Savannah morning news., 1886-06-30
FAIRNESS OF THE PRESS.
MIR. POWDERLY EXPLAINS
SOME MISSTATEBIENTS.

AANOEEGOE 0D6CAAA NAAANGE sent AuOu
the Cleveland Convention Mistaken
for the Regular Rsports-rhe Asso-
ciatod Press to be His Official Reporter
in the future.
NEW YORK, June 29.--Soon after the
Cleveland convention of the Knights o
Labor there were published in several pa.
pers what purported to be interviews
with Mr.. Powderly, in which he was re-
ported as commenting in severe terms on
the Associated Press reports of the con-
vention, and as holding Jay Gould re-
spOnsible for them. AS the reports did
not contain any of the Objectionable
things of which Mr.. Powderly complained
and it was evident that his mind was con-
fused between what was supplied to pa
pers by the Associated Press and by spe-
cial correspondents, an opportunity was
given TO him to obtain correct Information
on the subject.a aWith this explanation the
following correspondence will be made
clear:
OFFICE NEW YORK AssoCIAgFD PRESs,(
NEW YORK, June 10 f6S6.
Mr.. z. =. POsodertg, Grand Master Work
DEAR SIR-I enclose what purports to be
telegraphic dispatch from Scranton, Pa,
which was published in yesterdays New u York
World. A similar dispatch. am told, ap-
peared in the New York Tribune OF the same
date. 1t is headed, as you see, mir. POwderly
at Home" and purports to give a statement
from your lips. In this you are represented
as saying most emphaticailv that the Asso-
ciated Press lost no opportunity to malign
you, and that Instructions concerning you
were sent out by the Associated Press at the
instance of Jay Gould, and agents were or
dered to misrepresent you.
VIII you be kind enough to inform me If YOU
are correctly quoted in this dispatch? Aud II
so. viii you be good enough to state to what
Associated Press you refer? And, also, il you
refer to our association, upon what evidence
you base these assertiOnrf l had supposed
that every we'll informed person in the coun-
Try knew that the Associated Press and Jay
Gould represented opposing Interests, that
are so strongly antagonlstio that they would
not be likely to act in harmony on any sub
ject and certainly neither would do any
thing whatever upon the dictatiOn of the
other. also supposed that 1t was
beyond dispute that during the labor
troubles of the last two or three months the
agents of the ssOcialed Press. acting under
the directions of tie Joint Executive Commit
tee, have given your expressed views and all
the statements 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 II the
agents and reporters had erred at all 1t was
an excess Of ADerality in presenting to the
public yOnr side Of the question exactly as
you wished.
With these facts before me am unable to
account or the dispatch in question, and beg
to have your explanation of It's extraordinary
statements. Yours. truly,
President New York Associated Press.
The reply of Mr.. Powderly is as fol-
lows:
SCRANTON, PksJune %, 1886.
Dagid III. Stone, Esq, President Nea0 York
DEAR sIR-In the Clipping which you
inciose to me the language Is that of the re-
porter | rarely speak of self to newspaper
men, yet they quote me as using the personal
pronOun when talking of the Knights of La
bOr. | spoke OF the press generally, and not of
the Associated Press, as represented in the
article you send me. When l see papers that
are served by the Associated Press with col
umns of matter IN relation to TIE convention
and the probable effect of the same on m myself
depicted in heightened cOlOrs, 1 cannot be
blamed for thinking that the Associated Press
has mlsrepresented matters go far as the con-
ventiOn IS concerned. In the columns W here
l always look for Associated Press news / find
reports of transactions which / know never
took place at the Cleveland convention.
have no means OF knowing whether these dis
patches are spectator not, since they are all
displayed in the same column. Our papers
had no special correspondents at Cleveland
and they are served by the Associated Press
with the news OF the day. / find that the dis
patches sent to them from Cleveland are in
accurate, not only inaccurate. but well calcu-
lated TO hold me up to ridicule as being
treated with anything but respect by the
convention, VINO to blame for this | do not
know. / am told that the special and assOci-
ated dispatches were printed together in
many Of the papers. III that is true then
cannot tell which is correct, and vice versa.
was waited on By ayoung man when at Cleve-
land, who handed me a card bearing the
name "A. II. Peters " nave it before me
now. He said be represented the AssOcia I
Press. l saw hi m but once He never came
10 me the second time. II was at my request
that the convention appointed press COM
mlttee of five to give out the neWsOf each day.
/ had no time 20 spare in tine evenings aid
cOutd not give any news 10 the press in per-
son. This, | understand, gave O1ense to some
OF the representatives OF the press who wished
10 interview me each day. / would gladly
have given the news to them had / the time,
but at a convention / am always very busy
and cannot spare any time for anything but
the work in hand.
In your letter you ask: "WIl you state To
what Associated Press you refer?' My an
sWer to that is cOutained in the fr5t para %
graph OF this letter, / referred Only to the
press. and not to the Associated Press in par
ticular. / have always found the Asso-
ciated Press OF New York and Philadelphia
TO be very fair-n0t only fair, but kind 10 me
personally. did not know until the receipt
OF your letter that there were different assO-
Citations. must be pardoned for my lac K Of
Information, since great many editors OF
papers OF wide circulation are also Ia the dark
respqstiQg thestatusoi tne Associated Press
Uptn the receipt ofselr letter I fully be-
lieved that g OUld was the cJ1e,'Shl ing spirit
In that 'pstitution. and ! am glad TO learn
from you that soch 10 hSt the case. am
pleased TO 1nd out that theN-New York beO-
cated Press and Jay Gould represent OF pos
ing interests that are 80 strongly = - istic
that they would not be likely on IA harr
mony on anv subject. | can assu MsFoA tNt
no matter what the papers may fHat tt,xn ~
in favor OF Gould, no matter a 'gh he has
wealth. unlimited as his eommataL pe is the
most universally despised cree ~ fpn the
American side u the Allan ftpfdf. lay ]
speak from knowledge OF the 70 = having
mingled among them, and c1sRat'f le future
ead the Associated Press 80 sfea with
more pleasure. knowing az -saE Gouid
ioes not control tbeM wires over
which they are sent. sinIe the receipt
II your letter have been = 1rined that iht
Associate Press dlspatchesNeu aRut from
Cleveland during the conyerlHHA Zero pub
tshed Ia the same columns .ItW Neeial dis.
iatches which were sent W. Ytnat citg
diring tho time we ~ Ia fes.
son. The accounts fmNhe mistake
made by b number Of 49, DO accused
tie Assorlated Press 90 Apresetaiion
Lam glad TO know that f.haIM does Rot lif
with the AasOciatcd Prg. f.l can aseer-
tin who your agent b. sser terent place'
where / may have occal lef M % the iutaT,
cailOn 10 his hands q f'ry ~, pat there vii
be no chance FOR a IA 80 - - ucrsr in thf
sehdlng of news rera,a io II se hnghie ~ la.
hOr or The uuaerHiEn0 ~, a. ~ Aefuft yuu thHl
it was with no inteu,if s4k lne preas. asso-
olaiec. ar olhcrwi quyf ufy tiyi ! made
caraie viii. lupte. ~ ~ 'hg % tlfouai
earrfctlin ~ thaI Jon On knsw uhsihei