Evening star., 1866-09-03
THE ADVERTISING RETURNS OF THE CITY

The Revenue Department has rather encour
aged the publication Of inc,me returns made
by individuals; being not iudisposed to take all
lawful advantage of that curious streak OF
human nature which inclines men to wish to
appear to be doing just leetle more business
than their nelgh bors. We have no doubt tha
the Government has realized immensely in :
creased returns of revenue in consequence of
these publications; and Congress in declining
tointerfere to prevent such publications, doubt
less thought so too.
The Chronicle, ii will be remembered. lately
paraded some advertising income returns tha,
astonished everybody. These retarns We're
not only designed TO make it appear that tina
paper was ahead Of all its city contemporaries
in advertising business, but that for the quar-
ter then ended, March 81, 1864 period of stag
nation in newspaper business-its advertising
receipts had even shot ahead of all its previous
experience; although its columns showed a
continually decreasing advertising business
We pointed out to that paper the remarkable
discrepancy between its paraded statemen MT q nc
the story told by its advertising columns. and
advised 1t not to make its returns too pictures
que, thereby challenging the attention of the
public.
The Chronicle was open to con nvictiop, il saw
the force OF the objection, and quietly dropped
Its romantic exhibit. But now the Intelligencer
has got infected with the itch 10 figure in tn.
income returns, and it makes the same old
blunder made by the Chronicle in parading its
embrllished return for a quarter notoriously,
by the evidence of its advertising columns the
oullest IN Its advertising history. Thus, the
advertising returns of the Inteltigencer for the
five previous quarters were March 81. 1865
S6,49O; June 80, 1865, s7,65i; September 3, 1865
Dpcpmbpr "a M
1866. S4,O1e. These returns show the man.
ner in which the prevailing business
dullness had told upon its advertising
patronage; and its advertising COL
umns, for the succeeding quarter ending
June 80, 1866 showed that its advertising for
the quarter had been even less than during the
previous dull quarter. when its returns were
but SiOle, Yet in the face of all this it makes
the portiy return Of Sl5,6S3 for the quarter end
ing June 30. 1866 No wonder its readers held
'heiG preath over this astounding piece OF
cheek. Its city advertising had fallen off
largely, it had lost the yern me- ad vertising,
yet its ostensible receipts were nearly threble
those Of the previous quarter!
We learn, however, that the sub rosa expla
nation made in behalf of the I1teIIiaencer, as to
the why and wherefore of this remar kaole re-.
turn, is, that during that quarter the InteUigen
GER was allowed pay by the Government for
some old advertising, inserted without authori.
~, and for which the Government had hereto
lore refused to pay. Some of this dead horse
advertising, inserted to fill up with, and taking
the chances of getting pay. ran back year or
more, we hear. The Intettigencer's showing is.
therefore, big sham. 1t parades its year.old
de ad- horse advertising wind fall receipts to
make it appear that its bona fde advertising
business for the quarter had shot up to- and
beyond, that of any Of its city cotemporarIes,
when in fact it had little more than one quar-
ter of the advertising business OF the Star, AS
shown by the business columns of the two pa
pers. Well, if our cotemporary thinks this
sort OF humbug will pay, it is welcome to ali
the glory: meantime the Star pursues the even
tenor Of Its way, making no embroidered in
come returns for humbuggeous effect. Our
showing for the six quarters past are plain
matter -of-fact returns as follows March 81,
1865, Sl3, 732; June 30, 1865, Sl3,ls3; September
so, 1865, S1i,96O; December 81, 1s65, s1l,952;
March 81. 1866, S1i,4i6; June 30, 1866, si5,I19.
The official showing Of circulation of the
city papers, called for by the late act Of Con-
gress, is as follows:
EVENING STAR. copies per day
Chronicfe. 5,OtS 90
IHteH1yenceT. .3.552 - 80
These facts and figures speak for them
selves, and we leave them to tell their story
with readers and advertisers.