Asheville daily citizen., 1894-11-27
A STRONG NEWS COMBINATION
AND THE CITIZEN" GETS TIE
BENEFIT OF IT.

The Western Associated Press Has
Not Been Toting Fair And 1t Is Given
the Grand Bounce-Alliance With the
United Press.
New YORK, Nov. 27.-The Herald,
Times, Sun and Tribune this morning
print the following:
"The Southern Associated Press
severed at midnight last night all rela-
tions with the Associated Press of Hi
nois. 1t has assumed relations with the
United Press which will 20 into eff,ct to-
day. 1t will enter the field as the ag.
gressive ally of the United Press and the
uncompromising enemy of the Western
organization Bad faith and a broken
contract furnish the cause for this deter
mination of Southern newspaper men,"
These few sentences summarize the
events Of the past three days in this
city, and the conditions must be con-
fronted by the Chicago managers of the
Western Associated press when they
met here on December 5. The following
letter is the formal notice of repudiatlon
Z. all relations between the Southern
and Western: New York, Nov. 26,
1894. To Victor Lawson, president Of
the Associated press of Illinois. Dear
Sir: | he Associated press of Illinois,
having deliberately violated it's contract
with the Southern Associated press, this
is to give you official notice that from
this date We will hold no relations of
any kind whatsoever with your r.sani-
zation. Yours respectfully, A. ]. II. Es-
I'LL, vice-president Southern Associated
press"
The history of the breach of contract
by the western organization which has
led to this rupture is neither so long nor
so involved that il obsrures one single
fact which has btengro wing in tue minds
of newspaper men all over the country
ever since the ambitious Chicago mara.
gers planned fifteen months ago. in their
own verpacular, ITO mop the 40, r"
with the eastern newspapers and their
alley, the United press. The fact is this,
any contract made by the Asso-
ciatcd Press of Illinois is made to
be broken when 1t suits the pu pose
of its managers to break it.
Sach contract was made bv it with the
Southern Associated press. One of is
features related to an agreement that
two New Orleans newspapers, the
Picayuue and Times Democrat, should
be recognized as members OF the South.
ern Asst clatcd press. That agreement
was satisfactory to all concerned In
known to the Southern Associated press,
the western managers entered into a
secret contract with these two news
papers which, in effect was calculated to
deprive the Southern Associated press OF
its revenues from these nea spapers
This OF itself was violation of the con-
tract bet the Sout hern and Western.
Other acts of the latter followed which
made it clear to the southern newspaper
men that they were i'll relations with a
tricky set, and the whole subject has
been receiving their thoughtful attention
for some months.
The Southern associated press held a
meeting in Norfolk last week. and irnme-
diately thereafter itsexecutive committee
came to this city to ascertain from
President Lawson, who was at the
Windsor hotel, the exact attitude of the
Western association upon New Orleans
question. There we're present at the
interview Uni:ed States Senator Patrick
Walsh Of the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle,
J. II. Estill of the Savannah News, 7. 7.
Stockton OF the Jacksonville Times
Union, J.. c. Hemplill OF the Charleston
News AID Courier, Adolph S. Ochs OF
of tie Chattanooga Times, President
Lawson and his assistant general mana
ger, Charles 5. Dishl.
| The tvisive answers and shilty ground
OF the Western representatives confirmed
suspicious OF tn, Southerners that double
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 Il violation OF its contract with
the Western. This was adding insult to
injury, and the Southers determined to
cut loose from the Western association.
They were fortified in their determine.
tion by iorcible kilograms received from
the Southern associates to whom they
had communicated the condition OF al.
fairs. BY them they were assured that
their action would be heartily approved
by the association as whole, and tha,
equal approval would be given any ALI
ance which they might make with the
United Press. Captain Evan P. Howell
of the Atlauta Constitution was espe
cially emphatic in his view that a discon
tinuance of all further relations with tn,
Western and for the beginning of a fight
for the integrity Of the Southern associ
ated press were demanded.
General Manager Walter P. Phillips O
the United Press had been keenly alive t.
. the condition OF affairs and through hin
negotiations were opened with the Unitet
Press. These eliminated yesterday after
noon at a meeting held in the office of tn
New York Sun where an alliance often
sive and defensive between the two ne
associations was formed.
The New York Herald, Tribune, SUI
and New York Times were each repre-
sented at this meeting, and unanimousl
approved the negotiations of Genera
Manager Phillips. The four members c
: the Southern executive committee a
ready mentioned and d. A. Tompkins G
Charlotte, N. c., attended the meeting
Agreement which gives the Sou .hern Al
soriated press additional privileges o
news gather and which will enable it t.
broaden its field of operations wa
signed and sealed upon the spot. Tho
the executive committee prepared lette
to President Lawson and gave the ii
structions necessary to a prompt sever
ance of all relations with the Western a
midnight.
There are upward OF 40 Souther
newspapers that will thus be brougt
into exclusive relations with the Unite
press. Associated already with tt
United press in its fight with the Wes
ern Associated Press are the New Eni
land Associated Associated press, il
cluding the strongest and best new
papers of New England, such as the Bo
ton Herald, Globe, Journal. Advertise
J Post and Transcript, the Springfield r
publican, the Providence Journal an
Hartford Courant. the Associated pref
Of the state Of New York, which con
prists every leading newspaper in ever
city of this state upward of 80
number. the PHILADELPHIA Record. Led