The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-28
NEW DEAL OF THE PRESS.
a Story of How the Change Came to be
Made


ern Associated Press severed at rnidptsbt
last night all relations with the Associ-
ated Press of Illinois. It has assumed re-
latons with the United Press. which will
go INTO effect to-day 1t will enter the
neld as an aggressive ally of the United
Press and uncompromising enemy of the
western organization. Bad faith and a
broken contract furnish the cause for this
determination Of the southern newsDa-
per men. These few sentences summarize
the events of the past three days in this
CITY, and the conditions which must he
confronted by the Chicago managers of
the Western Associated Press when they
meet here on December
ne history of the breach Of contract
py the westeSl organization which has
leu TO this rupture is neither so long nor
SO involved that it obscures one single
tact which has been growing in the minds
OF newspaper men all over the country
ever since the ambitious Chicago mana
gers planned fifteen months ago in their
own Vernacular ito mop the floor" with
the eastern newspapers and their allv the
United Press, the fact is this: Any con-
tract made by the Associated Press of IL
InOlS Is made to be broken when it suits
the purpose of its managers to break it,
Such contract was made with the South
ern Associated Press. One of it's features
related to an agreement that two New
orleans newspapers-the Picayune and
Ilmes-Democrat, should be reco gnized as
members of the Southern Associated
Press. That agreement was satisfactory
to all concerned. Unknown to the South
ern Associated Press, the western mana
gers entered into secret contract with
the Two newspapers in question, which
was calculated to deprive the Southern
Press OF its revenues from those news
papers. This of itself was a violation of
the spirit of the contract between the
south and west Other acts of the latter
followed which made it clear to the south
ern newspaper men that they were in re-
Iauons with tricky set, and the whole
subject has been receiving their thought
full attention for some months. The
Southern Associated Press held
meeting in Norfolk, Va, last
week, and Immediately thereafter
its executive committee came to this
city to ascertain from President Lawson,
who is at the Windsor hotel the exact
attitude of the association upon the New
Orleans question. There We're present at
the interview United States Senator Pat
rick Walsh of the Augusta (Ga) Chron-
icle; Col ]. II. Estill of the Savannah
News, I. 7. Stockton of the Jacksonville
Times-Union, j. c. Hemphiu of the
Charleston News and Courier, Adolph S.
Ochs of the Chattanooga Times, Presi-
dent Lawson, and his assistant general
manager, Charles S. Diehl
The evasive answers and shifty ground
of the western representatives confirmed
the suspicious of the southerners that dou-
BILE dealing was going on. Their indignation
was intensified yesterday when they saw
a circular which had just been sent out
by the western association, stating that
the members ought to be informed that
the Southern Associated Press had been
guilty of violation of its contract with
the west. This was adding insult to in
jury, and the southerners determined to
cut loose from the western association.
They were fortified in their determina-
ton by forcible kilograms received from
their southern associates, to whom they
had communicated the condition of af-
fairs. By them they We're assured that
their action would be heartily approved
by the association as a whole, and that
equal approval would be given any al
lance which they might make with the
United Press. Capt. Evan p. Howell of
the Atlanta Constitution was especially
emphatic in his views that discOntinuance
of all further relations with the west
and the beginning of a fight for the in
tegrity of the Southern Associated Press
were demanded.
Genera Manager Walter P. Phillips of
the United Press had been keeny alive
to the condition of affairs and through
him negotiations were opened with the
United Press. These eliminated yesterday
afternoon at a meeting held IN the office
of the New York Sun, when an alliance
offensive and defensive between the two
newspaper factions was formed. The
New York Herald, Tribune, Sun and New
York Times were each represented at
this meeting and unanimously approved
the negotiations of General Manager
Phillips. The four members Of the south
ern executive committee already mem
toned and Daniel A. Tompkins of the
Charlotte, n. c., Observer, attended the
meeting.
IAN agreement which gives the South
ern Associated Press additional privileges
as a news gathereT, and which will ena-
BILE it to broaden its field Of operations,
was signed and sealed upon the spot
Then the executive committee prepared
letter to President Lawson and gave the
intructions necessary to the prompt Sc
verance of all relations with the west at
midnight
There are upward of forty southern
neWspapers that will thus be brought into
exclusive relationship with the United
Press. Associated already with the United
Press in it's fight with the Western
Associated Press are the New England
Associated Press, including the strong
est and best newspapers of New England,
such as the Boston Herald, Globe, Jour
nal. Advertiser, Post and Transcript;
the Springfield Republican, the Prov
idence Journal and the Hartford Courant
the Associated Press of the state Of
New York, which comprises every leading
newspaper in every leading city in this
state. upward of thirty in number, the
Philadelphia Record, Ledger and Tele-
graph. Washington Post, Pittsburg Times,
PittsblIrg Leader and Pittsburg Press, and
in addition to the foregoing array upward
of 100 newspapers in the west. Add to
these the newspapers Of the south and
the com Inclination of newspapers with which
the floor is TO be "mopped up represents
an aggregation which will require the
combined activities, intellectually and
financial resources Of the western asso-
citation to overcome. 1t presents to their
earnest consideration a problem as serious
as the one afforded the gentleman who
undertook to lift himself over fence by
pulling on his boot straps.
1.-THE loss Of the Southern Associated
Press by the west is irreparable The
latter will undoubtedly invade the south
ern territory just as It invaded New Eng
land and New York state this spring
| A newspaper may be picked off here and
there and an effort Will be made to gal
vanize into life with the eastern news
nor for a