The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-21
PERSONAL.

He found a peculiar condition ex
isting in regard to the two Topeka
daily newspapers.
He found that representatives of the
| Topeka Capital have been scattering
poison far and wide into the minds of
nearly all of the big foreign advertis-
ers of this country concerning the
character and circulation of the State
Journal.
This same sort of thing has been
going on for two years or longer.
/ The representative of this paper was
simply amazed at the boldness with
which the Topeka Capital has circu-
lated statements about the State
Journal and apparently for the most
malicious purpose. namely, to try to
crush this paper by giving the foreign
advertisers to understand that the
Capital was the only paper in Topeka
with a Kansas circulation. or worthy
of much Consideration; that it was
the only daily in Topeka from which
could be secured a definite. exact cir
culation statement and, furthermore,
that the circulation of the Capital was
larger in Topeka than the circulation
of any other daily in Topeka, and that
the circulation of the Capital in Kan
sas was larger than that of any other
daily in the state.
The representative of the state Jour
nal. who his observed that these false
statements have been made for many
months and even up to the present
month of October, 1911, was at first
disposed to believe that the statements
were the work of some overly jealous
solicitor for the Topeka Daily Capital
and that the statements were not
chargeable to Mr. Capper himself. but
this office has the documentary evil
dence on file that all of these state
ments are signed by Arthur Capper
himself and, at least one of the un-
true statements. is signed by Mr.. Cap
per's well known signature, or a fac
simile thereof.
This paper has observed for some
time that this poison circulated by its
competitor was having an effect. The
eastern representatives of this paper
declared that they were losing busi-
ness and were unable to secure GER
tain renewals of old business in some
instances or certain new advertising,
inasmuch as the Capital was making
wonderful statements to these adver
tisers and the State Journal was
not denying or combating them.
This paper was advised that it must
fight the Capital with fire. The repre-
sentative. who writes this article. was
almost alone in taking the position
that we could not afford to fight our
rival in the same sort of way, with the
same sort of ammunition, that the
Capital is using. He took the position
that if his advertising representatives
could not get the business by explain
ing the merits of their own paper. he
would go without it rather than de-
fame his morning competitor He
even went so far as to say that the
State Journal never claims that
lit has a larger total circulation than
the Topeka Capital; he has also even
advised some advertisers to use the
State Journal through the week
and the Capital on Sunday for the rea-
son that unless the advertiser ap-
peared in the Capital on Sunday. he
would have no representation on that
day in Topeka. because the state
Journal issues only six days d week
and has no Sunday edition.
The fight upon this paper is so per-
sistent and so foolish that it is hardly |
have such a different field. one in the /
morning and the other in the evening
that it is almost inconceivabIe that |
one of our only two daily papers could
harbor such i'll feelings against the |
other.
The state Journal has preferred to |
suffer under the attacks rather than /
engage in a newspaper war in Topeka, I
for a newspaper war is bad for the
town Papers should pull together
and not discredft each others state I
ments
The State Journal recognizes the
Topeka Capital as an important fac
tor in the growth of the city and the
state; it knows that it's publisher is a
large employer of labor and a liberal /
contributor in public affairs. but this
paper maintains that the State Jour
nal is at least equally as much in
terested in the welfare and growth of
Topeka and Kansas as its morning
rival and is equally Jealous and active
in promoting the happiness and pros
perity of the entire people of Topeka
and the Sunflower state.
The interests of the editor and pro-
prietor of this paper are wholly CEN
tered in Topeka and in one paper, the
daily edition of the Journal He has
no weekly, no monthlies or live stock
parers published in this or other
cities; is not engaged in selling books,
meat choppers, mission clocks. queens
ware, pictures, fountain pens or die
tionaries or picture post cards.
Furthermore he is not a candidate
for any public Office. state or national
appointive or elective. He is simply
conducting an independent daily news
paper with strong Republican leanings.
and his ambitions are wholly along