Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-30
WANTED TIE MIDLAND
Breaking Out Of War With Spain
Stopped an Important Deal
In Iowa.
Midland Monthly and johnson
Brigham Might Have Gone
to Chicago.
The Midland Was 10 Have Been
Weekly Magazine Feature
Of Record.
Special to Times Republican.

Etne CnlCa&0 Record THIS week serves 10
recall an inciGent which came near
causing the less to Iowa of the man
who has since become its most valued
state Librarian. The Chicago Record
was for nearly a year on the point of
absorbing the Midland Monthly, Iowa 81
first and only monthly magazine The
story has not been told before, but it is
worth preserving.
Early in the year 1898, after the Mid
Hand Monthly had been running along
smoothly for several years and was
making for itselfsan enviable reputation
as a high class literary magazine, john
son Brigham the editor, received a let
ter from Lee Leslie making some in
quiries about il. Brigham and Leslie
had been friends a good While and Les
lie had been greatly Interested in the
magazine from the start 1t appears
that Leslie. who was ON the Chicago
Record. had had a conversation with
Mr.. Albert Beaunisne, business mana
ger of the Record, In which the Midland
Monthly had been mentioned and the
suggestion made by one of them that it
would be a good basis for a weekly
magazine feature for the Chicago Rec
ord to take the place of the Sunday is
sue which is a feature of other papers.
The Record never issued Sunday pa
per. Whether this was due to Difference
ffor the Sabbath or for other reasons
may be questioned. But the publishers
I of the Record realized that absence of
/ Sunday issue was a real deficiency. Les
/ lie was urged to see Brigham and find
MI bcf h "A
or transfer it to Chicago and to get
terms. Soon thereafter he came TO Des
Moines, talked it over with Brigham
informally and reported that the Mid
land could be got,
The next step was to get the matter
ITO the attention of Victor F. Lawson,
the owner of the Record. Mr.. Beau
nisne approached him on the subject,
| and much to his joy found that Lawson
way greatly pleased with the sugges-
| ton. Mr.. Lawson. as owner of two
! daily newspapers and president of the
! Associated Pres was a very busy man
and hard to approach, but finally a date
was made with him when MIR Brigham
should meet him and talk itsoyer. Mr..
! Brigham went TO Chicago, but Lawson
had been compelled TO go to Washing
4 ton that day. He discussed the matter
freely with Mr. Beauninse and the two
planned for the future. The Midland
! Monthly was to be sold to Lawson and
was to become a weekly magazine, be-
/ ing in fact the Saturday evening issue
/ of the Daily Record. lis name would
4 be the Midland Weekly" or The Mid
LAND" as that name was pleasing to all.
| The best artists Of the Record and the
best writer's were to be used in making
the magazine. 1t was to be something
LATTER the size and style of the Paris Fl 4
CARO-. Mr.. Brigham Was to go to Chicago
to be the editor. The matter of fixing
his salary was TO be left to Mr.. Lawson.
who is liberal in the matter of salaries,
and generally pays all man is worth.
Both MIR. Beaunisne and MIR Brigham
i We're elated. The former had been Civ
en- INSTRUCTIONS by Mr.. Lawson to pro-
coed and arrange all details. III was re-
garded by all as a settled matter, tho no
announcement was made.
4
i About this time Mrs. Lawson's health
was poor and the doctors advised Law
ION to travel with his wife for the good
I of both. They We're to take trip up
1.-The Nile, and hastily departed. MIR.
Il Lawson was soon out Of reach OF the
q cable. In the meantime MIR. Brigham
had begun to consider the place in the
Iowa state library ana wrote Mr.. Beau
risne that If anything was done it
would have to be done quickly. When
MIR. Lawson reached Cairo or AleAan-
: dria on his return trip he learned of the
: var into which the United States had
!. been forced on account of the desire OF
II found a letter awaiting min with r.iel-
! ence to the Midland project ana urgina
that 1t be settled at once. Mr.. Lawson
:. realized what the war meant to the
J, newspapers and especially to the Rec.
!. ord. He knew 1t was not a time to en-.
!. ligage in new literary ventures and that
securing war news meant a big expense
/ account for every American newspaper
!, He Immediately cabled Mr.. Beaunisnc
Drop magazine project; bend all en-
orgies on war"
That settled the matter. Mr.. Brigham
llfad already been elected state librarian
4 He had previously sold the Midland
t Monthly to Conway & Shaw, but hae
t RETAINED an option on 1t and was Still
: its editor. Soon thereafter he took adj
Z Vantage of his option and sold the Mid
s land Monthly to a company organized il
e ST. Louis. The man who was at thu
e head OF the company was not cut on
e for magazine manager and 1t LASTED
s but short time. But the company palt
I Its bills and paid Mr.. Brigham for thu
; magazine. There is no doubt that 1
the project to take the Midland to Chi
cago and make II a part OF the Hecor,
had been carried out 1t would have be
. come one OF the striking features Of TIL
: literary adjuncts to metropolitan news
7 papers. Mr.. Beaunisne was very mucl
: disappointed because of the failure Il
e complete the deal. But for the comm,
:. OF the Cuban war the story of the fat
! of the Midland would have been differ
ent.
8 CONDITION OF TRADE.
Bradstrsst's Review says the Genera
Tone 10 Cheerful.