Chapter 242: The Newspaper Industry
Naturally, the banquet couldn’t revolve around Davey the entire time. After all, everyone present was someone of status.
Just as Bronte had said, much of it was simple courtesy—a formal gesture welcoming Davey.
Of course, the real core issue was the distribution of moonshine, but those shares had already been settled. Even if someone wanted a piece, it wouldn’t be discussed at a banquet like this.
Events like these were more about entertainment and making connections.
It was then that Davey noticed the Indian chief, Rain.
He, too, was dressed in formalwear, yet the people around him looked at him with thinly veiled contempt.
Rain approached the mayor and produced a letter, clearly hoping to gain something through it.
The mayor accepted it politely, but Davey knew the truth—before long, that letter would likely end up in a trash bin, unopened.
Davey had no intention of approaching Rain at this moment. It would have been awkward and, more importantly, pointless.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Fellowes.”
As the crowd gradually thinned, Davey began making his own introductions.
His target was very clear: Hector Fellowes, the newspaper proprietor of Saint Denis.
The same man Bronte had wanted to use Dutch to eliminate.
The enemy of one’s enemy was a friend. Davey needed enough allies in this city.
“Oh, Mr. Land, the pleasure is mine.”
Fellowes was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected Davey to approach him first, especially since he hadn’t been involved in the moonshine distribution.
At least for now, there was no direct business relationship between them.
“Mr. Fellowes, you may not realize this, but we’re already partners,” Davey said with a smile.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of money at your newspaper, running plenty of notices—and on a monthly basis, no less.”
“I’m really glad to finally meet you. Now that we know each other, perhaps you could give me a bit of preferential treatment.”
“After all, I am one of your major clients.”
Davey spoke in a lightly humorous tone.
Whether it was the Veterans’ Club or his recruitment drives, Davey had always relied on newspaper advertisements.
Across the region—be it the New Hanover Gazette, the Blackwater Chronicle, or the Saint Denis Times—Fellowes was one of the major shareholders.
Even with joint operations, there was no doubt he held significant influence.
“Oh, yes, I remember now,” Fellowes said after a moment.
“That’s right, Mr. Land—you are one of my major clients.”
“When this was reported to me, I was honestly surprised. I never expected someone out here to spend so many dollars just to publish information.”
“I admire you, Mr. Land—especially what you’ve done with the Veterans’ Club.”
“Most of those men are in terrible shape, living very hard lives. But that’s war—perhaps none of it was really their fault.”
“You’re a good man, Mr. Land, willing to offer them some help. That’s truly admirable.”
Fellowes quickly recalled Land Corporation. He had known about it before, but hadn’t given it much thought, nor had he connected it directly to Davey.
Aside from a moment of surprise back then, he hadn’t paid much attention.
Now that Davey brought it up, however, it gave them common ground to talk about.
In Fellowes’s eyes, the Veterans’ Club was genuinely praiseworthy—a rare act of kindness.
“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Fellowes,” Davey replied.
“I didn’t think too deeply about it. I just wanted to help them in some small way.”
“And honestly, that was only possible because of the convenience newspapers provide. Without them, even if I wanted to help, I wouldn’t have known how.”
“As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Fellowes, I expect we’ll become good friends. I’ll need to publish notices quite often.”
“Recruitment ads, perhaps, or other matters.”
“Newspapers really are a wonderful thing—a great invention. They make life so much more convenient. It’s truly a great enterprise.”
Davey was genuinely interested in the newspaper business. In the United States, newspapers were privately owned, meaning one could publish almost anything.
They had the power to shape reputations—and even influence votes to a significant degree.
After all, television wouldn’t appear until the late twentieth century, and its widespread use was completely irrelevant to Davey’s current era.
That made newspapers extraordinarily important.
Davey wanted to get involved, but jumping in abruptly wasn’t realistic. Building a solid relationship with Fellowes was the first step toward finding the right opportunity.
“You’re absolutely right, Mr. Land,” Fellowes agreed.
“Newspapers truly are a great invention and a great business.”
“Unfortunately, things aren’t going so well right now—especially in the eastern cities. It’s even worse over there.”
“It’s because of Hearst—that young man. It’s unbelievable. Someone so shameless has managed to drag newspapers down into vulgarity.”
“Well, forgive me, Mr. Land. You may not be paying much attention to all that.”
Author's Note
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