Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-27
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.
RECENT ISLANDERS PROVEN
WHOLLY UNFOUNDED.

1 NEO1lhI ONE OONOtLD.
Its Reports on the Recent Election the
Greatest Feat in the History of TeIe-
graphic JOurn alism-DemOcrats and
Republicans Unite in Yielding the
Association the Palm.
NEW YORK, Nov. 26.-Some days ago
the Journal Of Commerce commented un-
favorably on the Associated Press in con-
nection with the election returns from
New York, and expressed the opinion that
Whitelaw Reid, of the Tribune, had exer-
cised an undue share of influence In the
work. This morning the Journal of Com
anerce contains an editorial on the subject,
which was written after David NJ. Stone,
the editor, had inquired into the facts. 1t
says:
The Joint Executive Committee of the
Western and New York Associated Press met
yesterday to investigate the complaints which
have been made from both parties concern
ing the report of the late political campaign
up to and including the returns of the cleo
tion. After careful sitting of the evidence
several facts of public interest were establish
eli beyond controversy, and we refer to them
briefly in justice to ourselves and others,
The arrangements for reporting the proceed
ings of the conventions, acceptance of nOmi-
nations and sayings and dOlngs of the several
candidates. were shown to be perfect as
could well De devised, and wholly without
partisan bias. ANY seeming partlalIty to one
or the other side in the dispatches received
was corrected at once by William Henry
Smith, the General Agent. and all that human
ingenuity could devise was done to give
reliable intelligence, uncOlOred by partisan
prejudice. We stated Nov. II that, as other
members of the Executive Committee had not
been active, the recent election returns ap
peared to have been collected under the su-
PervisiOn of the editor of the Tribune. The
latter attended meeting of the board just
before the election. and was understood, in an
swer to question from the President, to have
given sufficient authority for such an asser
tiOn. 1t is now stated and accepted that he
did not intend by his answer to give this i'm
preston, and that as a'matter of fact, neither
he nor any Of his committee gave any per-
sonal attention to the supervision of the re-
turns.
In regard to the New York State r.
turns the Journal says that as far as the
action of the gen eral manager or the con-
troll of the machi merry is concerned, there
is no cause for complaint, and concludes
as follows:
Exactly how the returns from this State
took on the partisan character they assumed,
we need not say, but we are satisfied that no
orders or directions of the managers of the
Associated Press had any share in cOntribut-
ing to that result.
MEETING OF THE MANAGERS.
A meeting of the Joint Executive Com
mittee of the New York Associated Press
and the Western Associated Press, called
in New York to investigate the published
charges of partis;anship in their dispatch
es during the campaign and their collec-
tiOn of the election returns, was attended
by members as follows: Charles A. Dana,
of the New York San, Chairman; White
law Reid, of the Tribune, Secretary;
James Gordon Be nnett, of the New York
Herald, represen ted by DIR. G, w. Hos |
mer; Richard Snaith, of the Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette. and w. n. Halde- |
MAJ of 10 T.O1J cxiI al
After thorough investigation of the work,
including circulars of instruction, CORE
spondenee with agents by letter and tele- |
graph, correspondence with candidates, |
complaints from both Democratic
and Republican S sources, disps tches sent |
originals filed by senders in the several |
telegraph offices, Messrs. W. n. Halde- |
man, of the Louisville COurier-JOurndt, |
and Richard Smith, of the Cincinnati |
Commercial Gazette, were appointed a |
subcommittee to summarize the cOnclu- |
sions reached by tue members. They pre- |
sented the follow ing report, which was |
unanimously adopted, and the Chairman
and Secretary of the Joint Executive |
Committee were instructed to sign the |
same and transmit it to the members and |
clients of the two associations:
To tile Members aud Clients ofthe Associated |
Press: The joint Executive Committee did |
not deem it advisable during the sharply con- |
tested campaign to take public notice of the !
misrepresentations and unwarranted criti-
cisms published against the Associated Press. |
THE GREAT EXCITEMENT.
Observation shows that during such seasons |
of excitement men are moved by passion |
rather than by reason. Now that the party |
contest is closed. the committee deem it their |
duty to make public the following statement: |
meeting of the committee was called for |
Nov. % inst::' to which David. NJ. Stone. Esq, |
President of the New York Associated Press, |
Hon. ,IOgpnn a
Committee, were invited. The latter was I'M |
fortunately out of the city, but Mr.. Stone at |
tended and gave the committee the benefit of |
his counsel and experience. careful review |
of the work done and of the official records |
warrant the statement that the high charac- |
ter and non-partisan fairness that |
its hold upon the public confidence !
in the past have been firmly maintained, and |
that no improper influence, political or other |
wise, has been permitted to enter into its |
management. The work. strictly confined |
within the limits prescribed by the rules |
which experience has proved to be safe and |
just to all parties, has been larger than in any |
previous campaign This was due to the |
greater number of divisions and to the de-
mand of the press for fuller service.
BEATING THE RECORD.
The State conventions. nearly hundred in |
lumber, and the national conventions of all |
political organizations were reported with |
a thoroughness and rapidity surprising |
anything ever before attempted. The subse- |
quent official action of the party |
committees, letters, addresses and movements |
of the candidates were carefully provided for |
under instructions similar in language and |
splrit. 1t has never been considered as with |
in the legitimate functions of this non-par- |
tisan association to report an ordinary cam |
palgn meeting or to transmit the scandals |
that spring up during such heated periods. |
All such has been vigorously excluded from
the Associate Press reports. The charge that |
the election returns in the State of New York |
were withheld is disproved by the fact that |
out OF total OF 1893 wards and towns in the |
State the Associated Press received on |
election night returns from 630, whereas |
in 1916 returns were received from only 254 |
and in 1889 from only 293. The extent, rapidity |
and substantial accuracy of this service was |
never equaed before in this State the total |
vote of which in 1884 reached the enormous |
number of l,l67 ,0O3 SO nearly divided be-
tween the two great parties as to leave to the
victor only about LOO of plurality. The in
vestigatiOn shows that while there were some
serious errors in the telegraphing Of our re-
ports, especially from remote points, due in |
part to their being transmitted over different
lines of telegraph, and, while these errors in
the main diminished the apparent strength of
Cleveland, there was but one error of i'm
Dortance in the Office of the Associated Press.
THE ONLY GRIEvoUs ERROR.
This was in a bulletin issued on Nov. 6, two
days after the election, known as bulletin No.
IA. In making this up, one of the mathema-
tlclans employed, in the absence of full re-
turns from the districts, instead of cOntinu-
ing to estimate the percentage of Democratic
gains as had been done before, undertook to
estimate the actual pluralities, and by this
process figured out a plurality of 473 for
Blaine. The sub-agent in charge of the Of
flee sent tins out without sufficient scrutiny |
but it was corrected as soon as the Inaccura-
cy was positively ascertaIned. In regard
to this error the committee find no
evidence of any intentional wrOng-dOing on
the part of the sub agent. From first to last
there was no effort to control affect the re-
turns by any member of the committee in any
interest," nor any interference of any sort,
and the general instructions under which the
work was done were strictly fair, non-parti-
san and more thorough and minute than ever
before. CHARLES A. DANA, Chairman.
WHITELAw REID, Secretary.
GOV. IRELAND ON THE NEGRO.