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The Ridders negotiated with Publisher Harry Haines to consolidate his News with their newly acquired paper on a 50-50 basis. They asked him to name the price at which his half of the stock might be sold in event of his death. Publisher Haines demurred, suggested they likewise name a price for stock. Said the Ridders: "There are eight sons in our family. The Ridders never die."
Three days later Publisher Haines decided not to merge with the Press-Guardian. He was told, "We'll spend any amount of money to get control of this field."
The Ridders opened with a circulation war, cut the Press-Guardian from 3¢ to 2¢, announced a home delivery for 12¢ a week instead of 20¢. Newsdealers protested. The Evening News fought, was supported by its morning neighbor, the Call. The News printed a story stating that Newsdealers Protective Association had met to protest against the Ridders' business methods. The Ridders sued Publisher Haines for libel, asked $1,000,000.
In April this year the Ridders eased out of Paterson by transferring the Press-Guardian to an Employes Publishing Co., made up of Press-Guardian workers, headed by Charles D. Whidden whom the Ridders had put in charge as publisher at the beginning. Steadily the Press-Guardian continued to lose until last fortnight when the Ridders' Staats-Zeitung, as largest creditor, asked that receivers be appointed.
First and loudest to speed the departing publishers was the News, which, although "Ridders never die," had doubled its circulation since they came to town.
Lingle & Co. (cont.)
Forgotten last week was the great pledge of all Chicago newspapers to unite in avenging the murder of the Tribune's reporter Jake Lingle (TIME, June 23 et seq.) After Lingle had been exposed as racketeering with the powers of his newspaper, charges were made by Reporter Harry T. Brundidge of the St. Louis Star of similar racketeering by men of all Chicago papers. Then all the papers quarreled, eyed each other with ill-concealed suspicion.
By reprinting Reporter Brundidge's findings, the Tribune drew the hostility of its competitors, and last week openly charged them with obstructing the search for Lingle's murderer. The Daily News and the Herald & Examiner tried but failed to force the removal of Charles T. Rathbun, the lawyer whom the Tribune had had appointed as special assistant state's attorney for the Lingle case. Other newspapers, the Tribune claimed, were printing information which served as warnings to men sought by police.
Further complications arose over a gang attack upon Reporter Leland H. Reese of the Daily News. This occurred immediately after Reporter Brundidge had revealed that the murdered Julius Rosenheim, "squawker, fixer and shakedown artist," had been Reese's tipster. Reese admitted the alliance, but vehemently denied knowing that Rosenheim used threats of exposure in the News as a club with which to collect underworld money.