The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-29

1ne &lsC OF tnls u 10 SHOW Cnat, IL Tie law
were complied with, it would cost the city
$12,024 a year for having its advertisements in
serted in the 40, 004 copies of the HERALD, where
asst would only cost 81, l27 to have them in the
5000 copies of the Post Hence, said Mr..
Flagg, l think il would be more economical to
violate the law than to obey it, and therefore
commend the advertising to be given to the
Post instead Of tie HERALD. If, instead Of
being the leading Journal Of North America, tho
HERALD had been Il sckly organ or an effete
political party, leading an obscure existence
with one-thirteenth its present circulation, the
aggregate amount Of It's bills against the Cor.
poration wonld have been less than those OF
the Post, and then, according to the Comptrol-
ler's reasoning, it would have obtained the
award. But as it is, being thirteen times IS
valuable as the Post, as vehicle of publicity.
Mr.. Flagg ruled it out on account Of its great cir
culation. He had the unparalleled impudepce
to write over his own signature that 10000 al-
vertisements printed and distributed for eigh'
cents line were dearer than 5000 advertise
ments printed and distributed at 3-4c. a liue.
or in other words that two mills were larger
sum than two mills and half.
Driven to bay by the uproar created by this
audacious endeavor to crafty his private
spleen, Mr.. Flagg now shifts his ground, and
urges fresh excuses for his conduct, through
the medium of the Journal of Commerce. He
says that suspicion at once attaches to the
statemeot of the HERALD of its city circulation
kccs H. Grlc
Immediately through express and steamboat
lines to distant parts Of the country; and yet it
is presented, but improperly, as city circu-
lation."
We are surprised that respectable paper
like the Journal Of Commerce should lend It.
self to the propagation Of such scandalous i'm
putations as these. Personally it is impossible
that we can have any accurate knowledge of
the city circulation Of the HERALD: but the
persons who made the afiidavits have ample
means of ascertainiDg what that circulation is
ard their character, we will take leave to say
is full as good and their oath as worthy of rel-
ancc as those of Mr.. Flagg himself or the edi-
tors of the Journal Of Commerce. 1t is be-
meath respectable journal to seek to gain pri-
vate ends by casting calumbious aspersions on
honorable men. If The Journal of Commerce
cannot defend its friend Flagg without insinu.
perjury, it had better let him alone, or at all
events it should wait until the individuals it
ma]igns have been openly charged with false
oaths in print over the signature of response
BILE man, and no prosecution has followed.
The bubble as to the distribution Of the city
HERALDs by express and steamboat lines is
worthy of the author of the Comptroller'srepor
The circulation stated in the affidavit to the
Comptroller is exclusive Of the papers we send
by mail and to distant agents; what becomes
of those we sell over our counter neither
we nor any one else can tell. The presump
tcn is that large proportion thereof,
after being read in the city, are sent by
mail or other convey ance to friends of the
subscribers in the country; but to argue that
thereby our city circulation is diminished is
ridiculous. Our employees have sworn in COM
pliance with the law; to go beyond that is
neither the province Of Mr.. Flagg nor Of the
Journal Of Commerce.
There Is. more in the article in question about
Americans "blushing" for the HERALD-our
upholdipg RIGHTEOUSNESS and corruption, "
using our whole power to degrade the morals
Of the community and SO forth. Our excel
lent contemporary is behind the age. All this,
and much more of the like tenor used to be said
commonly enough before the HERALD attained
its present position, and while it had rivals; but
now that we think we may say it has passed
the point when serious rivalry was feasible
everybody but very old fogies has ceased to
think it necessary to abuse us. Mr.. Flagg must
brush up; we are near 1855. Then as to up
holding RIGHTEOUSNESS and corruption IL the
Journal Of Commerce or any other paper had
fought quarter as fercely against corruption
Of all sorts ~ We have. IL would have more enc.
mics and more subscribers than it now counts