Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1884-12-04

NEW YORK, Nov. ga meeting of tn
joint executive committee of the New
York Associated Press and the Western
Associated Press, called in New York t
investigate the published charges of parti
sanship in their dispatches during the cam
paign and their collection of election re
turns, was attended by the members as fol
| lows: Charles A. Dana, of the New Yorl
! Sun, chairman; Whitelaw Reid, of tn,
Tribune, Secretary; James Gordon Ben
nett, of the HerGd represented by DR.. G
| w. Hammer Richard Smith, of the Com
merciag Gazette: VIM N. Hilderman, o.
the Louisville Courier Jourlaag After 6
| thorough investigation of the work, in
| cluding circulars of instruction and cor
respondence with the candidates, com
| plants from both Democratic and Repub
! lican sources, dispatches sent out, returns
received by telegraph and the Original
! filed by the senders in the several telegraph
offices, Messrs. Hiderman, of the Louis
vile Courier Journal, and Richard Smith
of the Cincinnati CO0n1erc5at Gazette. were
appointed a subcommittee to summarize
the conclusion reached by the members
They presented the following report, which
was Unanimously adopted, and the chair
man and secretary of the joint executive
committee were instructed to sign the
same and transmit it TO the members anC
clients Of the two associations:
THE joint executive committee did no,
deem it advisable, during sharply-cOn
tested campaign, to take public notice OF
the misrepresentation and unwarranted
criticisms published against the Associated
| Press. Observation shows that during
such seasons of excitement men are moved
by passion rather than reason. Now thai
the party contest is closed the committee
deem it their duty to make public the fol
lowing statement:
"a meeting Of the committee was called
for the 25th instant, to which David W
Stone, ESQ.,, president Of the New York
Associated Press, and Hon. Jos Pulitzer
of the executive committee, were invited
The latter was, unfortunately, out Of the
city, but Mr. Stone attended and gave the
committee the benefit of his counsel and
experience A careful yevlew of the work
done and of the official records warrant
the statement that the high character and
non-partisan fairness that have given the
Associated Press its hold upon the public
confidence IN the past have been, forum
ately, maintained, and that no improper
influences, political or otherwise, have
been permitted to enter into the manage
ment. 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 a much greater number
of party divisions, and to the demand of
the press for fuller service The State
conventions, nearly 100 in number, and
the conventions Of all the political organi-
cations, were reported with thoroughness
and rapidity surprising anything ever be
fore attempted. The subsequent official
action of the party committees, the letters
addresses and movements of the candi-
dates, were carefully provided for under
similar instructlOns-smia in language
and spirit. 1t has never been considered
as within the legitimate functions of this
non partisan association to report ordinary
campaign meetings or to transmit the
scandals that spring up during such heat
ed periods. All such have been vigorously
xcludad from the Associated Press reports.
The charge that election returns in the State
of New York were withheld are disprOved
by the fact that out of a total of 10, 099
wards and towns In the State, the AssOcl
ated Press received on election night re
turns from $50, whereas in 1876. returns
were received from only 254 and in 1880
from only 1858. The extent, rapidity and
substantial accuracy Of this services were
never eoualled before in this State. The
total vote, which in 1884 reached the
enormous number OF 1,161003. was so
nearly divided between the two great
parties as 10 leave to the victor only about
1,100 Of q plurality. The investigation
shows that while there were some serious
errors in the telegraphing of our reports
especially from remote points, due in
part to their being transmitted
over different lines Of telegraph,
and while the errors in the main dmin-
ished The apparent strength of Cleveland.
there was but one error of Importance in
the office of the Associated Press. This
was in a bulletin issued on November 6,
two days after the election, known as
Bulletin No IA" In making this up
one of the mathematicians employed, in
the absence of full returns from the dis.
tricts. instead of continuing 20 estimate
the percentage of Democratic gains, as had
been done before. undertook TO estimate
the actual pluralties, and by this process
figured out plurality of 473 for Mr..
Blaine. The sub agent in charge of the
office sent this out without sufficient
scrutiny. But it was corrected as soon as
its inaccuracy was positively ascer-
tanned. In regard to this error the COM
mittee 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 or affect the
returns by any member of the committee,
in any interest, nor any interference of
any sort. and the general instructions un-
der which the work was done were strictly
fair, non-partisan, and more thorough and
minute than ever before.
(Signed) CHAs. A. DANA Chr'n.
WHITELAw REED, Secretary