Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-11-08
THE LETTER.
Mr.. Richardson's Promised Epistle
Arrives.

Mr.. smith IL Heard FrOm-A Re.
view of the Richardson Letter
Something About "Bias'' and the
Peoples Rights.
The letter that Mr.. Richardson, Pacific
Coast Agent of the Associated Press, tele-
graphed that he would write to us to ex-
plain why he has seen fit to deprive this
paper Of telegrsphic news, was received
yesterday morning by mail. 1t reads thus:
The ASSOCIATED PRESS,
PACIFIC COAST AGENCY,
SAN Francisco, CAL, Nov. 5, 1884,
Messrs. Cassidy & Skillman, Proprietors
SENTINEL, Eureka, Nev.-Dear Sirs: In
view of the expressions contained Ia your
leading editorial of Nov. l, I have deemed
it proper to suspend further service Of re-
port to your paper, and will submit to Mr..
William Henry Smith, General Manager OF
the Associated Press, your article, to-
gether with copies of my telegram and this
letter.
The dispatch to which your article
alludes is given as a especial" to a San
Francisco paper. The Associated Press
conveyed it as q news item, in the same
way that it conveyed the Rochester item
hChdOo IA ouRPOAb bhO CdAOC "
Ticket" and which you publish on the
same day preceding the other item.
1t will be sufficient to say in disproof Of
any bias on the part of the Associated
Press that out of the vast number OF papers
in the United States served by it with its re-
port, fully one-half are papers representing
and advocating the principles OF the Demo
cratic party. Very truly yours,
A.. RICHARDSON, Agent.
In this letter Mr.. Richardson repeats
what he stated previously by telegram:
"In view Of the expressions contained in
your leading editorial Of Nov. l, l have
deemed it proper to suspend further
service Of your report"
That sound well in a country which is
presumed to be in the hands of the people;
but it pleases A. Richardson, autocrat, to
punish the people, to vent his s~pleenlupon
an unofending community because he is
mad" with one certain newspaper. To
ease his i'll humor he strikes them through
a blow at that newspaper. He says: l
have done this. I have said to all the
people who are accustomed to reading the
Eureka SENTINEL, after this fat, you shall
not have any more telegraphic news I'll
just "cinch" you a while anyway, until 1
can hear from Mr.. Smith. II William
Henry Smith says take off the ''cinch"I1l
do it. I'll send ON to be laid out before
him the cause of your offense and my
telegraphic missives on the subject of
your sin.
We consider it very questionable whether
Mr.. Richardson or Mr.. Smith has any
right whatever to deprive the SENTINEL or
any other paper or anybody Of the frivi-
lege Of the Associated Press dispatches.
This Association, in principle. at least, is
as much a common carrier as a railroad is.
AS by the latter you cannot be denied
transportation. SO by the former you can
demand the use of Associated Press tele-
graphic facilities. But the right, in this
case, as in many others, is not what al
ways prevails. What will probably in
luce Mr.. Smith to do this paper and its
patrons justice will be his own view of de-
cency and expediency in the matter. He
will doubtless take a very different view Of
the situation from that entertained by Mr..
Richardson. He (Mr. SMITH, because he
ia presumed to be more a man OF the
world than his subordinate, will probably
argue in this strain:
If we take steps to prosecute the Eureka
SENTINEL for what it has said about our
Geographic association, that will be an
acknowledgment that we are wounded by
its criticisms, and a confession that its
criticisms are just; for otherwise they
would not be worthy of notice. If those
criticisms are correct the best way to avoid
their effect upon the public mind will be
to pass them by, for if we strike back that
act will be in effect pleading guilty to the
charge preferred against US.
In the meanwhile g, however, whether
this be the case or not, the SENTINEL is
somewhat in the condition of the man who
was jailed, and whose attorney, visiting
him in prison. said: ''But they can't put
you in jail" eyes" replied the prisoner,
"but l am in jail"
As to the merits of the case in dispute,
however. Mr.. Richardson says: "The dis
patch to which your article alludes is given
as a special to q San Francisco paper.
The Associated Press conveyed it as a news
item in the same way that it conveyed the
Rochester item, headed will Support the
Democratic Ticket and which you pub
lish on the same day preceding the other
item"
This reaches the heart of the matter.
The question is the character of the Asso-
ciated Press in politics. We reassert,
without fear of contradiction, that it is an
~ " 81 .,orkr, tlak - &.