Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-27

ed by his party nloguls. Ny impress
sion Is that Willis: Joy. also, stood
pat on the money question: but, OF
COURSE, he wouldn't under any cir
cuni6tances. ret too intimate with us
| sound money Republican The end
Of the free silver s.heresy came with
the election eof, VIM. Mckinley ~
acted. which restored. condolences. and
as quickly as-1he readjustrient could
be made, dinner pals were again MI
ed and sfn0ke-stacks resumed their
wonted activity.
OF course the general financial con-
diti0n throughout the country 'shot
business all to pieces" In q very
short. time there was not money
enough in sight to 'wad a gun" and
as we in Grand Forks were doubly
afflicted by the fever visitation, we
had about all we could do to main
tain BUR Observation-Disclosures. At that
biggest loadEof flebt; I had spread my
small capital out too thinly, n in
vested a piece Of it in too many local
enterprises. With The Herald build
ing on my hands. besides two daily
papers, and interests in an opera
house and a gas plant, the combined
load" gave me as dizzy a financial jag
as I could stagger under. I saw clear
ly that sobriety and clear thinking
must return, and thai my best
thought must be centered upon extri>
eating myself from the meshes woven
about me I realized that 1 could not
save anything. and that I must con-
centratc my efforts on some n thing,
otherwise everything would so. The
one thing concentrated upon was The
Herald. x would surrender my home
on Belmont avenue, give up The Her
aid building. abandon all other inter
ests. and exert myself to saw The
Herald plant; that vas the life, the
germ-plasm of the whole outfit, and
it must be preserved if all else went
by the board. So, that line of policy
was adopted; We left our home and
moved into The Herald block, cut
down expenses, reduced the working
force to a minimum. and otherwise
retrenched. Fortunately I managed
e Mckenzie at an opportune time.
and later Gov. Allin appointed me oil
inspector, and it was then that I be-
gan to see daylight ahead. Every dol
lar of the oil fees went into The Her
aid cash drawer. Were it not for that
source of revenue The Herald would
have been a hungry institution before
succor came following the election OF
Mckinley. 1t was during the sum-
mer of 1896, just before. the election,
that my crisis reached its crest. Then
I had Nut up a majority block Of the
capital Stock of The Herald for a 81.
900 loan at 10 per cent: and subse.
quently had to resort to legal subter.
fuge to retain even remote ownership
of the stock. Frank Feetham helped
out in that tactical maneuver; after
which the wave of depression begaI
to recede. exasperatingly slow at first
but in due course normally return
ed.
The Herald appeared regularly dur
ing these troublous times. It was al
unpretentious looking representative
Of the fourth estate, but it had lif,
and gumption and a robust hope tina
would not wane. At its low point
Immediately following the. epidemic
the editoriol force was reduced to w
l.. Dudley and myself. Dudley gath
cred the local news, while 1 handle,
the editorial matter, most of which
stole outright. I was always hand
with the scissors, and brain flag wa
much relieved when + could slash GU
a n erudite leader from some reputa
blespaperya and endorse it with them
our sentiments" Dudley and I CO
operated in doing the night work: an
both would stay until the forms wer
sent to press. For a year or two a
our work was concentrated in tn