Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-04
Collapse of the Advocate.

NEW YORK. Dec. /. W. II. Shupe's weekly
newspaper. the Advocate the greenbsck organ,
has collapsed. Its career is remarkable. Shrpe
started il 10 1871 int pdng 10 make its sdverts-
ing columns pay all bis expenses and profits, so
that his newspaper should be furnished almost
graiuitously to its readers. As the first step he
reduced his subscription price to 80 cents, and At
that figure, be says. the Advocate reached 9 cir
culation of 100000 copies Early in 1873 Mr..
Shupe began to take an interest in the greenback
movement and be borrowed money from Peter
Cooper. So on slterwsrd that price was reduced
to Is cents. Everybody who knew anything
about newspapers, knew that even the first price
80 cents would not paw for the paper used in
printing a weekly OF eight large pages for q year
to saw nothing Of the other manifold eNpeI ses
From 100 000 its issue IS said to have increased to
nearly $50 coo. It's advertising rates went up iL
proportion from ten cents to VI per line, but the
amount of its patronage did not seem TO be large.
The greater part OF the columns devoted to that
department, was taken up with its
PROPOSITIONS TO SUPPLY SEWING MACHINES,
cabinet organs, watches, microscopes, pailor
games, bsrometers, hooks, etc, al prices appar-
emily below cost, to its readers Mr.. Shupe called
that his cooperative department" According to
the representations sent out from the Advocate
Office the only difficulty in supplying the various
by the inpossibility of manufacturers to supply
a. fast as the public demanded. But whatever
the trouble was, people did not get what they or
dered. Last week the entire subscription list was
coolly dropped, and the 100000 or more subscrib-
ers are to get no more Advocates, although the
paper was issued afttr fashion. A large amount
of money has been received by Shupe for sewing
machines which have not been forwarded The
Office is in confusion. Shupe to-day furnishes the
following explanation: AT the end of the cam
tbac tim far fha
ed. The press made for ~ upon which we co.
tirey depended, utterly failed to do the work
promised and expected from it. 1t was to print
20 900 copies per hour, but il did print more
thpn 5000, and those badly. So we had to tinker
along with it the best we coud, and get our press.
work done outside at greatly increased expense,
We had to pay more than
$1,000 FOR PRINTING AND FOLDING
that the press should have done, according to our
contract with its makers. We worried through
with it, however, and then threw it on their
hands. That county circulation amounted to
SIC, 299 copies sent to subscribers who paid % per
cent per annum IN advance. intend to fill ont
their subscriptions when | recommence. Our edi-
ton, at its highest, was between 700 900 and $780,
600. That press has caused all our trouble. Just
after the election there were dropped about 300,-
900 subscriptions, which had been sent on the or
der of local politicians. Fifty thousand dropped
from Butler alone. don't say he paid for them,
but we sent that many to Massachusetts, regularly
until his campaign was over, and we sent AZ 900
to Maine until the election. Politicians used to
send in lists Of thousand or two thousand names
at a time, with the money for their subscriptions
and we would send the papers, and also postal
card to each person receiving them, saying The
paper is sent 10 you with the compliments of Mr.
- Just ut present | sm having printed on
Fulton street such papers as | continue to issne
merely for the supply OF the News Company and
the trade decline to say how many that is
Boston Herald