The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1877-01-11
CIRCULATION ESTIMATES.

The object of the AMERICAN NEWS
PAPER DIRECTORY is not very different
that of the well-known mercantile
agencies which exist in all leading cities.
The latter keep their subscribers informed
of the character, habits, reputation, business
ability and financial strength of persons
with whom they are likely to have business
transactions, enabling them thereby to SO
regulate those transactions as to secure
probably profitable dealings, or to avoid
such as will be likely to result in ultimate
annoyance or loss.
The DIRECTORY conveys the best OBJ
tanned information concerning the character
and value of newspapers. Its patrons are
the men who expend money in advertising(a
large and important CLASSY, and it is from
them that the publishers of the DIRECT
DRY, in their capacity of advertising agents,
derive their profit and support. 1t is to
them and not to newspaper publishers that
they owe the duty of faithful service. The
theory that advertising agencies are the SER
wants of newspapers, and should advance
their interests first, is annihilated by the
system long adopted by publishers, almost
without exception, of ignoring any idea OF
protecting the so-called agency and main.
tanning the right to appoint competitors in
the same field without the consent of those
already occupying it.
As the most important portion of the in.
formation supplied By a mercantile agency
consists of a report of the financial strength
Of the person about Dhom information Il
asked, so is the circulation of q nesospape,
generally considered the point upon aghicl
information wiH be of most value to the ad
v~ertiser.
There are, among merchants, some WHIT
deny the right of a mercantile agency to in
quire into their private affairs, and who de
cline giving any information upon which
report may be based; but the mercantil,
agency does moi, on that account, neglect I
make a report. 1t gets from other source
the best obtainable INFORMATION, and upol
this its estimate is based, although it can no
be denied that the reticence of the party il
question is almost always attributed to
knowledge upon his part that a true repor
would be %prejudicial to his credit. The re
port made is, therefore, likely to be les
favorable than it might have been had tn
information asked for been cheerfully an
frankly furnished.
So also there are among newspaper pull
fishers some who deny the right of any on
to inquire into their affairs. 1t has been tn
policy of the publishers of the DIRECTOR,
to omit all information about circulatio
whenever plainly and un%equivocaily con
manded to do SO. In such cases the matte
} is disposed Of by annexing to the reportth
, words "o6jects to stating circulation" /
, every case where the above command is nc
/ plainly and unequivocally conveyed to tn
publishers of the DIRECTORY, they max
up their report in same manner pursued b
the mercantile agencies in estimating tn
financial strength of a merchant, and, lk
: the institutions referred to, they decline
t reveal the sources from which they have OIL
tanned their information.
/ 1t is undoubtedly true that no publicatio
!, of this character is privileged, and that i
: an instance where a merchant or a newspt
per is seriously injured by an unjust {
materially incorrect report the courts furnis
r a remedy, and both mercantile agency
Directory publisher will be held %responsib
for actual damage shown to accrue to an il
7 jured party from q report proved upon tril
L to have been erroneous.
a This is a liability which the publishers
+ the DIRECTORY can not escape; it is Their
fore one which they hold themselves at q
. times ready to meet.
1 The greatest possible care is taken to NAL
the DIRECTORY reports correct. Evel
d publisher is applied to very s~ystematicall
e All information is taken in a form whic
q excludes any but definite statements whit
a can not be misunderstood, while every effo
u is made to protect honest publishers again
such as would resort to lying or perjuredr
Q ports to gain an unfair advantage.
IL 1t has rarely been found that a cause
. complaint has'arisen against anv fepo
! which has appeared in either of sthe sew
annual volumes of the Directory, alreat
y issued, which has not resulted either fro
y the neglect of a publisher to respond to q
peals for information, or an effort on
=, partto substitute other and different inform
L ton, instead of answering the plain gu,
L tons upon the blanks furnished for the pl
n pose from the DIRECTORY office.