Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-09-04
A DISREPUTABLE SCHEME.


parties who have made their boast that
they would drive US out of town, but
the lowest, most despicable trick that
we have been the victim of was sprung
last week, when large number of our
subscribers received an inquiry from
the Third Assistant Postmaster
General. asking if they were paying
subscriber to PUBLIC OPINION. Natnr-
ally, many of them did not know
what the inquiry meant and paid but
little attention to it. 1t is simply an
other of their false schemes to iDjure
this paper. Ia come manner (of course
not from the papers as they went
through the post office they have Sc
cured list Of names from among our
subscription list and forwarded them to
Washington with the claim that the
subscriptions Of PUBLIC OPINION are
not paying ones, but that the paper is
being sent broadcast over the county
free Of charge, simply to maintain a
large subscription list. The object OF
this smooth scheme is to exclude
PUBLIC OPINION from admission to
the mails as second class mail matter.
They thus endeavor by one broad
sweep to put US out of existence, and
have stopped to this low intrigue to
accomplish it. having failed in numer-
GUS other attempts.
The truth is, the PUBLIC OPINION is
steadily growing better, its subscription
list is gradually growing larger lit now
excels all others in the county by
several hundred) and this property
could not be purchased today as cheap
as it might have been at any other
time in its history. We haze not a
dozen free subscribers on our list, that
we knOs0 Of, and s0e expect every person
whO receives PUBLIC OPINION to pay
for it, either in. cash, aOood, labor,
pumpkins or something of value. y
anyone thinks he is getting PUBLIC
OPINION free, he is hereby notified that
he a0iU be expected to settle for 1t.
During the month of August, just pass.
ed, we received at this office for SUBJ
scriptions alone in cash $75.75, and IL
was not an extra month in payment
of subscription accounts either. Does
that look like we are giving the paper
away free?
Jealous of the success of PUBLIC
OPINION, they are determined to crush
it by lying, deceitfll, disreputable
schemes. We might fill this page full
with recital of their dastardly tricks.
They have boasted that they would dc
so, and are employing every possible
effort to accomplish this result. We
doubt, however, if they hope to have
this paper excluded from the mails,
but are making this feint in an effort
to induce the business men of Decorah
to the belief that the subscription list
of PUBLIC OPINION is not bona fide,
SO that they will withhold advertising
patronage from US. Our answer is
that II we cannot prove conclusively
that we have received more cash fol
subscriptions during the past year than
any other county paper, we will give
the merchant who makes the inquiry
q years advertising free. They have
peddled this lie from one end of De
corah to the other, but like all others
have failed to make it work. We car
ouly state that the PUBLIC OPINION
subscription list Is bona fide, and ash
those parties receiving the slip above
referred to, to return it to Washington
with the correct answer, as in that way
the department may be informed O
the exact situation.
After having fattened upon federal
state, county and city patronage fol
nearly half q century. paying theil
creditors repeatedly twenty cents or
the dollar In liquidation of honest debts
crushing beneath their slimy fee
whossv v.r failed to do their bidding
however disleputable 1t might be, they
seek now to ruin one who by strict At
tentiOn to business and by homes
dealings with his fellow plen seeks t
provide livelihood for himself and
family, and to build up pubic enter
prise to which all may point with pride
We have endeavored to conduct thil
newspaper on honest business prin
ciples, letting others attend to theirs
and advancing the interests Of Decoraf
and Winnesheik county wherever VI
were able, providing . medium of new
and advertising that Is progressive
reputable and up-to-date. We expec
to continue doing the same in th,
future, and II we can merit the sam,
liberal following that has been gener
ously accorded US in the past, ou
highest anticipations in this regar,
will be realized.
VICE PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT ha
promised to make several campaign
speeches Ia Iowa this fall.
For Q thorough course In tn
prankiOal hra nchaa attend the Valdo