The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1890-03-01
BLAIR ON NEWSPAPERS.
THEY OUGHT To TELL. THE
PEOPLE ALI. AI: SAYS,

The Father OF the Education,
Bt,l Makes a kick-The HOuS
Appropriated Millions Of Dollar
For PenSiOns.
WASHINGTON, February 2S.-SENATI
-Senator George presented a pctitio
from the citizens of Labor county, Miss
for the free coinage Of silver, and in doin
so, expressed the hope, satricalIy, tha
such petition would not be considere
evidence of disloyalty or evidence tina
Mississippi had not republican form
government.
Senator Hale presented a petition. sa,
ing that 1t was by request from Ne,
England iron and steel manufacturer.
asking that iron, coal and coke be pu
upon the free list, and that the duty O.
scrap iron, scrap steel, ETC.. be reduced t.
- per cent. advalore,n.
Senator Morgan offered a resolution
which was agreed to. calling on tn
secretary of the interior for information a
10 the reasons that have prevented tn
sale of coal lands in Alabama in nc
cordance with the requirement of the de
partment of March3. 1888. and for copic.
"f letters or papers relied upon to justif,
the failure to comply with the statute.
Senator Blair called the attention of tn,
senate once more to the derclction o.
the press of the country in not giving
sufficient attention to the proceedings il
The senate, and particularly to the I'M.
portnnt facts spread by him before the
senate in his speech on the educational
bill. He charged particularly that the
Associated Press and its reporters failed
TO perform their duties in the matter.
Senator Hawlcy said that the As
sociatcd Press supplied to newspapers
throughout the country full abstracts of
the proceedings of both houses.
Senator Hale directed attention to the
difference between the American press in
relation to congressional debates, and
the English press in relation to parlia-
inentary debates and Senator Hoar
found an excuse for the press in the
habit Of senator's and representatives of
preparing long written speeches and de-
livering them to empty benches.
Senator Blair treated MIR. Hale's re-
marks as personal allusion to himself
and declared his disregard o he senator's
or "other endoes."
Senator Blair said that he had received
this morning II letter, one of many such,
that the Associated Press
and the newspapers of the country failed
to give such reports of the important
matters of the debate in the senate as
would properly inform the people touch.
ing the affairs in progress. He read the
ettcr in question, which came from Pitts
burg, asking him to forward his address
III the educationa bill, and stating that
here were hundreds of thousands ofI
,coplc who would be glad to read The
lebatc, but who had no means of know. |
ng what had been said. This. said
senator Blair, is hut a specimen of the
general complaint throug ghout the coun.
ry. that the press. to which the senate
privileges, and that the Associa.
cd Press, whose reporter has the priyi.
eye oi the floor, fails in the discharge of
heir important duty in connection with
cgislation.
| have had occasion, he said, to advert
o this in relation to the matter which
and others had collected, with great
fort. as bearing on the merits Of the
matter known as the educa.
lonal bill, and was SO unfortunate or
,rtunatc. as the case may he, to receive
pretty liberal newspaper cudrcllinp in
of SO doing. But | have
OF observed that the press has taken
ny interest in the circulation of the facts.
he press has constantly intimatcd that
he reason OF its alleged DELINQUENCY in
ot publishing such important matter,
ather than the reports OF prize fights
nd dog fights, is that my speech was
Ut entertaining. did not ask the publi.
,tion of the speech, but OF the facts
caring on the merits of the question.
am not rich enough to distribute them
throughout the country, nj.
,ough, have spent many thousands of
,llars in SO doing, and this would have I
.en unnecessary, had the press not been I
|, | believe, muzzled and intimidated
I'd false to its trust in that regard.
| have been told by responsible new S. c
,per man, that the Associated Press {
on this floor, does not
ansmit and has not transmitted to the Il
ess generally any. or scarcclv any ofI
e facts, which have placed before the t
nate, and which should have gone be. y
re the people in order to effect its |
dgment.
In regard to this great question. on
{ contrary, the papers have been filled a
it'll ialsehoods and lies and misrepre. S
ntations OF gra I'VE character bearing on t
e merits of the question. That cannot q
an accident. That cannot bc excusablc Il
,c press, which is our only medium of b
tcrcourse with the people, owes il to o
c people to disseminate information l
hich is brought forward here. 1t does Q
t do so. or that. ! complain, and | 5
oduce this letter which I could follow u
with many others, to show that the n
ess fails in answering the wants of the s.
nerican public in that regard. 1t is 1
t complimentary to the American pco. ]
. to tell them that the great mass of un-
portant, of ten times more deletcrious
.tter, with which the homes of the