The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-30
lie Learns. from the Very Best Authority. that
Jay Gould Does Not Control the Asso-
ciated Press in the Slightest Degree,
And that That Institution Is Not En-
gagged in disappearing People.
The Lake Shore Railway Company Conduct
ing It's Business Under Police Protection
Two Cars Derailed by Strikers.
PowDERLY AND THE PRESS.
President Stone Furnishes Information
Which Surprises the General Workman.

NEW YORK, June 90 Soon after the Cleye-
land convention of Knights of Labor there were
published in several papers what purported to
be interviews with Mr.. Powderly in which he
was reported as commenting in severe terms on
the Associated Press reports Of the convention,
and as holding Jay Gould responsible for them.
AS the reports did not contain any of the OBJ
iectionable things Of which Mr.. Powderly COM
planned, and it was evident his mind was con
fused between the press reports and special
correspondents opportunity was given him to
obtain correct information on the subject With
this explanation, the following correspondence
will be made clear:
''OFFIcE NEW YORK ASSOCIATED Pass,
New YORK, June 10, 1886
''T. v. Powderly, General Workman, ETC.:
Dear Sir-1 inclose what purports to be tel
egraphic dispatch from Scranton, Pa, which
was published in yesterdays New York World.
similar dispatch am told, appeared in the
New York Tribune of the same date. 1t is
headed, as you see, Mr.. Powderly at Home,
and purports to give statement from your lips.
In this you are represented as saying, most en-
phatically, that the Associated Press lost op.
portunty to malign you. and that instructions
concerning you were sent out by the Associated
Press at the instance of Jay Gould, and
agents ordered to msrerresent you. Will
if you are correctly quoted in this
dispatch. and, if so, will you be good enough to
state to what Associated Press you refer2 And,
also, if yon refer to our association, upon what
evidence you base these aSsertonsg had sup
posed every well-informed person in the country
knew that the Associated Press and Jay Gould
represented opposing interests, that are so
strongly antagonistic that they would not be
likely to act in harmony on any subject, and
certainly neither would do anything whatever
upon the dictation of the other | also sup
posed it beyond dispute that during the labor
troubles of the last two or three months the
agents of the Associated Press, acting under di-
rections of the joint executive committee, have
given your expressed views, and also, all state
ments which you and your associates
wished to have made public the fullest.
freest and widest circulation, without
regard to the cost of such transmission, and that
If agents and reporters erred at all, it was in ex-
cess OF liberality in presenting to the prblic
your side OF the question exactly as you wished
With these facts before me, l am unable to ac-
count for the dispatch in question, and beg to
have your explanation OF its extraordinary
.DAvID NJ. STONE,
president New York Associated Press"
To this letter Mr.. Powderly responded as fol-
lows:
SCRANTON, Pa June %.
David NJ. Stone, President New York Associated
Press:
to me the language is that of reporter. / rarely
speak Of self to newspaper men, yet they quote
me- as using the personal pronoun when talking
of the Knights Of Labor. spoke of the press
generally, and not of the Associated Press, as
represented in the article yon send me. When
see the papers served by the Associated Press
with columns of matter IN relation to the con-
vention and the probable effect of the same on
myself, depicted in heightened colors, | cannot
be blamed for thinking the Associated Press
picra qff ffapc fnY hn
convention was concerned. In the col
ums where l always look for Associated
Press news, l find reports of transactions
which know never took place at the Cleveland
convention. / have no means OF knowing
whether these dispatches were special or not,
since they are all displayed in the same columns
Our papers had no special correspondents at
Cleveland; they are served by the Associated
Press with the news of the day. find the dis
patches sent them from Cleveland inaccurate;
not only inaccurate, but well calculated to hold
me up to ridcule as being treated with anything
but respect by the convention. Who to blame
for this, do not know. am told that special
and Associated dispatches are printed together
in many of the papers. If that is true, then l
cannot tell which are correct, and vice versa.
Il was waited on by your man when at Cleve-
land. who handed me card bearing the name
A. r. Peters. l have it before me now He
said he represented the Associated Press I saw
him but once. He never came to me second
time. 1t was at my request the convention ap-
pointed press committee of five, to give out the
news of each day had no time to spare in the
evenings, and could not give any news TO the
press in person. This, / understand, gave Of
fense to some of the representatives of the press
who wished to interview each day.
l would gladly have given news TO
them had l time, but at the conven-
tions l am always very busy, and cannot
hand. In your letter you ask, will you state to
what Associated Press you referF My answer to
that is confined in the first paragraph of this
letter referred only to the press, and not to the
found the Associated Press of New York and
Philadelphia very fair; not only fair, but kind
to me- personally. did not know, until receipt
of your letter, that there were different associa-
tions. must be pardone6 for my lack of in
formation. since great many editors Of papers
OF wide circulation are also in the dark respect
ing the status of the Associated Press.
A''i fully ' believed vsp' Mr. sSul Gould sssss Wss
the controlling spirit in that institution. and
am glad to learn from you that such is not the
case. I am pleased to find out that the New
York Associated Press aud Jay Gould represent
opposing interests so strongly antagonistic that
they would not be likely to act in harmony on
any subject can assure you, no matter what
the papers may say at times In favor OF Mr..
Gould, no matter though he has wealth unlim-
tied at his command, he is the most universally
despised creature on the American side of the
Atlantic to-day. speak from knowledge of
the people, having mingled among them and
can in future read the Associated Press dis
patches with more pleasure knowing that Jay
Gould does not control the wires over which they
are sent
"Since the receipt of your letter l have been
informed that the Associated Press dispatches
sent out from Cleveland during the convention
were published in the same columns with special
dispatches sent from that city during the time
we were in session. This accounts for the mis-
take made by a number of those who accused
the Associated Press of Misrepresentation. l
am glad to know that the fault does not lie with