The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-05-31
The Post Comments on the Association.
WHERE Is TIE CONTRACT?

WHERE IS THE CONTRACT?
The Galveston News yesterday, in COM
meniing on the statements made by the
Posts Galveston correspondent. in relation
to making Galveston the distributing point
for the dispatches addressed to the Press
Association of Texas, ailirms that the News
has noh hing TO do with said arrangement
,ha, il is not a member of the Press Assoc
oiat,on OF I, Xa-. hut that II is member OF
the Western Associated Press, by which
the former is supplied with telegraph di =
paIcnes; that in virtue OF its special contract
with that company, itfeceives .he Western
Associated Press dispatches, which al.o
contain the dispatches intended for the
Pfess Association OF Texas, The News states
that 1t has made the best possible contract
with the Western Associated Press for
certain amount OF dsnatches, and that the
Press Association of Texas has probably
done the same. The inference to be
drawn from this Is, that the race is an open
ard fair one between the News and the
Texas Associated Press, and the devil take
the hindmostl This, certainly, has plaus'
ible sound. II the News has got ahead OF
the Associated Press by superior enterprise
Anc address. the latter has no right to COM
plain and the former deserves credit. But,
unfortunately for the News, there is in ex-
istence little document signed, sealed and
delivered OF legal aud Commercial gen
uineress and value, known as the contract
66tween the Western Associated Press ana
the Press Association of Texas, signed by
the respective presidents Joseph Medill, Of
Chicago, and John Cardwell, of Austin.
This instrument was perfected
while the Galveston News was
member of the Texas Press As
ISOLATION. Aiterward, because, probably,
it did not appreciate the precise level of the
jour ialstc brotherhood to which
it was brought, the News with
drew its membership, and, after coquetting
with the Southern Associated Pres, and
not fading the dover of that damsel up
to expectations, transferred its connection
TO the Western Associated Press, IA connec-
ton which it mentions In asel.complacent
way, AS being the singular honor dstin-
gushing the News from its southern con-
tempoTaries. The result of the connection,
says the \ VS., was the best possible" CON
tract with that body to furnish the News
with certain amount OF Geographic mat
ter. This has an easy and natural sound,
hut, upon referring TO the original con-
tract, a copy of which we have before us,
we find II Expressly specified that the con.
tract between the Western Associated Press
and the Press Association OF Texas shall be
exclusive If the tx ension of the Texas As
ISOLATED Press dispatches to any paper not
amember of the association The telegraph
10 matter received by the News is identi.
ealiy the same as that sent to the
Press Association of Texas, and If the News
chooses to order few outlying dispatches
it is TO those extra ones alone that IL can
make any special clam. AstO the bulk of its
dispatches il is indebted TO the Texas Asso-
Cialed Press telegraphiC matter! How can
this be possible may be asked, in the face
of an exclusive contract? We can only
reply that 1t not only Is possible, but a fact.
But is not this direct violation of a legal
instrument Judge for yourselves, is our
reply. The News has no more right to the
Texas Associated. Press dispatches than IL has
To the salary of the president of the United
States; and If 1t says that the dispatches re.
ceived are ''s own property the question
might be asked, how can they be SO. when
they are, by law, if there be any law in the
case, the property already of other parties?
Again, the contract calls for the transmits
sion offrom s COO TO s 500 words daily to the
Associated Press But since the extraor-
binary order has been received forbiddinp
the taking OF associated dispatches as thew
pass over the Houston wires, the result has
been that the Galveston News has twice the
quantity of telegraphis matter spread upon
It's pages, and the Associated Press whose
property that telegraphiC matter is, must
content themselves with less than 1000
words, or less than half of what appears i'm
the News or wnat their contract calls for
This is enterprise with vengeancel The
authorities Of the Western Associ.
ated Press are in duty bound to look into
the matter and see II these statements are
not true, If the original contract be valid
IL should be observed; and it is respectfully
submitted to the management that Tia
fact of five papers, representing as MANY
centres of influence In the state, should cei-
tainly avail 80 far az to have Justice done
under stipulation, though they be opposad
by one journal so cunning of fence Az tbe
Galveston News!-l Houston Post.
Tuv CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
'Asthe time is approaching When The h, peon,o
OF Texas, the qualified voters, will be called
upon to cast their votes for or against Tho
proposed amendments to the constitution
of the state, il 1t not well that thew should
begin to think and reason with themselves
concerning the adoption OF these amend
ments2 They are published In one news.
paper in each county In the state (wbere
there is a paper published) and To vote nm
derstandir ely every man should read them
very carefully, so as to fully understand
their meaning. The amendments are ot
vital Importance to the people. The most
Important one, we think, is that nllow,nc
school districts in the county, as well as
towns and cities, to levy and collect n
speclal tax, not to exceed 20 cents on Tho
500, for the maintenance of their local or
district school. To assess this tax il reomires
a two.thirds vote of all taxpayers yolinT
and not ,wo.thrds of the taxpayers of re,
district. Thus, II only three taxpayers Of
the district take sufficient interest in tho
election to vote, and two vote for and ono
against the tax, or two against and one
for the tax, it is carried or lost inst ,he
same as II every taxpayer In The dis, riot