Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-06-10
CIRCULATION LIES ARE
CONDEMNED BY EDITOR

postal law. hope that the Law is held
constitutional. / hope that the gov
eminent viii not hesitate to prosecute 1
for perjury every publisher, be he big
or little, who makes a false statement
regarding circulation. ! hope that the 1
law will be so amended that il will be /
made obligatory on the editor, pub F.
| Usher or owner, 10 sign the circula- !
ton affidavit personally.
/ AT the present time, one IN sub (
ordinate position can sign the state /
ment. In Germany each newspaper !
/ has a libel editor. When a libel is
published, and the paper is brought /
/ into court, the libel editor assumes
responsibility and goes to jail. That
/ is his Job; that is what he is paid for.
( We do not want in this country cir
/ culation editors who for salary COM
mensurate with the risks they run,
will take a chance, commit perjury,
and then act as seapegeat FOR the real
I criminal
once the real circulation liar sees
the penitentiary doors opening, the
situation will be clarified. The hon
est, truthtelling publisher will have
the menace-and it is a menace-of
INSCRIPTIONS competition removed
from his path. All publications will
be on all tours, and the maker of a
good newspaper will reap the reward
of his industry, genius or whatever
you want to call it. and the maker
Of a poor newspaper will suffer for
his incompetency,
THE gentlemen whose tongues and
pens print more papers in minute
than their press rooms can turn out
in twice their running time, not only
|. cheat the advertiser, but they also
hamper you by hampering the honest
, publisher. The man who makes a
: truthful statement knows that his dis
honest competitor will simply take his
, figures, add 10, Is, 20 or so per cent,
! get someone to swear to his tabula-
, ton, or fix his books and records and
. get some auditing or investigating
company TO certify to the correctness
| of the figures handed to its representa-
} tives. You have all seen these certif-
: Gates. The large majority, ! believe,
r tell the truth, but the fraudulent ones
throw doubt and discredit on all, and
) the honest publisher is placed in the
J position by submitting his books to
= this examination a. accepting and
) using the cert -~re resulting from
[ the examination, of bolstering up and
]. certifying in way to the correctness
;. of the certificate obtained by his com
,. petltor through fraud and chicancery.
8 The methods of securing these at
y testations or certificates are various
4 Some advertisers send their own
e auditors into newspaper Offices in an
Il effort to determine the facts. ! say
d to you that the accountant does not
, live who can go into the office of a
publication and come away with the
3 positive and absolute knowledge that
Y he has obtained the real facts VIVA;
Il these accountants certify TO are mere
q ~ totals of figures furnished 10 them
s by the publications themselves. II
e these original figures are correct, then
o the guarantee, or certificate, or what
J. ever you call it, means something II
,f not, then the certificate means moth
n. ing.
lie Consider for moment hypothet
zeal case. Suppose that an accountant
r enters the Offices of two newspapers
of in one city. Suppose that one of these
newspapers tells the truth, and the
D. other furnishes the investigator witt
Is false fgures-crooked press figures
Of juggled paper bills. fake route sheets
1t falsihed drivers sheets, records tina
a
Of late, free-from which TO draw hi
u. totals. His certificate goes to each o
these two newspapers and as far al
II. the general advertising public is con
Y. cerned, each certificate has equa
~ value. The association or individual
lp responsible for this examination is Il
IN the position OF having placed the hon
nj est newspaper in false light by Ger
pc tifying TO figures for its competito
he which that competitor does not pos
e- sess.
lg IF the new postal law is held con
Ie' stitutional, and a :ew gentlemen e
?! TO the penitentiary-and ! think yo1
can safely trust the newspapers O
o. the country 20 see that perjury eithe
Vs. is not committed, or if committed
Nv punished-then the necessity for thes
- examinations, and the resultant Gel
O. tifcstes VIII cease. II on the othe
hand the law is not held constitution
al, then there must be a radica
> change in the method of examinin
calculations, If the advertiser is nc
10 be swindled and the honest pull
Usher is not 10 be handicapped I
the method have mentioned by dis
Ike honest competitor. One metho
NJ would be to appoint a committee I
assist the examiner in each city. Thi
committee TO consist OF one repre-
sentative from each OF the newspaper
in that city who permit examinations
The men who know most about Giro,
lation are the newspaper men then
selves. They not only know the eli
culaticns, but they know the trick
Of the circulation faker. Also, you
official examination is not worth on
battered red cent II il is NOT sunni,