Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-04-25
HOW NEWSPAPERS won
OUT IN WORLD EVENTS
How one Ad Changed the U. S. Con.
gress Over Nioht-San Francisco
Beat New Orleans for Exposition-A
Hard Fought National Campaign
100. 600 Replies the Result.

100000 Reptile. the Result.
In the recent struggle between New
Orleans and San Francisco Tor the
Panama Exposition, New Orleans
was getting the best of it and stood
fine chances to land the big show at
the completion of the Panama canal,
San Francisco having rebuilt her
destroyed buildings in four years at a
cost of three hundred millions. was
anxious to show the world what she
had done. Congress asked that each
city dig up $7.500,0O0. which both i'm
mediately did, and the congressional
comittees began work to secure nee.
essary force brought to bear on the
s11ators and representatives in the de.
Gliding vote. New Orleans sent men
to visit congressman. got endorse
ments from city officials, civic and
commercial organizations. and dele
cation headed by the governor. city
mayor and prominent citizens went in
a body to Washington to show the nee
essity for cooperation in Lakes and
waterway projects. etc. A carefully
written magazine was sent to every
governor and public official east of
Utah. Circulars were used and the
force of a determined body went into
the fight to win.
When the time was about up, San
Francisco woke up ana started after
the exposition in earnest. She wrote
leading merchants over the west and
brought the weight of their united
letters to their congressman to bear
in swinging the exposition to Frisco.
Ten booklets setting forth the advan-
tages of Frisco were attractively print
ed and mailed to each name on their
list every four days. But New Orleans
had the lead and congress favored the
southern city. Just few days before
the date of choosing the San Fran
cisco business men held consultation
and employed E. NJ. Swasey, an ad-
vertising man, to write them an ad.
calling for the united support Of the
western people for the western city.
1t was wired to one of the greatest
advertising agencies in Philadelphia
who in turn telegraphed in to sixty
one western important newspapers
for insertion in their Sunday, January
22nd edition. The Tribune received
it about ten p. M, five hundred words
by telegraph. You remember the ad
heading. "Wirc President Taft Today"
asking loyal western people to food
Washington with kilograms demand
ing the exposition be taken to Frisco.
For five days the west telegraphed.
The two telegraph companies in the
National Capital were swamped with
People wrote in. From
that one ad in sixty-one leading west.
ern papers, one hundred thousand re-
plies piled into Washington asking
for favoritism to the western city.
President Taft yielded to the showing
from this advertising. Speaker Can.
non smiled on the western city and
when the vote was counted San Fran.
cisco had 1873 as against New Orleans
159.
This most wonderful feat is one Of
the things the Tribune helped accom-
plish. 1t is a matter of verified rec
ard of advertising pull-its unlimited
possibilities. And yet, in Bismarck
we have intelligent people who pre-
tend their business cannot be increas-
ed by this same great power than abb
won at the last moment. a
world event for the western city.
THE AD-MAN.