Sinclair, Jack London, Mary "Mother" Jones, Eugene Debs, and Helen Keller. Decline After founder Wayland died by suicide in 1912, the Appeal slowly lost its vitality. Wayland's sons were not temperamentally suited to the newspaper business. After a series of editorials attacking American militarism and conscription policies during the First World War, the federal government rescinded the paper's second-class mailing rights. This, combined with the post–Russian Revolution “Red Scare” and the restrictions of the Espionage Act (as well as infighting among American socialists), led to a drastic reduction in subscriptions. The paper was sold to Marcet and Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, the latter an editor of the paper. The paper alienated a good part of its antimilitarist socialist readership by endorsing the American war effort. From issue #1151, dated December 22, 1917, to issue #1212 of February 22, 1919, the paper carried the title New Appeal to denote its new patriotic orientation. Building on the subscriber list of the Appeal, from 1919 on, Haldeman-Julius developed a very successful business selling inexpensive paperback booklets known as the Little Blue Books. Successors and demise The Appeal to Reason name was terminated in November 1922, to be replaced by the Haldeman-Julius Weekly. This new incarnation rapidly lost its socialist character and became a "house organ" for Haldeman-Julius's lucrative publishing business. This publication had its name changed again to The American Freeman, effective with issue #1741 of April 13, 1929. This publication continued until Haldeman-Julius' death in November 1951. Legacy Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle was first published as a serial in the Appeal to Reason, between February 25, 1905, and November 4, 1905. Chapter 30 includes a description of the newspaper, which was read by the novel's protagonist, Jurgis Rudkus. Circulation References Further reading Rolf Potts, "The Henry Ford of Literature," The Believer, September 2008. Robert Tuttle, "The Appeal to Reason and the Failure of the Socialist Party in 1912," Mid-American Review of Sociology, vol. 8, no. 1 (Spring 1983), pp. 51–81. In JSTOR External links Tim Davenport, "The Appeal to Reason: Forerunner of Haldeman-Julius Publications", Big Blue Newsletter No. 3 (2004). Retrieved November 16, 2009. Appeal to Reason PDF archive (1900-1905), Marxists Internet Archive. 1895 establishments in Kansas 1922 disestablishments in the United States Defunct newspapers published in Kansas Defunct newspapers published in Missouri Publications established in 1895 Publications disestablished in 1922 Socialist Party of America publications Socialist newspapers published in the United States