The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1910-04-13
COLLINS TELLS A
FEW FACTS, TOO.
FLORIDA LAND MAN WHO WAS
ATTACKED BY TIE MORNING
KNockER WHEN HE REFUSED
TO ADVERTISE, TELLS FACTS
ABOUT THE cAsE-sHoWs UP
THE LYING MORNING NEWS.

The morning knoclSe- insuIted the
intelligence of It's fast dwindling list
of readers when IL made it's weak and
| wobbling statements last Sunday about
the articles 1t published last Jan. 80
and Feb. is on Florida and Mexico land
/ frauds. None but the simple minded
or the deluded reader of this moral
sheet can fail to see that The News
was seeking to scare me back into its
columns as an advertiser when it pub
lished It's sweeping generalizations
about Florida lands.
The facts are these: The News So
| licited me continuously and eagerly for
advertising on my Florida Everglades
proposition and carried my advertising
steadily up to the time that I ordered
1t out Of the paper and refused to give
them further advertising. THE NEWS
DID NOT REFUSE ITS ADVERTIS-
ING COLUMNS TO ME, 1 refused to
further use them. 1t was after my
emphatic statement to the manager
OF The News that I would not adver-
tise with that paper, and after I had
hired the advertising manager and the
collector from that paper to work for
me that the articles about Florida land
frauds began. The advertising man
ager of The News, who was most inti-
mate with the merits Of my Everglades
proposition, and who knew the inside
and outside of my business, left The
News and came with me. The News
utters a characteristic untruth il IL
insinuates that it ever discovered my
proposition to be worthless or other
than represented.
In deciding the matter Of the value
Of Florida land propositions why did
not The News take the word of it's
favorfte authority, Golfers Weekly,
In its issue of Jan. %, which highly
praises the projects in Florida such as
are being forwarded by my company.
further instance of the love of The
News for falsehood is it's statement
that 1T had to sue to collect its account
against me. refused to pay the bill it
rendered at that time only because 1t
was presented at the middle of Nov
enber Immediately after stopped my
advertising. told them the bill would
be paid at the end of the month in ac-
cordance with the usual custom of set
ting advertising bills. This bill was
not again presented to me by The
News but was turned over to their at
torney in furtherance of their usual
tactics and was paid by me when pre-
sented by their attorney. I never de-
MED the bill or refused payment but
simply took the thirty days time that
is always allowed on Advertising ac-
counts. There is no record in the
courts Of the fact that The News fled
suit against me and no summons
was ever served upon me.
These facts can be verified by any
one upon examination of the court rec
ords in this county which places The
News in the open position of mali
ciously warping facts SO that they ap-
pear in the columns of The News as
absolute untruths. Since their mis-
representations are so patent in small
matters 1t is but reasonable to sup
pose that they could be induced to
make greater Misrepresentation in
enterprises of great moment.
Any impartial reader can readily
see that The News published its Flor
ida land articles to make Collins come
across" No intelligent man believes
that If had furnished them with ad-
vertising they would have continued
these articles. But I refused to be bIed
and since November last, I have not
used advertising space in The News
from choice only, and not because I felt
that they would not gladly take the
advertising If offered it.
The News alluded to nv "Fforida
land" proposition in its issue of last
Sunday as fraudulent and made ref
erence to their article appearing Feb
13, 1910, in which they referred to
Mexico and Florida land grafters. At
the time of their issue of Feb. l3 / did
not know that reference was made to
me and my Florida land proposition.
But now that they have publicly iden-
tilted me with their former publica.-
tions, I wish to make a public chal-
lenge to The News to produce to the
reading public something besides in
situations and false representations
defy The News to prove that the
Everglade Land Sales Co. Kansas
City, Mo-, whom I represent. is not
presenting to its patrons one OF the
best land investments in the country
today, backed by some of the strong
est and most conservative business
men in the southwest. Now "if this
statement is not true" The News has
it's chance to show the public some
thing other than its prating bravado
and its unused acumen. The News
has been unable to make a financial
success OF its own proposition and 1t
seems to take pleasure in judging
others by itself.
/ take 1t as compliment that any
paper guilty of nefarious practices,
and palpable misuse Of its news COL
unns to vent spite and "get even,, as
The News is in this case, should at
tack my proposition. Such tactics as
It practiced in my case is fast making
this morning knocker worthless ad-
vertising medium for all reputable
propositions.
Robert w. Collins.