The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-12-15
The Republican.
JAS. A. HAYDEN. Publisher.
OAKLAND, GARRETT CO., MD.
The Associated Press.

Using agency; and even among some
newspaper men many curious miscon-
captions of its objects prevail. 1t was
started, long before the telegraph was
a practical success, by four New York
papers, and its sole aim was co-opera-
ton in the collection of marine news;
but with the development of the tel
pgraph it expanded, and twas reorgan-
lied in its present form twenty-siX years
ago by the proprietors of the journal Of
Commerce, the Courier and Enquirer,
the Cypress, the Tribune, the SIN and
the Herald The Courier and Enquirer
being merged into the World, the latter
paper secured the franchise of the
former, and the Times was admitted to
the partnership in 1851. The association
is composed of the several papers, not
of the individuals who own and control
them, and so the proprietorship or pol
icy of a paper may change without af-
fecting the position of that paper in the
partnership.
1t collects news primarily for its own
seven members, taking for the use of
all common dispatch, narrating Con-
gressiOnal proceedings or any event Of
general interest, and reducing the cost
to each by dividing between all the eX-
pense of reporting and telegraphing.
But this scope was enlarged soon after
its organization, and it now sells news
at stipulated rates to over 500 other
papers, published in every part of the
continent. Its agents are scattered over
the whole world. Its London offices
are never closed, and the news arriving
there is forwarded under nearly 5000
miles of ocean at all hours as rapidly
as it is received. Combining itself to no
arbitrary limits, its daily cable tolls are
seldom less than $500, and sometimes
they are four times that amount. North
and Central America are covered by its
own agents; and by arrangements with
the great news agencies abroad, includ-
ing Reuters, it receives the news col
lections of the latter from every part of
Europe, Asia, Africa and South Amer
lea. In well-populated regions of the
United States sub-associations are
formed, which give the local papers
fuller details of local affairs than more
distant papers would require; and in
sparsely-settled districts, where news
items are not frequent enough to war
rant the appointment of regular agents,
the telegraph operators are authorized
to employ men of ability in the interest
of the association whenever any calam-
ity, disturbance or excitement occurs.
AS the dispatches reach the general
agency, they are handed to the manager
of the manifolding-rOom, under whose
direction copies are multiplied for dis
tribution, the manifolding process en-
abling one writer to make from twelve
to twenty-six copies at time, by means
of very tough oiled tissue paper alter
mating with carbonized paper, and an
agate or carnelian point substituted for
pen or pencil.
When page of manifold is written,
the Office assistants separate and envel-
ope the copies, which are sent to the
city newspapers by messengers. Other
copies are handed to agents representing
sections of the papers in the North,
South, East and West, who edit them,
each agent elimination whatever will
not interest his particular constituency,
and adding anything of value that he
can obtain from other sources.
The distribution is effected by tele-
graphic delivery at many different
points along a continuous line of wire
at the same instant of time. The sys-
TEN involves combination reports, which
are forwarded to all who share them al
or within certain fixed hours, arranged
by contract with the telegraph COM
pany. Though the reports to Boston
are sent direct at all hours, the same re-
&c, n,1aotaI 70 oil 9TH ,N1noae
New England on the combined circuit
that is to say, New York is put into
telegraphic connection by single wire
simultaneously with New Haven, Hart,
ford, Springfield, Worcester and other
points East where there are papers en-
titled to the news. In each town OF
village an operator takes position at his
instrument when report hour is called,
and is ready to report in manifold as il
comes over the wire. Another operator
writes the message by the transmitting
instrument in New York, and that one
writing sends it to all points on the cir
cult. The receivers are highly skilled
in the business, and read by sound with
out the aid of the recorded Morse char
acters.
The kilograms to the Western Asso-
ciated Press are sent in the same man.
ner, being delivered simultaneously at
Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Cleveland, Gin
cinnati, Chicago, st. Louis and other
principal points. At Cincinnati, De-
troit, Chicago, st. Louis, Milwaukee
and Memphis condensed abstracts,
known as pony reports, are made
and forwarded to smaller towns, whose
papers cannot afford the cost of the
longer report Philadelphia, Washing
ton and Baltimore are also served in
combination, and reports to all points
south of the Potomac are made up by
an agent placed at Washington for that
purpose. Washington receives full
resume of the general news of the world,
forwarded from New York, and also
dispatches from New Orleans, Mobile,
Charlestown, Richmond and all other
points. Each of these Southern cities
is interested in the news of the others,
and to supply them with it summary
of all that has been received at Wash
ington is included in the combination
report, which, being delivered at all
points, gives back to each city some OF