Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-07-29
EvAsIvE TACTICS OF THE EVENING
PAPER

1t is disagreeable in the extreme to feel
compelled to return to the consideration OF
the silly challenges of the Bee regarding
circulation. But it is due to justice to
say, that though our contemporary deyotes
five several articles to attempts to reply to
our sweeping exposure of its fraudulent
efforts to gain credit for a circulation it has
not, it completely fails to answer a single
one of the charges made by the RECORD
UNION.
The RECORD UNION yesterday said, in re-
ferring to the Bees plea of non-plethoric
sack :" Z" 1t i'll COMFORTS with its boast OF
broad circulation and extended business,
and is evidently intended as an intimation
| that it receives no assistance outside OF
business earnings This comes with as
tonishing effrontery from paper concern
ing which it is demonstrable that its
| sack as it chooses to term its revenue,
| has been fed from extraneous sources, and
concerning which fact the Bee will be the
| last to challenge publicity, or demand at
our hands the proofs of the assertion"
The Bee replies:
If the REcoRD-UNIoN would have the public
believe by this statement, that the Bee has ever
received, in any way, one cent that newspaper
could not accept and still retain before the pub
| lie all the respect and influence which belongs
| to Il journal honestly independent, that sells
neither its smiles its frowns for considera-
| ton then the RECoRD-UNIoN makes statement
willfully and maiciously false, knowing 1t TO be
| such: statement which it not only cannot
prove, but which it dare not attempt to prove
The RECORD UNION reiterates its state
| ment. If anything therein is untrue OF
! libelous, the Bee is perfectly aware OF the
recourse at its command, and the business
manager and managing editor of the REC
ORD UNION are responsible for that state
ment personally, in the proper forum,
! to the extent of $4,000 or $4,000, or
more if necessary, and will not evade
the responsibility by shifting it upon
the Sacramento Publishing Company
and frankly give this assurance to the
managers of the Bee, to relieve them of any
hesitation concering Il speedy means OF
testing the truth of the statement.
The Bee repeats its assertion OF having
an excess of circulation over that OF the
RECORD UNION, and after re-eXaminatlon
even advances the number. If the Bee Is
sincere in its statement, and Is absolutely
certain of its facts, as it pretendS to be, then
| IL can uSSuIllc no TtSh UHtNctC III
the challenge of the RECoRD-UNIoN, to wit
| That the RECoRD-UNIoN forfeit 81 900 foI
every subscriber the Bee has i'll excess OF
! the RECoRD-UNIoN if the Bee will forfeit
$500 for each subscriber the RECORD UNION
has in excess of the Bee, the sums to go tc
the city charities. These institutions are
| anguishing for the funds that depend only
| upon the Bees acceptance of challenges II
| AYERS it is certain to win Why, then, no
| accept at oncc2
1t has not escaped attention that the
REcoRD-UNIoN has proved. beyond al
question or possibility of denial, that the
| Bee treated a single special edition of Its
paper mot comparable in volume with the
annual holiday editions of the RECORD
| UNION as the basis of a "sworn state
ment," alleging the number of papers Of
that issue to be its circulation. This
''sworn statement" the Bee has persistently
referred to in its advertisements and state
| ments to Eastern advertising agents and tC
| the public, in such willfully deceitful man
| ner as to lead those unacquainted with the
| facts that it has a general circulation o
1900 copies, which cheek and moral per
jury is not denied or even referred to il
the five articles of reply that dotted las
evenings Bee, and the many evasions anc
misstatements of which articles we pass
unnoticed.
A journal that will adopt such methods
and fortify them by the oaths of its man
ayers for the sole purpose of perpetrating g
barefaced fraud upon the public, or
which to base a reputation for cir
culation several times greater than in truth
it has, may well be silent, since it can give
no assurance, under oath or otherwise that
it will not again endeavOr to falsify and de-
ceive under any test challenges made OF
accepted.
Nevertheless, and as a finality, and con-
clusion of the whole nauseating matter
THE CHALLENGE OF THE RECORD UNION RE
MAINS OPEN FOR ACCEPTANCE.