The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-05
WHY THE CHANGE CAME.
Sacramento Bee.

Sdcranento Bee.
Considerable surprise has been mani
tested at the action of the San Francisco
CALL, Sacramento Record Union and San
within the past few days, the telegraphic
news service of the Associated Press. and
taking report from its rival, The United
Press.
The three mentioned papers held ninety
year franchises in the Associated Press,
with exclusive rights. and two of them, the
CALL and Record Union, were stockhold-
ing members of the Associated Press, the
most powerful organization OF its kind in
the world.
Why, then, should so conservative and
business like a newspaper proprietor as
William H. Mills of the Record Union,
possessing wider knowledge of the tele-
graphic news association than any other
coast man, abandon all the apparent adj
vantages of Associated Press membership
to accept a service from an organization
that was not bringing to this coast any
thing that could be dignified by the name
of news report?
The reason is an open secret among the
newspaper men of the coast. The Asso-
ciated Press became so powerful that it ap-
parently believed it could violate with i'm
punity solemn obligations entered into
with the Pacific Associated Press in 1893
of the members thereof. Under Melville
E. Stone, and with the unwisdom born of
great power, the Associated Press has
made mistakes OF policy not dissimilar
from those which disrupted the Western
Associated Press under William Henry
Smith.
Conditions make the Associated Press
very powerful in the East. 1t has no
power on this coast which is not derived
he 70 g.
and that fact could not receive better ex-
emplification than in the action of the
three papers named, which, after vain en-
deavors to induce the Associated Press to
fulfill its obligations to them-in three
days bring out a service of worlds news
fully equal to that of the Associated Press.
While The United Press, because of its
close connection with the four great New
Y ork papers, assisted materially in secur-
ing this result in so short time, yet could
almost as complete report, without such
utilization, have been brought over by con-
certed action on the part of coast papers
and with q few weeks organization, the
difference in time between San Francisco
and New York giving this coast a wonder
full advantage. And as The United Press
week ago had no leased wire and no
adequate report on this coast, so must its
fine report OF to-day cease in night
should the CALL, Record Union and Mer-
curry withdraw the support which called
that report into existence.
The great news organizations of the East
have therefore no strength or power on
this coast not given them by the coast
PAPERS, and concerted action on the part
of such papers will give each individual
protection against either or both of the
great news gathering organizations in
their bitter warfare.
Knowing so well the evil and the remedy,
the action of the CALL, Record Union and
Mercury meets the general commentator
of the great papers of the coast whose in
terests are firmly bound together in the
Pacific Associated Press.
The Bee is a stock-holding member of
the Associated Press, but that fact does
not blind it to the grave mistakes in the
present policy of that great Institution,
nor to the inevitable result which, on this
coast at least. must follow a disregard of
contract rights. The distance may be too
great for Chicago director to read the
handwriting on the wall at San Francisco,
but it is there nevertheless. 1t is a great
pity that the new Associated Press, whose
foundation-stone was the conservation of
the rights of individual members, should
be menaced by danger brought about by
disregard of that principle.