Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-08

/ this through legislation regulating the
4 western Union Telegraph Company. In
the business or affairs of that company
the Associated Press has no interest. But
we have contracts, not very valuable, but
/ they are valid contracts. and under them
we have entered into written obligations
4 to other parties, which obligations we are
/ legally bound to fulfill. Has Congress a
! right to pass a law impairing the obliga-
| tion OF contracts? Whence is the power
/ derived? Can Congress do Indirectly what
it cannot do directlY?" The witness next
referred to the rates charged in Great
| Britain. He said that if applied to this
country the yastness of territory would
increase the cost beyond what is now
paid.
THE ENGLISH NEWS SYSTEM,
The impression had been left with the
| committee that news reports NAV be had
in England upon application to the govern
ment and paying at the rate of cents per
100 words. This, however, is not the case.
News reports are the property of individ-
uals, and are sold or withheld at their or
ton. There are no associations of news
papers there. The papers of London act
Independently Of each other, and they have
their own correspondents, as do certain
papers in this country.
A long verbal examination of Mr.. Smith
by members of the subcommittee fol-
lowed the conclusion of his opening state
ment. Senator Hill said that he assumed
that the Associated Press had large
number OF local cOntracts-eOntracts with
local assOciatiOns-and asked if they were
not exclusive in their character. "You
could not" be queried, "giye their news
to any other association within their ter
TitOryY'
Mr.. Smith said that the Associated
Press certainly would not do so. ''These
associations" he said, ''were all members
OF the Associated Press, all parts
OF the same machinery, but
for convenience territory had
been divided into associations for local
purposes. There were members of the
association who had franchises in the
form of certificates. They might be said
to be controlling members of the Asso-
clated Press. Papers that had not such
certificates had instituted these local
organizations and their contracts.
EXCLUSIVE FEATURES.
EXclusiveness of contracts had refer
ence to the carrying power of telegraph
companies. 1t was merely a matter of
internal government. Instead of giving
them certificates they were given con-
tracts which guaranteed that they should
have precisely the same privileges as CON
trolling members.
Senator Hill asked if any person wish
ing to start paper within the territory
OF a local association could get the news
of the Associated Press.
Ar. Smith said that it could only be
done with the consent of the paper in the
locality whence the application should
come. For illustration: Two papers in
Minneapolis received the Associated Press
reports. If new application were made
for reports the matter would be referred
to those two papers. They would be
asked whether or not new mart
ner should be admitted. Last wear five
new members were admitted in diff
ferent places. No reasonable application
was ever refused. There were MARY
foolish people who wanted to start news
papers. They could be found every two
weeks in every town in the land. The
management Of the Associated Press left
the matter to each community and to the
Associated Press papers in the commu-
NIFTY TO decide what should be done.
VIRTUALLY AN ARGUMENT.
The examination partOok largely of the
form of an argument between the wit
ness and the committee, in which the ex-
aminers had as much to say as the wit
ness,t Senators Hill and Wilson affirm
ing that the nature of the business was
such that it might be both proper and adj
Ylsable for Congress to regulate it, and
Mr.. Smith disputing the point. In reply
to suggestions by the committee that
news furnished might be unreliable, col
ored or false, and designed to -misIead,
Mr.. Smith said:
Il desire now to show why said that it
would be impossible for the Associated
Press to Systematically and Intentionally
mIslead the public. 1t is
because the Associated Press is
part OF the interests of every
community in the United States. Its
membership embraces papers of all par
ties representing every kind of opinion.
and therefore there could not be a concert
OF action on the part of members of the
Associated Press, which would lead TO
systematic misrepresentation of events-or
of matters in which the public had a vital
interest. Mr.. Hill asked series of aues-
tiOns relating to the policy of the Asso-
cIated Press in regard to the use bv its
papers Of matter received by competing
associations. In reply Mr.. Smith eX-
planned the rules of the Associated Press
which prohibit such use and the reasons
for their establishment These reasons
were in substance that the security of
the news of the Associated Press required
the prohibition, and that announcement
OF opposition associations by members of
the Associated Press was injurious TO
their property rights. The rules were
framed by the members of the association
and assented to by them.
NO CENSORSHIP OF THE NEWS.
Senator Hill asked, with regard to the
distribution OF news to the West, if there
was not one individual who exercised a
and determined what papers
should publish it?
Mr.. Smith replied in the negative. The
matter supplied was edited. he said. in
the same manner that it was edited in
every well regulated newspaper office.
For example, 1000 or 5000 words of
matter might be sent from Washing
ton to New York while not more than
l 200 words would go West. The thou
sand words, however, would contain sub |
stantially the same facts, but they would !
be put into fewer words. There was no |
suppression of the facts.
Senator Hill-''This power deals with |
the quality and quantity of news, does it |
not 1t exercises complete control of |
quality as we'll as quantity, does it not |
am not saying, understand me, that it |
Is abusing Its power. / am asking what |
power it has"
has" N''-''i
Senator Hill said that he noticed that |
when representatives of the Western |
Union Telegraph Company appeared be- |
lore the committee at their own request |
IN January papers in remote |
parts OF the country published |
long articles on the subject. Mr.. Smith |
said that that matter had been furnished |
ON that occasion by the Western Union |
Telegraph Company and transmitted at |
tneIr own expense. Mr.. Hill questioned |
Mr.. Smith at considerable length upon |
various features of the Associated Press |
the method of gathering |
and distributing news and the conditions |
under which new papers could become |
of the Associated Press.
During the course of the colloquy, Mr.. |
Smith pointed out numerous errors of |
statement regarding the rates paid by the |
Associated Press papers and the princi- |
pies which governed the associatiOn-er-
rors made by the preceding witnesses, but |
not affecting in important respects the |
subject matter of the committees IN
luiry.
FEET AND MOUTHS DISEASED.
Stems RPinR Talxan IN