Smead v. Stearns

At the time of the transaction out of which this litigation has arisen, the defendant Stearns owned the “Sheldon Mail”, a weekly newspaper published at Sheldon, Jowa. His subscription list not being large enough to enable him to compete for the county printing, he undertook to increase it by inaugurating a so-called “popularity contest”. According to the plan of the contest, candidates entering it were expected to canvass for both new and renewal subscriptions to the paper, and to collect past due subscription accounts, and were to be credited with “votes” on the basis of the following scale:…