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Here It Is Without Com Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 2,1907, Mr. F. L. Seely, Publisher The Georgian, City. I note the following statement and proposition in your paper of this date: “37,000 Circulation.” "Regardless of the advertised claims of any daily paper in Georgia, we say to the public that we will pay for the examination by the American Audit Company, under the same conditions that they examined The Geor gian, and will give $1,000 worth of coal to the Orphan Homes that may be selected by Mayor Joyner, Rabbi Marx and'Forrest Adair, if more than 40,000 paid circula tion (not including Sundays) can be shown as an average for the three months ending January 31, 1907, the find ings to be published. This in the face of the advertised claims of as high as 52,000 and over.” Signed “THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS.” Replying to the above, I beg to advise that I accept your proposition, on behalf of The Journal. The circula tion books of The Journal are at the disposal of the American Audit Cmpany. We will be pleased to have the examination begin at once. Very truly yours, J. R. GRAY, General Manager Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 2, 1907. Mr. F. L. Seely, Publisher The Georgian and News, City. Dear Sir: I note in your paper of this date that you claim 37,000 circulation, combining your own with that of The News. Without regard to the proposition which I have just made you in connection with our own circulation, I beg to say that The Journal will give $1,000 to any charitable institution in Atlanta, to be selected by Mayor Joyner, Rabbi Marx and Forrest Adair, if you can show more than 25,000 paid circulation as an average for the three months ending January 31st, 1907, the findings to be published. I beg to say further that The Journal will pay for the examination by Messrs. Ralph Brown and Joel Hunter, the regular auditors of this Company, under the same con ditions as those under which the examination of our own circulation is to be made by the American Audit Company. Please favor me with an early reply. Very truly yours,. J. R. GRAY, General Manager The Atlanta Journal. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 2, 1907. Mr. James R. Gray, Publisher The Atlanta Journal, City. Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your two communica tions of this date carrying proposals regarding the circula tion of The Georgian and News and The Journal. I accept both of your propositions to be acted upon in the order in which they were made. I make haste to reply tonight in order that you may have opportunity to make use of my acceptance in connec tion with whatever publicity you may give the matter, t Very respectfully, F. L. SEELY, Publisher The Georgian and News. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 4,1907. Mr. F. L. Seely, Publisher The Georgian and News. Dear Sir: This will introduce to you Mr. Ralph Brown, of the firm of Brown & Hunter, who are expert ac countants, and the regular auditors for The Journal. In accordance with our agreement made Saturday evening, February 2, as to the examination of the circula tion tor The Journal and The Georgian, I beg to advise that The Journal’s circulation books are at the disposal of The American Audit Company, and we will be pleased to have the examination begin at once. Mr. Brown is like wise ready to begin the examination of your circulation, and we will be glad to have you signify by letter your read iness to have the work begin. We would be glad to have both examinations proceed at once, to determine the paid circulation of each paper for the months of November and December, 1906, and Janu ary, 1907. Very truly yours, J. R. GRAY, . General Manager Journal. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 4, 1907. Mr. F. L. Seely, Publisher The Georgian arid News, City. Dear Sir: Will you kindly favor me with a reply to my letter delivered to you this morning by Mr. Ralph Brown? I have waited all day for your reply, in order that I may know when you desire to begin the work of ex amining our respective circulations, and that I may give instructions accordingly. I wish to repeat what I have stated to you already: that the books of The Journal are at the disposal of The Ameri can Audit Company, and we will be glad for the examina tion to proceed at once. Please let me hear from you. Very truly yours, J. R. GRAY, General Manager Atlanta Journal. Mr. J. R. Gray, General Manager The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 5,1907. Atlanta, Ga. Dear Sir: The bearer, Mr. C. B. Bidwell, resident manager of The American Audit Company, is ready to examine the circulation of The Atlanta Journal in accord ance with the proposal of The Georgian and News, pub lished in its issue of the 2d inst., and accepted by you. We beg leave to attach copy of our original proposal, specify ing that the examination shall be made under the same conditions governing the examination of The Georgian’s circulation by The American Audit Company; These con ditions, as set forth in the certificate of circulation issued The Georgian by the Audit Company, copy of which we also attach, are as follows: “We have exhaustively examined the Circulation books and records of The Georgian, have had our men watch counting mechanism, always selecting days when we were not expected. We have had the accuracy of the counting mechanism proven by actual physical count, made by two of our men. We have had free and complete access to its entire plant, and no attempt has been made by anybody connected with The Georgian to indicate how we should investigate its circulation. Furthermore, we acknowledge receipt of your letter borne by Mr. Ralph Brown requesting that he be allowed to examine The Georgian and News at once, and your sec ond letter of the same day, stating that you had waited alt day for an answer. Mr. Brown was notified that he would be informed when he could start his examination, and we are not aware that your letter required a reply. Mr. Brown will not be allowed to examine The Geor gian and News until the requirements of the entire matter have been adhered to by The Journal. And I may say further that as this is goingto be a straightforward, wide- open proposition, we do not quite see the cause of such un seemly haste. The American Audit Company spent nearly a month with three men examining The Georgian, at a cost of $480, and I have no idea they can examine The Journal in even so short a time. So, in addition to the fact that it is a con siderable business matter with us, it is of vast import ance to us as a newspaper to see whether we are being con sidered by the advertiser at a disadvantage because we are telling the truth about our circulation. You saw fit to accept The Georgian’s challenge of Saturday, and accompanied it with another. We accepted both and specifically stated that they were to be acted upon in the order to which they were made. Now, Mr. Gray, we expect to see if The Journal will do what we think it hasn’t done before, before we proceed. Then, too, we would call to your attention, that the fact that you have mentioned three times; to wit: i'The circulation books are at the disposal of The American Audit Company,” does not apply in this case. This is not a mere examination of circulation books. It is to be an examination cf the circulation of the daily Atlanta Jour nal, without Sundays, Semi-Weeklies or anything else in cluded, “under the same conditions The Georgian's books were examined.” We expect to see to it that the conditions are strictly adhered to, the fact that your challenge to show 25,000 PAID circulation is something we have never claimed, notwithstanding. Mr. Bidwell is ready to proceed. Very truly, THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN, F. L. Seely, Publisher. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 6,1907. Mr. F. L. Seely, Publisher The Georgian and News, City.. Dear Sir: Mr. Bidwell handed me your letter .of the 5th late Tuesday afternoon, in reply to mine of the 4th, delivered to you Monday morning by Mr. Ralph Brown, and a second letter delivered to you by Mr. Huie Monday night, asking a reply to my request that the examination proceed. You say that you were not aware that my letter rev quired a reply. You must have been extremely unfortu nate in your understanding of what my letter meant, since it specifically requested a reply, in these words: We will be glad to have you signify by letter your readiness to have the work begin.” If I read your letter correctly, I understand you to say that it will probably require a month or more for Mr. Bidwell to examine The Jounal, and that Mr. Brown will not be allowed to examine The Georgian until after that examination shall have been completed. Since Mr. Bidwell has nothing to do with the examina tion of .The Georgian, I am amazed at your determination to unnecessarily delay the examination of your paper a month or more, which is directly contrary to the terms of your acceptance. • I'enclose a copy of a letter of authority which I have placed in Mr. Bidwell’s hands. I call your attention to the fact that I have given him carte blanche to make the most rigid examination that he can devise; and have placed at his disposl every facility of The Journal establishment, You say that you accepted' both propositions of The Journal, and specifically stated that they were to be acted upon in the order in which they were made. Will you kindly inform me as to the order in which they were made? Th^y were both sent.you at the same time, in the same envelope, by the same person, and bore the same date. As a matter of fact, my proposition to you was signed first. You accepted both. You said nothing about the examination of The Journal being completed be fore you would permit The Georgian to be examined. You were notified immediately that we were ready to begin on The Journal at any moment. Mr. Bidwell has likewise been notified of our readiness, and I have expressed the desire to him that the examination proceed without delay. You will pardon me for suggesting that your clearly expressed intention to delay the examination of your pa per indefinitely, is in striking contrast with your printed challenge of the correctness of our circulation statement, and indicates a determined, though clumsy and ill-con ceived trick, to escape the examination which you so glibly accepted. It does not indicate that you are in earnest, when you say: “As this is going to be a straightforward, wide-open proposition, we do not see the cause of your unseemly haste.” Let me assure you that this is going to be a straight forward, wide-open proposition as to both papers, if it is possible for us to make it so. It most certainly will be straightforward and wide-open as far as The Journal is concerned. I shall do my best to have it conducted in the same manner with your paper. I fail utterly to discover any “unseemly haste” when I ask that the examination of both papers begin at once, without “unseemly” delay, and without any opportunity for preparation or alteration of records. I can discover nothing in your desire for this delay, except a determination to avoid an examination, if possi ble, because you have accepted a proposition which you virtually admit in the closing paragraph of-your letter you are unable to substantiate. This “unseemly delay” is quite contrary to a straightforward, wide-Open examina tion. If I may paraphrase your expression, it seems to be a straight backward, tightly closed proposition, as far as The Georgian is concerned. Let me give you a satisfying reason for what you are pleased to term “unseemly haste.” Your proposition is to furnish the orphans’ homes $1,000 worth of coal, if The Journal can show more than 40,000 average paid circula tion for the past three months. Our proposition is to give $1,000 to the orphans’ homes if you can show as much as 25,000 average paid circulation for the past three months. Let me suggest, for your most thoughtful and benevolent consideration, that the winter is rapidly passing; the weather is cold and disagreeable; the orphans need coal as well as money. We are quite anxious to have them sup plied with both. We will gladly furnish the money to be sent with your compliments, if you can substantiate your claims. We desire to send this coal to the orphans’ homes while it is needed, and we expect to send it with the com pliments of The Journal, at your expense. You accepted my proposition, and I insist upon the terms of it being observed. I have requested Mr. Bidwell to proceed at once with his examination; I again request you to permit Mr. Ralph Brown to proceed with his. It is my desire that Mr. Bidwell make the most thorough and rigid examination of that paper that is possible. I shall place every facility at his command, and every record, pas* book, cash book, cash receipt, subscription, and everf other source of information, without Sunday’s and Week ly’s, or anything else, included, and every facility for ex amining the press room, mailing room, etc., at his disposal In a word, I have given him absolutely authority to inves tigate the circulation of this paper until he is satisfied, and then I desire him to make a report.