The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-11-20
rupLIco OPINION.
A Plain md Impartial Statement al to tho
7 Associated pre.., by mn ENTIRELY compe.

PUBLIC OPINION.
A Plain md Impartial statement AZ to tho
Associated rre.., by an ENTIRELY compe.
& tentnnd dependent Paper.
albany Evening Jatrads.
So tnuch misapprehension about ne
Associated Press exists, and this nisap-
prcl,ension Inns been 50 widely increased
since election day By silly talk about tho
organization, that vi shall briefly explain
what the Associated Press is. Any intel.
ligcnt reader will SEQ Mt once how wicked
and stupid the charges against the best
press service Of the country really arc.
= The New York Associated Press 10 the
name Of tho parent organization, embrac-
Ing the Tribune, Timer, Sun, Herald, World,
Mali and Express and Journal Of Commerce,
papers OF all shades OF politics. They
learned many years ago TINT by combin.
Ing they could obtain news easier and at
less expense than by having each III In
drpendcnt service. Aiteratlme thenews'
papers OF the Stale OF New York outside
Of Now York and brooklyn, organized
the New York State Associated Press md
made IN arrangement with tho New York
lcity) association to pay tho latter astipu'
lated amount weekly for al Its news from
tho interior Of the State. The papers In
Now England organizedt the Now England
association on tho same plan Inc those OF
the Pacific coast, OF the South anu OF the
West, organized each likewise its distinct
i've association, and all inade contracts
with the New York City press for It's
news.
Each press association Is entirely indie
pendent OF the other, and tho only rela.
lions between them IRE strictly OF n bust.
ness nature. They have their rlvalries
and their contentious just US business
houses have their differences. Each full.
fills his own contracts. Every association
is organized OIL its own basis and has such
bylaws rs II chooses to make.
Naturally the papers which have organ.
lied the parent association, rs We might
call that OF New York city, md those OF
all its auxiliarics desire 10 retain all the
advantages they have secured by incorpo.
ration and association with each other.
So we can answer the first question Of our
correspondent In the negative and the
second in the affirmative, with the further
explanation that so far rs the New York
State Associated Press is concerned n new
paper in my city can secure admission II
Tho members in that city enter no objec.
tons, The whole Associated Press bust
ness Is like any other. 1t Is IL business
matter. Any papers not intho association
can unite and form IN associated press OF
their own. Several such associations have
been formed, andonc OF tliem-the United
Prpss-still has n considerable c%lienta.e.
The associated presses are like any other
business combination. They IRE. not Il
monopoly in any sense Of tho word, any
more than q business man caii 10 said to
enjoy q monopoly because he will not per-
nit a rival to share advantages which he
has been 8 o %enterprising az to secure. Nor
is anyot the associated presses a political
concern. for every N embraces newspa.
pers Of all political opinions, and the agent
OF each is under instructions 70 avoid par
tisanship. 1t must be remembered that
the auxiliary associations Which take
news from the New York (city association
are not required TO use this news. Each
association has its W agent in New Yorl;
10 send out what its cli.nts may especially
care Tor. &
AS to the Western Union Coinpany's
relations with the Associated Press, we
can SHY nom knowledge thu, they are
simply such as business requires. Each
association ias its own contract for the
transmission Of its news by the Western
Union Company. Years ago the New
York (ci,y) dissolution had u contract to
do aii its work over the Western Union
wires, and to stipula;e in its contracts
with other associations that they should
do tie same. This iron.clad arrangement
was long since broken up, the various as
sociations declining to continue it. In
stead OF having the slightest control
over the associated presses Of this
country, the Western Union is
absolutely without power to inAu-
nnce them. In fact the associations
are constartiy at variance withtho Western
Union company over the question OF rates,
the fight on their part being to compel a
reduction OF tolls, and OH the partoLthe
telegraph company to raise tho rates. This,
as any familiar with the facts will certify,
is an irrepressible conflict. The last CON
tract made by the State associated press
with the Western Union Company was
signed only after the relations between
the two were so strained that it looked us
if tho congratulations would part company,
and tho contract MS made was so u~nsatis.
factory to the State press that Il COM
mittee was appointcd-which is
still III existence-to arrange either
to build IN independent line Of telegraph
through this State Or to make a contract
with some other company than the West
crn Union. 1t will DO seen from this that
ali the talk about Jay Gould or,thc West
ern Union Company controlling one or
all OF the associated presses is the merest
bosh. This talk comes for the most part
from the opposition press associations
which do not send their news over the
Western Union wires. Any Of the regu-
lar Associated Press papers that Join in
this talk about Gould, the Western Union
and press monopoly do so because they
do not know what thnv nre talkinr ahOuf