The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-01
W. II. SHUPE'S NEWSPAPER.
or CtrFrP or 4 JOURN a. pTVOTI;D
10 mr. GRi ENBICh CIJSE


,..,.ti.trd IN subscriber. for IL Nominal su'"
srcri,ing Money fur Articles that have
r,,1 Yet Hccn sent u the Advocate Dendf
u .ors to he an open question whether |
o., IYucdic has cxactly failed or not. Mr..
sl,.....,,- that it has not and Peter Cooper |
tl rs linn There are other citizens who |
nav. n.t ihe eamo confidence ia Mr.. shupc's |
aD 0ut.
a., ,'ei with the career Of the Adrocdte. ire |
,,...,, of thut " its demise. The journal !
..,..llrs ma rtaine1 checkcred existence |
ts. ..n number Of years past. As late as
49,. e WIS known as the Root land AdrOcdie. |
,1. shcd In Hackcnsack. n. j.. and Mt that |
,D WINS supposed 10 have circulation OF
o.,. 5000 In 1876. W. H. Shupe. Its pro
,~,i1r. made M his mind TO come TO the me-
i...H.s. and when ho got here tho circulation
,t4raprr declined to 43s. Up TO that tno
mania. ription rrico had boon 81 per onnum
.lthrh.einuirr of 1877 MI. Shupc started
an ~ system in publication. that Of making his
a.. risirs columns pay all Lis expenses and
n. U,.. eothat his newspaper should be fur
r,-.i rratutou-vtoi,s readers Such at lenst.
t.,,0rs To- have been his design. As the first
a..,. hc reduced his subscription price to hty
cams. and Mt unt figure. be- says the Adrocdte
De-. hed "a circulation 81 100000 copies. Early
Cd, 1888 Mr. ghupe began 10 TAX an interest i'm
a.. Urr.ulack movement then supposed To
'-t,, great strength in the outlying districts.
~ contemplation Of that field was perhaps
mi cheering 10y tho wealth and supposed
~ ,ity ~ certain GrccnInck leaders. Peter
c. orut tie head Of them.
t,isrtne influence Of cash acquired from
eor source-and not the least remarkable thing
al gf Mr. Shupe and his enterprises is that he
or raise large sums on an emergency. when
Il. N.H
spr.l g into an era Of immense growth. At trst
IL vu. offered Tor fifty cents year. Soon after
wnrd that price was reduced to twenty five
ceu-. Everybody who knew anything about
newspapers knew that even the FIRST price
iGn. centsl would not pay for the white paper
usrf In printing weekly OF eight large
ong.s Tor q year. TO say nothing Of the
Uh.- manifold expenses. But somehow II
ani ned 90 lice. Rival sheets bidding for
he iaironnge OF tho Labor and Grecnbnrk
par s. exhausted themselves in demonstra-
ton mat n could not possibly exist. Yet II did.
VT very nenrly the present time, In which il
b. a- has been said sunk into so strange
r, uon Of death in life that II is not easy to
81 -.I', II as either with tho quick or the dead.
9. 90 WIS quick enough to build up a circula-
H,.atts loves, price mainly through the ef-
Dr-of politicians OF its pro!cesed faith who
boulht many thousands Of its shoots for dis
ui' t'n rratutously among thor constituents.
Pr 100 mo- It's issue is snid to have increased
to n0htly 10000. Its advertising rates won't
W % proportion from 10 cents 10 81 PER
the but tho amount o. it, patronage did
moi seem TO DO large. The greater part OF
%. nunre devoted 60 that department was
l'l gp with IT, own Propositions To- supply
Hw - mu hines. cabinet orcHi~. watches.
mi -'n"s parlor gnues. harrow tors. books.
fTr.'ss nuWrcufy below co-t to its read
all i TINT lIs 'r.flnTutINt de-
pa nf and country people used to speak Of
tnr biggest hing out
riing 10 the represent ms sent out
fre le Aarocdie office. the on difficulty In
~ 5ing the various things OF ."red from this
d. .ulvut was created by the iulpoS-ibility ~
pm lecturers o. supply as ia~i - ne public
len Hlod But Whatever th, trouble was.
9en' d,l mot got whnt they orb red.
autumn elections fell With such force
apon the Adroc0te that Il wiihrred In an
hour. LIS country subscribers failed 10 get II
lot culy thos" ~ whom u WIS sent Tree ~ cost
through TIL Kindness of aspire = patriots IN
They .rowl"d. hut could not lind much fault. n
nOst ~ them md already got thr worth Of their
nnncy-u wrapping PAPER. Bui The ones that
ssr.. those who expectcd THINGS sent post
pnid "a rereipt OF - dollars Tor which they
~ tir1caie continued 10 appear. however
r.. pfrefnt week's uumber Is issued. but IL
sr,a,'ue N 81 tho 50OOOO or more Of
W. m. god subscri6ers or OF the an! az
sr,u,h c'ncrrnlng orders mpnnied
onssinoe hy rn-h. IL has i've columns devoted
b, ADVERTISING nm half of that is orcut,ied hy
h lwn profers ~ the various articles already
~ FRED 90 A. the basis OF its cooperative de-
oafiment and the remainder il filled up with
ieeIers In French cards" thr ae-doiiar shot,
rln.. books on matrimony. and others ofasimi-
M sbupe was called upon for some infor-
motion about the apparent collapse OF ms
snorprise. II ia ofilce Ind about II none of the
bu-fle that prevailed there month since. No
hef'e local politicians wranglet On the sta r..
No Jerks and messengers dashed IN hot haste
mand iro. No wagons waited ~ the door 20
larry of the immense edition Of the idrOcdte
~ reyerfrrafons of the press any longer shook
mo building. The great mailing room below
~. empty; few clerks peered curiousY
through their little windows in the business
0n,e al the visitor. and there WAS an omnous
nrnce all about. Mr.. Shupe said:
A. the end ~ the campaign the circulation
W me country was suspended. The press
nal" Tor us by the Campbell Printing Press
Company, upon which We entirely depended,
atirfly failed To 10 the work promised and ~
pared from II. II WIS e. print 10000 copies per
oo9r hnt u never did print more q an 5000.
tni those badly SO We had To tinker along
slh u NE best we could anu ger our ptsS9-
ETk done ouisii" NJ gr"ty Increased expense.
We had 10 pay more than 81 600 for printing
md io'ding That that press should have done.
l>'friiug 10 our contract with lis makers. We
HorriHi through the campaign with II. how
syer and then threw II on their hands and
tbauiOusd the country sutscrlbers until such
hnl- NJ we cHn nut In n Hoe press that We eX-
e~f Will b" competent 10 do The work. Tint
Dur'ry circulation amounted 20 5lu 300 cor les
~hl ~ sui -'rlbers who paid ~ cents Der an-
sqn N ndyauee. But we will 40 forward and
Ill tht bin. on yesl intend 10 I'll out their
nils.r.V In- gll % them when | rccommence.
fhl.' VIII 10 expect. about the 18Th Of De-
t-fn'er. Onr entire edition. Mt lia highest, was
ee'we.n 10000 and 100000 That press has
eu-al hll our trouble. Owing TO the delay
Hu-ei hy not getting II when Il WAS promised,
W IFS Subsequent failure, we lost great deal
Gmnn"y. II mnde difference Of 10000 in ono
montn ana 5000 in the next. We would not
i+fl quite so last a press 10 get oil our edition
bn the cur paign.
Justn he election there were dropped
uout 100000 subscriptions. which had been
len' on the order u local politicians. Fifty
nou-and dropped from Butler alone. Don't
w ne paid Tor them. but we sent that many 10
hA'SH'h usrus regularly until his. campaign
wi- nN ~ Aud We sent AZ 900 10 Maine until
he e"f'on Politicians used 10 send in lists Of
l-1ni NJ two thousand names NJ time.
WIN 20" money for their subscriptions. and We
N'N' send mo papers and also a postal clrd
" rh'll person receiving them, saying, The
Phi"f Is s.nt 20 you with the compliments Of
N -. Just an present am having tinted
ohf i'l -trent sueh papers rs | continue 10
ieHu' no rely f1r the supply Of the news COM
PiiA hui mo trade. / decline 10 say how many
nM i-,n- y might have atendsncy 10 hurt my
O.- '- pa the future"
llN have YOU paid the exnenses ~ 50 large