The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-02
As TO CIRCULATION.
gruntled.

1t is evident that the Anaconda Stand
ard either has it's sworn circulation de-
partment in a high state of discipline
or else believes it has acquired some in
side information about the Inter Noun
tain's circulation upon which it can make
some bluffs. 1t suggests a comparison
of sworn paid circulation. With ex-
traordinary acumen it wholly ignores
the matter of street sales, which is a
large item in the circulation of an after
noon paper and a small one in that Of
morning paper. Few busy people read
papers in the morning. Hundreds of
men buy the Inter Mountain each even
ing, partly that the newsboys may be
better helped. Many of the latter have
regular customers and get the full price
of five cents per copy the year round.
This part of our circulation, which is
quite as legitimate as the carrier SER
vice, the Standard would ignore entirely
The unfairness of the proposition is so
self-evident that our rural cotemporary
will unders stand, doubtless. why the Inter
Standards Sworn" statement about
anything. In order to accommodate
that able newspaper, however, with a
chance for down, we beg to
direcl attention to a proposition it makes
at the head of it's editorial page, which
is at once plain and unequivocal. We
quote:
The Anaconda Standard has larger
bona fide paid circulation than all other
daily newspapers in Montana combined.
Daily and Sunday average for six
months ending June 80, 1901: Daily
11,S72; Sunday, 14,l9l.
That is the Standards own statement.
Perhaps that paper does not intend 1t
to be taken seriously. Certainly the
Standard does not intend it to be taken
literally. Our contemporary would prob
ably decline to back up the statement
with a single dollar, and would refuse to
suggest an investigation of the subject
by any committee of business men either
in Butte or Anaconda. Yet the state
ment of the Standard is not printed to
deceive the public or bamboozle the adj
yertisers, because the public and the
advertisers are PROBABLY not expected to
give credence to so ludicrous declara-
ton. Doubtless money could be raised
to wager that the Standards boast in
wolves mathematical inaccuracy to the
extent of 80 per cent, or if that is not
satisfactory, the percentage might be in
creased. However, if the Standard Sc
| riously printed the statement quoted it
! will certainly not ask any concessions
it will, of course, adhere to it's claim
and welcome chance to prove its cor
rectness.
Perhaps the Standard would be glad
Of chance to wager something that 5O,
60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 per cent Of it's figures.
as above quoted, can be proved, the loser
to pay over the wager to some charitable
! institution. After that wager shall have
been settled to the satisfaction of any
| three reputable citizens, of whom the
Inter Mountain will appoint one and
the Standard the othsr two, then the
Standards proposition for a comparison
of circulation; not by Sworn" state
ment, hut by actual investigation, will
be cheerfully entertained our only stip-
ulation being that street sales be in
cluded. But there heed be no delay
about the other proposition. There is
no dispute as to the issue, which is
simply the truth OF falsity of the claim.
It looks like a dizzy bluff. If it be not,
then the Standard Will be entitled to a
| contest with the Inter Mountain, and it
shall have one on fair terms; otherwise,
our suggestion to the Anaconda paper is
to go and get reputation, or at least
a better one. Manifestly if there is truth
in the Standards claim of a larger Cir
culation than all the other dailies COM
bined it would be absurd to compare
sworn statements with the Inter Noun
tain alone. Therefore, we must explode
that claim in order to stand a show OF
success in the contest between the
Standard and Inter Mountain: We are
ready to explode it. Is the Standard
ready for the test, and will 1t frankly
say So?