The star of Pascagoula. [volume] (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1873-1878, 1877-01-12
CIRCULATION ESTIMATES.

TIE Object u o. AtfEnfCAs sEWspA.
FAR DlrHfTOEI B. aYt Fefy diasfsnf ffsa
that u to WsllEnqsn msfcsstis Hxenfiss
Fhieh 81 iH 81 lssdiaK cities The latter
kssp their s~abaefibsfF Informed II the char.
sftsf, habit. rspuistsfn 90, business s~biiifyaad
financial strength n psfsns 9Th shgm ihsg
are likely H. lave business Transaction snt.
bling them bereby 70 W regulate those tnaa9
setiOns az 10 secure probably profitable deal
lags, or o. avoid sgeh a. viii be likely " ~.
~; in ultimate annoyance Or less
The DIRECTORY e0Eysys tie lest OBJ
tanned information concerning The cbaracter
and value u nc~vspapsrs. IL patrons arsths
men who eGpsnd money In advertising 10
larry, and important class and 10 Is from them
that the publishers Of zoe DIRECTORY, iH
their capacity Of advertising agents, derive
their support II il 20 them and rot 10 rev
paper publishers that they owe the duty Of
faithful f%ervice. The theory that advertising
agencies are the servants Of newspapers, and
should advance their interests first, is snni-
hilated by the system long adopted by the
publishers, almost without exception, Of ig.
nonng any idea Of protecting The so-called
agency n maintaining the right to appoint
competitors In the same field, without the
consent Of those already occupying IL.
As the most important part OF the informa-
ton supplied by a mercantile agency con.
sists Of a report Of the financial strength Of
person about whom information is asked, so
is the circulation Of q newspaper generally
considered the point upon which infoma-
ton will be OF most value to the advertiser.
There are, among merchants some who de.
ny the right of a mercantile agency to inquire
into their private affairs, and who decline
giving any information upon which a report
- -. -. IL. -
does not, ON that account, neglect to make a
report. 1t gets from other sources the best
obtainable information, and upon this its
estimate is based, although it cannot be de-
MED that the reticence of the party
in question is almost always attrib-
uted to a knowledge upon his part
that a true report would be preju-
deal to his credit. The report made is,
therefore, likely to b.. less favorable than it
might have been had the information asked
for been cheerfully and frankly furnished.
SO also there are among newspaper pub
lishers some who deny the right of any one
to inquire into their affairs. 1t has been the
policy Of the publishers of the DIRECTORY
to omit all information about circulation
whenever plainly and unequivocally com.
manded to do so. In such cases the matter
is disposed Of by annexing to the report the
WOTuS OD|eCtS 10 StuttRI CHCututtOht. III cNtiy
case where the above command is not plain
ly and u~nequivocally conveyed to the pub
fishers of the DIRECTORY, they make up
their report in the same manner pursued by
the mercantile agencies in estimating the
financial strength of a merchant, and like the
institution referred to, theydecline to reveal
the sources from which they have obtained
their information.
Iii undoubtedly true that nc publication
Of this character is privileged, and that in an
instance where a merchant or a newspaper is
seriously injured by an unjust or materially
incorrect report the courts furnish a remedy,
and both mercantile agency or Directory
publisher will be held responsible for &C.
tual damage shown to accrue to an injured
party from Il report proved upon trial to
have been erroneous.
This is a liability which the publishers Of the
DIRECTORY canine escape; 1t is therefore
one which they hold themselves at all times
ready to meet.
The greatest possible care is taken to make
the DIRECTORY reports correct. Every
publisher is applied to very systematically.
All Information is taken In a form which
excludes any but deinate statements which
cannot be misunderstood, while every effort
is made to protect honest publishers against
such as would resort to lying or periured re-
ports to gain an unfair advantage.
1t has rarely been found that a cause of
complaint has arisen against any report
which has appeared, in either of the seven an.
nual volumes of the Directory already issued,
which has not resulted either from the ne
glect of a publishers to respond to appeals
for information or an effort on his part to
su bstitute other and different information
instead of answering the plain questions
u pom the blanks furnished for the purpose
from the DIRECTORY office.