Thompson had
itself done; that he charged up TO the
state alliance as rental for the secretary s
pfhce an amount which equaled the rent