Description:

Hearst William

William Randolph Hearst ALS in the Midst of the Newsprint and Timber Shortage of 1921.

 

Three page autograph letter signed, 8.5" x 11". Penned on the rectos with versos blank. Signed by William Randall Hearst as "WR Hearst". Pages toned. Thin 2" clear tape at top right or first two pages, few small ink and graphite smears. Each sheet labeled "303" in purple ink a top left. At top in pencil is written "Nite Collect" by Hearst.

 

A fantastic letter by William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper magnate, son of self-made millionaire George Hearst, who became owner of The San Francisco Examiner as payment of a gambling debt. In 1887, he became its publisher, crusading for civic improvement and against municipal corruption, greatly increasing the paper's circulation. Moving to New York City, he acquired The New York Journal and engaged in a circulation war with Joseph Pulitzer's New York World. That led to the creation of "yellow journalism"—pejorative reference to scandal-mongering, jingoism, and sensationalism. By the mid-1920s he had 28 newspapers, including the Los Angeles Examiner, the Boston American, the Detroit Times, the Washington Herald, and his flagship, the San Francisco Examiner. He exercised enormous influence, most notably in whipping up public frenzy that pushed the US into war with Spain in 1898.

 

Beginning in 1919, Hearst began to construct (and never completed) a spectacular castle on a 240,000 acre ranch at San Simeon, California, which he furnished with antiques, art, and entire rooms brought from the great houses of Europe. In 1924 he opened the New York Daily Mirror, a racy tabloid. Among his other holdings were the magazines Cosmopolitan, and Harper's Bazaar; Universal News and International News Service; King Features Syndicate; a film company, Cosmopolitan Productions; extensive New York City real estate; and thousands of acres of land in California and Mexico, plus timber and mining interests. The Hearst news empire reached a circulation and revenue peak ca. 1928, but the Depression and the vast over-extension of his empire cost him control of his holdings. An opponent of the British Empire, Hearst opposed US involvement in WW I and attacked formation of the League of Nations. In 1932, he was a major supporter of Roosevelt, energetically supporting the New Deal 1933-34. He broke with FDR in spring 1935 when the President vetoed the Patman Bonus Bill. Unable to service existing debts, the Hearst Corporation faced court-mandated reorganization in 1937. Newspapers and other properties were liquidated, the film company shut down, and a well- publicized sale of his art and antiquities was held. While WW II restored circulation and advertising revenues, his great days were over. His story inspired Orson Welles' classic 1941 film, "Citizen Kane", and Hearst used all his resources and influence in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the film's release.

 

This letter occurred during the acute timber/newspaper shortage in 1921, with an article appearing in a 1921 New York journal, Editor and Publisher,  noting that the company Canadian Export Paper Company had oversold their inventory therefore having to drop customers and pull contracts (including those for the William Hearst newspapers). The article stated the Hearst contract was for 27,000 tons with Canadian Export commenting that they had to take this action in order to make it possible to meet other obligations already entered into for the 1921 supply of newsprint.

 

Hearst writes to David Town, one of his newspaper publishing business assistants. He writes in a somewhat curt, somewhat jocular manner noting  to Town that "these Canadian folk have been telling us exactly this same thing for the past twenty six weeks. In fact your telegram seemed so familiar that I thought I had picked up one of the old messages by mistake". He reminds Town that the Canadians prolonged discussions in a prior negotiation and then visited Town while he was sick to tell Town they would not carry out their agreement. Hearst states: "You often say that if a man fools you [us] once it is his fault but if he fools us twice is [pencil corrected to "it"] is our fault. I don't see why we should allow these gentlemen to play ducks and drakes [meaning to throw away money] with us any longer." Hearst recommends the Canadian gentlemen should be politely reminded how patient Hearst has been and that "we are not disposed to delay any longer." As they have no commitments, Hearst is free to consider other sources, noting that paper prices are much lower than 6 months ago "and will be lower still." He suggests they "get proposals for whatever tonnage we have to place unless these Canadian folk promptly submit to [Town] something as favorable acceptable as the situation extremely favorable situation justifies and unless they accompany their proposals with some very genuine protection against a repetition of their previous action.” He adds that it would be more satisfactory and more advantageous to deal with other people and hopes Town feels the same way.

 

A wonderful example by this media mogul!


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