East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-01-31
Victory for Truthful Circulation
Claims Scored Saturday in
Contest Before County Court
Over Official Papers.

Damaging admissions that the
Morning Tribune Of this city has been
grossly padding its circulation state
ments and in this connection had filed
false affidavit with the county court
IN connection with the county printing
contest were made by H. L. Kuck, puD-
Usher Of the Tribune while on the Wit
ness stand in court Saturday.
The original sworn statement filed
BY the Tribune in its contest with the
Freewater Times claimed county cfr-
culation Of 2262 for the Tribune. An
amended statement field Saturday
claimed county circulation Of but
1887, Of which 592 were listed as bona
fide yearly subscribers and 445 as bQna
f'de SUBSCRIBERS on less than year
basis.
False Claim Admitted
Questioned by Judge ]. A. Fee as to
why he had changed his figures Mr..
Kuck said that he had filed his first
statement in the belief it had been the
custom to use inflated figures here. He
said his second statement was filed
after consultation with legal authority
as to the law and by a process of de-
flation.
The Tribune publisher also verified
a note he had given to his pressman.
Paul A, Schieusner. on Jan. 10 for
total press run Of 1926 for that day
there being a special order for 20
papers that day, and a regular press
run daily Of 1875 copies. He admitted
the truth of an affidavit signed by
Schleusner saving the average press
run Of the Tribune since November has
been about 1875 and that on January
20, 1921 the actual run was 1855
copies He also identified a rate card
used by the Tribune in which it isl
claimed by the paper to have over $500
live paid subscribers" and admitted
under oath that those figures were in
flated.
Comparative Figures Given
The law requires that the two news
papers having the largest circulationsI
in the county be designated as official
newspapers by the county court. The
sworn county circulation figures sub
mitted Saturday for the three papers
were as follows:
East Oregonian ....,- 249a
Morning Tribune ... 1887
Freewater Times ~ 963
The chief points in controversy dur
ing the case were as to whether carrier
route subscribers who pay on month";
IL basis should be counted, as TO de-
linquent subscribers and whether the
Freewater Times should be allowed
credit for ao4 subscribers secured for
the occasion through a blank sub
scription by H.. s. Murray. mayor Of
Freewater, 1t was contended by Fred
Steiwer. attorney for the Tribune that
the Freewater paper should not be
credited with those subscriptions ana
in rejoinder r. l. Keator. attorney for.
the F'reewater Times. insisted that
many OF the Tribune subscribers,
secured under a contest, We're in the
same category.
The hearing in the case was finished
at o'clock saturday and at the con-
clusion Commissioners Dunning ana
Bean asked Judge Scirannep TO de-
eide the question. The decision was
later announced in favor of the East
0regonian and the Pendleton Tribune.
The court ruled that the 294 special
subscriptions secured by the Freewatea
Times could not he counted and thar
neither could credit be allowed for
subscribers delinquent for over a year
The value to newspaper in beins
designated as an official county paper
is chiefly sentimental and the big fea-
ture of the contest was the fight for
truthful circulation claims The attef.
ney for the East Oregonian, Judge +.
A. Fee. took no part in the contest be.
tween the Tribune and Freewater
Times aside from aiding in develcpins
the true facts as to the local mornins
lpa.,e press run and circulation.
1t will be recalled by advertisers that
something like year ago the then
publishers of the Tribune were called
on by the postoffice department for a
truthful circulation statement and in
: revised statement filed at that time
greatly reduced their figures. In view
of that Incident some surprise has been
expressed that the Tribune should have
again resorted to padded figures.
FREDERICK PANKHURST,
azantx- 0nlIrRAtaR RIrr