Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-11
TRUTH ABOUT THE PICTURES
Exposition Purchase Fell Short of $500 and
The Bees Profit Will Not Be $25.
PRANG'S CONTRACT FOR 100000 COPIES
Daily Bee Finds it Impossible to Col
Iect for Material Furnished and
for Advertising Articles of
Incorporation.

OMAHA, July 10.-To the Editor OF The
Bee: My attention has been called to a
column of Misrepresentation in the World
Herald of July 8, regarding the business
relations of The Bee and the Greater
America Exposition. AS business man
ager Of The Bee, all of the transactions re-
ferred to passed through my hands per-
sonally, and the details were entirely un-
known to any one but myself, and partic-
ularly to Mr.. Edward Rosewater my
father, who was absent most Of the time
in the interests of the Greater America Ex-
position.
One would imagine from the statements
made that l had spent nine tenths of my
time in soft -soaping the exposition man
ayers and using every means known to the
most brazen faced book agent to obtain
business from the exposition, as we'll as
using The Bee as a club to obtain bust
ness.
The facts, however are that, with the
exception Of the publication of the articles
of incorporation, no business was solicited
by The Bee. and all propositions made were
at the request of the exposition manage
ment. The publication of the articles of
incorporation of the exposition should have
been given to The Bee without solicitation.
for at that time The Bee was doing every
thing it could to arouse public sentiment
in favor of the second exposition, and in
spite of the fact that we were receiving pro-
tests and discontinuances from out of town
subscribers, while the World Herald was
quietly playing the clam and having its
QUITO town solicitors use the argument
that The Bee was in favor of another eX
position and for that reason they should
discontinue The Bee and take the World
Herald. People who read the screed in
the World Herald would naturally be led
to believe that the exposition was in
vegled and bulldozed into paying The Bee
$4,000 or $1,000 for worthless pictures and
charged up at eXtravagant prices, when in
fact the total purchase fell short of $500,
and the profit on these sales will not amount
to s25.
The Truth as to Those Pictures.
During the last exposition The Bee pur-
chased the rights for Nebraska for a most
attractive pamphlet, which is familiar to the
public as Snap Shots" 1t also made ar
rangements with John r. Key, the present
art director of the exposition, to paint
twelve pictures Of the exposition, which were
reproduced by the best color work firm in
the country, Prang e. Co., OF Boston.
The Greater America Exposition manage
ment failed to provide any printed matter
whatever for their Department of Publicity.
When the exposition management awoke to
this fact less than four months before the
exposition was to open ana not line nor
picture, had been sent out owing to their
negligence in making provision for such
material they came to The Bee to help them
out.
The Snap Shot pamphlet was revised in
such way as to make a handsome and ac-
ceptable advertising pamphlet for the
Greater America Exposition, and price was
given them Of 6la cents per copy in lots OF
5000, which was the same price paid by
Swift & Company of South Omaha and Others
for whom we got up special pamphlets. II
contained twenty-four views. The secretary
of the exposition, who knew Just sufficient
about the grocery business to make failure
OF it and nothing about the printers bust
ness, imagined that they could put quart
into pint pail and could have three pages
of printed matter and twenty-four views
in twenty four pages. Any rational person
would understand that the three pages OF
printed matter would be substituted for
views in the pamphlet. This was done, ano
for this reason there were twenty-one views
and three pages of printed matter In the
pamphlet.
While it is true that the exposition got
similar books at later Gate for less price
they ordered 100 900 at time and used a
cheap stock cover and. cheaper paper. both
OF which facts account for a difference in
price. They also compelled their Publicity
Department to wait untif eight weeks before
the opening OF the exposition before they
were able TO get this pamphlet, when there
was a crying need of sending out literature
in order TO bring in people from outside OF
Omaha.
On January 10 the exposition purchased
fifteen sets OF Keys pictures with mats suit
able for framing in handsome portfolio COW
ers, for which they were charged the retail
price OF 81 per set. At later date they
made purchase OF fifty sets with mats and
at another date thirty-hys sets, for which