Virgil V. McNitt to Jane Addams, September 21, 1912

Sept. 21, 1912.

My dear Miss Addams:

I am now ready with a detailed statement of sales of your special articles. In the first place, I owe you an apology for my poor guessing as to the financial results which might be counted upon. My estimate was based on what a series by yourself would sell for under ordinary circumstances. When I got to work it turned out that papers opposed to the Progressive party would not buy at all because of reasons of policy and Progressive papers thought they ought to have the articles for a very low price because of the fact that the series is campaign matter. The total sales to date amount to $925.00, and when this is collected your share will be $616.66. I am very sorry that a better showing cannot be made, but you have my word that everything possible was done to push the feature. I visited all the principal cities in the East, and while orders were secured in several of them, I was told by such newspapers as the New York World and Boston Globe that while they would be very glad to use articles by yourself in times of peace, they did not wish to help along the Hull House cause at this time by publishing your very able arguments. The list of clients and the amounts paid by each are given below:

[page 2]

I am a little ashamed for the Chicago Tribune. That paper ought to pay as much as the New York Evening Mail at least, but the managing editor said that in a little while your campaign speeches would be free for everybody to print, and the $60.00 was all he could afford. It is a shame to let him off so easy, but I thought it would be a good thing to have the articles in the Tribune even if they go at too low a price.

Yours very sincerely,

Virgil v. McNitt [signed]

Gen. Mgr.

Miss Jane Addams,
Baymeath,
Bar Harbor, Me.