The Springdale news., 1898-11-04
A Circulation Row.
Ga@aeaas@&.@aeSsa.aeeese
isI T IS a good while since you were

here last" said to Blanco Wat sen when met him in the smoking room the other evening.
 ''l have been travelirg." he replied II have been to Peking, in fact"
 "To Pekng2'
 Yes wanted 10 see what the Chinese thought of the Chinese ques tion."
 You found them very excited about #. suppose?"
 No, at all. The secretaries of state had been instructed 10 grant all build ing leases applied for by European powers. anG that was considered tc have ended the question. was dsap pointed. During tie time 1 was in Pekiug certain cause cclebre was the -cn!y subject Of conversation, Eng land. Germany. Russia and France were never mentioned"
 What was the cause celebre?"
 Tt was So purely local that an ac- count of it would weary you. Yet per hap. not. Li-Hung-Chang shone in il and that might make ii interesting You saw him when he was in Loudon, ] thinE?'
 nodded
 You did9" he continued. "yer, well. I will give you the account. | was in conr' throughout the trial and ttook full notes Emt brief summary will be all you want.
 TT was newspa per affair. For long the Tel-Le. a paper sold at cash had advertised that it had the larges' circulation in the world. No one had disputed the statement, for the Tel Le undoubtedly had the largest circn .lation in Picking and Picking and the world were at that time held to be synonymous.
 "But year CT two ago paper called the Min appeared. Owing o its price being but half cash and to the gay Neuthfulness of its staff it became very popular On the list Of every month it contained an accountants certili cate as 10 the copies sold during the previous month. The figures steadily advanced and the people began to talk of them in connection with the statement of the Tel-Le. Ali last the issue was made clear. In terms identi cal with those of the Tel-Le the Mill advertised that it had the largest cir culation in the world.
 You cannot imagine the sensation this cNused Those who subscribed tc one of the two papers argued and fought with those who subscribed to the other. Railway companies found if necessary 10 label some carriages The Tel-Le' and others The Mill. Preachers protested against the in constituencies of the advertisements Candidates for public office began their election addresses with decla, ration as to which they believed Mathe ematiciaus discussed the possi- bility of both papers having exactly the same circulation.
 Simultaneously the proprietors took action Counsel representing the Tel-Ie applied for an injunction re- .training the Mi-I from continuing it's advertise ment. and counsel repre- senting the Mill applied for an injunc- ton against the Tel-Le. ii-Hung- Charg. the chief judge, announced that he would consider the two applie cations together and appointed day for hearing the arguments.
 ''The day came. The excitement in Pekirg was extreme. It is proba ble that the court had not been so crowd cd since the famous trial of Bo-Bo and Ho-Ti for eating roast pig. Every availa ble place was occupied Man darins of high rank stood in a corner of the reporters box. The prettiest of the actresses of the Kik-O theater were on the bench beside Li-Hung- Chang I myself, disguised in wig and gown. sat with the members of the bar.
 "The counsel for the Mill was called npon first He said his clients were confident that their paper had the larg,s st circulation in he world. They welcomed the investigation. He had with him statement showing the sales Of the paper since the first num- Der. every entry duly certified by leading aecouutant. He handed il 10 LiHLng Chang and challenged com parison with a similar statement in re- speet of the Tel-Le.
 There was some applanse at the end of the sFeech but it was imme edi- ate; suppressed hy the usher. After threatening 10 behead for contempt of court anyone who interrupted again, Li-Hnng- Chang called for the arguments or the other side.
 "The counsel fer he Tel-Le said that his paper had started many years ago with the determination of upholding the dignity Of tbe state and the fam ilv IL conld nlace it's hand or jta heart and lock the whole world in tse face. for 1t Lad not failed. Every day it had given minute details of he do- ings of the empe for; every day 1t had dcali in motherly way with litera- lure, music and the drama; every day 1t had been . voice speaking in the parlors of the Pekidg suburbs.
 Here Li-Huug Chang remarked that the subject under consideration was the circulation and not the mis- sion cf the Tel-Le. In spite of the threat of beheading. the ladies of the kik-o theater appauded the remark.
 "The phrase. the largest circulation Tn the world continued the counsel \ tor tie Tel-Le, had been used by his