Birmingham age-herald., 1894-12-01
TIE SOUTHERN ON TOP.
  The Meeting in Atlanta Will Re- suit in Great Good.
A FULL SERVICE SECURED
By the New AIlianCe-A Card of Explanation as to the llli-
 nois Association.

l ciated Press completed it's alliance today l offensive and defensive, with the United Press. It directed it's ext cutive committee
 to enter into closer relations with it's cli-
 ents during the next thirty days, and per l fected arrangements for conducting an | aggressive fl .ht against the Western Asso- | ciatei Press throughout the southern ter 1 ritory. The association expects to meet l the western organization in it's territory l and It has perfected it's plans accordingly. Mir. P. V. Degraw was appointed assist ant general manager, with headquarters In 1 Washington. In the following letter the | Southern Associated Press deiiues It's posi- 1, ton distinctly, and tells why 1t severed its 1 relations with the Western Associated Press iu language that is mistakable, and must be convincing to every newspaper l man who reads il:
 | Charles A. Dana. President of the United Press
 | DEAR SIR: We beg on behalf of the 1 Southern Associated Press to acknowledge | the receipt of your very cordial telegram conveying assurances of the heartiest de- l sire ou the part of the Uuitsd Press to CO., 1 operate in every possible way with our as- l soeialion and to thank you for the same. | We desire to express our appreciation of your sentiments and to assure you that we | have entire confidence in our own ability | to maintain the integrity of the southern Associated Press, and 10 carry out h spirit huQ lu letter tnt COutTaCt reiutIOnS WulCu we have established with your association. In approving the contract entered into bs- tween our ex .cutive committee and your body on Novem Der 26 1t seems necessary that statement of our reasons for taking this important step should oe fully under stood by your association.
 The Associated Press of Illinois having made certain statements about the rela- tions between the Associated Press and the Southern Associated Press which are full of misrepresentations, we deem it our duty tO make presentation of the facts that the truth may be known how the relations be- tween the two organizations were severed. The statement that there was any real dif- ference between the New Orleans papers and the Southern Associated Press suffi- cient 10 justify an interference by arbitra- l tiop, and that violation even of the sup plement contract by the Southern
 Associated Press (which we deny) was sui tcient to authorize the conduct of the Associated Press of Illinois, is the merest subterfuge, and was made for the sole pur. pose ef deceiving the public. The Asso- cia.ed Press of Illinois had violated its con- tract before the arbitration occurred and had taken the two New Orleans papers nn- der it's wing in plain SioIation or its prom ! ises in writing, and permitted these papers to follow it's lead aud by its acts to repudi-
 ate its promises to our association. We charge that the arbitration proceed | ings were inspired by the Associated Press or llllnOlB TOT the puTpOsO Ol huuuyiuB lut waters and to create dissension. We deny that the Southern Associated Press ever | agreed to the arbitration or ever consented to the decision of the arbitrators, sand we charge that the said arbitration proceed- ings were ex parte, intended to be so by
 both parties interested in them, and were devised for the purpose of giving an excuse to the Associated Press of Illinois for con duct it well knew would have to be covered by such a course of actiont
 l At meeting of the Southern Associated | Press in Atlanta on November 29, 1894, a special committee was appoiuted to make a | statement of the facts in the case for the information of the public, and this com mittee has prepared the following decla- l ration:
 On October 24, 1892, the Southern Asso- ciated Press entered into an agreement with | the Associated Press of Illinois, which was | to continue until 1910. The United Press | was also a party to this contract, and it has | never faltered in carrying 1t out Tn letter or | in spirit. On the contrary, the Associated | Press of Illinois, because of it's hostility to | the United Press, violated it's agreement, l and more than year ago surreptitiously | admitted to membership two New Orleans newspapers, and then sent it's representa- | tives to Aug usta, where they attempted to | stampede and destroy the Southern Asso- ciated Press. This effort having failed, | other devices to disintegrate the organize | tion were resorted to, and nothing was left undone to wreck the Southern Associated Press and place its mem bers at the mercy of the Chicago organization.
 A clause in the contract between the Southern Associated Press and the Asso- ciated Press of Illinois compelled the pro- | lection of New Orleans in respect of their
 assessments being unduly increased by ap' pointing committee, consisting Of Victor F. Lawson, Charles w. Knappand Frederic DriscolI, to arbitrate on the matter in the event ofa disagreement between the South ern Associated Press and their New Orleans members growing out of any intended in- crease in the rates fixed for that city. But no change in the assessments upon the New Orleans papers was ever made or ordered or contemplated. Notwithstanding the con- seuuent absence of any excuse for arbitra- tiop the committee named above met and lowered the rates at New Orleans, and they did this for the purpose of creating dis sention. No one who is at all familiar with the circumstances doubts that having made solemn agreement with the Southern As sociated Press, an agreement carried out in good faith by the latter, the Chicago organiZation entered upon a deliberate and persistent course, which would 80 affront the members of the Southern Associated Press that they would abandon the whole arrangement. They reasoned that they could then rush in and stampede and capture the entire southern territory. This plan had been adopted and had succeeded in other parts of the country.
 The Southern Associated Press, however, believing in the integrity and the future of it's organization and having absolutely lost all confidence in the honesty of the Asso- ciated Press of Illinois, entered into an alliance with the United Press. with which its relations have always been of a cordial and satisfactory character.
 This is the whole story and any other version of the difficulty is unfair, misIead- ing and utterly unworthy of belief. Yours very respectfully,
 HE SOUTHERN ASSOCIATED PRESS,
 By EVAN P. HOWELL,
 Atlanta Constitution.
 J. H. EsTILL,
 Savannah Morning News.
 M. GLENNAN,
 Norfolk Virginian.
 JC. HEMPHILL