The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-16
MPORTANT DECISION

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, August 13.-Judge
McCrarY, in the United States circuit court,
has rendered d decision which intimately
concerns all the newspaper publishers and
editors in the United States, and is another
evidence of the tendency of the times to
resist the dictation of monopoliss. Sever
al weeks ago the journal, a morning paper
published in this city, wishing to increase
it's news service, made arrangements to Sc
cure the National associated press report,
which is published in addition to that of
the Kansas and Missouri press association,
of which the Journal is a member. 1t is
one of the rules of the Western associated
press, of which the Kansas and Missouri
association receives its news report that
no paper belonging to the Western associ-
ated press or any association taking its
news, shall receive or publish the reports
of any other news association,
under penalty of being cut
off from the list. A similar rule is enforc-
ed by the New York Associated Press, and
all tributary or subsidiary Associated Press
combinations in all parts of the country,
with a view to maintaining monopoly of
the distribution and sale of news and to
prevent successful competition. When
The journal began the publication of the
National Associated Press reports d. r.
Anthony, of Leayenworth in his capacity
as secretary of the Kansas ane Missouri
Associated Press, issued peremptory in
structions to the Western Union Telegraph
| Company to discontinue the delivery Of the
report TO that paper. The Journal Com
| pany Immediately brought suit before
Judge Krekel, of the United States
District Court. at Kansas City, to com
| pei the telegraph company to con
rinue the delivery of the report despite An
| thony's orders. In the meantime, howey-
er, the association held meeting, and re
pudiating Anthonys action as an assump
| ton of authority, ordered the report re
stored to the Journal, but took steps tow
ard the expulsion of the Journal from the
association unless the paper discontinued
the publication of National Associated
Press reports. An effort was also made te
change the contract between the Kansas
and Missouri association and the Western
Associated Press reports from which
latter organization the news came, so the
journal could be excluded from any right
or title to their report. This, II accom-
plished, would have shut the journal
out and left its owners without remedy
The latter, however, promptly petitlonec
the United States court for a new function
to prevent any change in the contract with
the Western Associated Press, and to pro
tect It's rights as party to the existing
contract. The case was argued before
Judge McCrary in the United States district
court at Keokuk, Iowa. July Both, anC
yesterday Judge MeCrary's decision wa
filed in the clerks office for the district o
Kansas Judge McCrary granted the
injunction prayed for on both the kansas
and Missouri press association and tbs
i Western Union telegraph compan.
although the telegraph company was joinet
as a defendant. The appearance in cour
was only pro forma, and the council mad,
no opposition to the granting of the pro
posed injunction. The especial importanc
Of the ruling of Judge McCrary will b
better seen when it is stated that under
any paper in Kansas and Missouri
association, the Western Associated pres
4 and all their tributary associations is priv
ileged to take the National Associate
press report or that of any news associa
] ton it sees fit to pay for. and the barrie
that has prevented the development o