National Republican., 1882-10-02

Evidence of the compact between the
telegraph and news monopolies was pre-
sented TO Congress at time when the
subject of postal telegraph system was
advocated
The discussion recently inaugurated by
the New York Herald of the alleged pur-
pose of Mr.. JAY Gould to possess himself
OF the control of the Associated Press by
combinations within the circle of its ma
nlpulators opens broad field. The As
sociatcd Press would be the same power
under one management as under another.
The Herdldthreatens revolt if Mr.. Gould
accomplishes what it supposes he intends.
lteven holds the postal telegraph scheme
over him. There are none who would
like to see Mr.. Gould in control both OF
the telegraph system and the Associated
Press. But many there are who would
like to sec those two forces in healthy
competition with each other. The free
dom of the press would be.endangered if
MIR. Gould were to become master of
both, but it would be promoted if the tel
egraph company should make tariff of
reasonable rates at which newspapers
desiring 1t could be furnished with news
by its operators from every telegraph
office in the country through news bu-
reaus at principal centers established I'M
der its control. This would not inter-
fere with the Associated Press, which al
ready has its agents and all the customers
is acttting TO SerUej but it would make
fNcGilNln aud oh
ment Of new papers everywhere, whose
proprietors would know that they could
have as good news and ut as reasonable
rates as those already in existence. With
two such news systems the errors and
bias which might creep into either would
be likely to be counteracted by the other.
There would be no monopoly in this,
and it is worth the consideration of the
stockholders in the telegraph company
as q plan for increasing their business.
And now for the application, as the
preachers say. We set out with the
truism that public opinion is law. AS
public opinion must be based largely on
understood facts, which can only be
learned through the press, therefore the
statements of the press are law. 1t is
not violating logic, then, to say that we
live under q government of newspapers.
The Associated Press dispatches are in
| tended to be, and for the most part
probably are, without color or bias.
They are not often complained Of The
sale Of them to favored newspapers, and
the refusal of them to new ones, is q
strictly natural because proftable) and
blameless business transaction.
But the freedom of the press would be
enlarged if competing neWS Establishments
were opened at which other papers could
be supplied. We are, with occasional
exceptions, well served by the Associated
Press but the country is not well served
with great newspapers. Too many of
those we have are in the same rut. The
public mind is often confused by their
misstatements, and poisoned by their
malevolence. They seem to have con-
spired sometimes to hunt men, and drive
them to madness or to death. Was ever
man bounded and abused rs General
Garfield was by them in 1873, in the face of
the very same explanations which in
1880 were taken by them as sufficient?
And yet the people were then so in.
famed against him that all through
the Presidential campaign, i'll which he
was a candidate seven years later, he
suffered the anguish of doubling whether
he had yet recovered in the public esti-
nation from the merciless howl of New
York, Chicago, and Cincinnati dailies,
and the Albany Evening Journal, the Utica
Herald, the Buffalo Express, and other
papers which were at the later date sup
porting him. The people forget so soon.
The papers that are now revling Presi-
dent Arthur have not poured out upon
him tithe ofthe venom with which they
bathed General Garfield. Is there not
danger that Howl may become King?
This can never be if extended news facili-
ties shall recruit the ranks of journalism
and all shades of opinion and classes of
men have an equal chance to secure
hearing through the press.
-S