Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-10-27
FAIR SAMPLE OF IT.
The Hostility of Press Associa-
tons Toward Bryan.
no ATTENTION PAID TO FACTS

An Uphm Fight for the PresideatIal Cam
didste With Truth Deliberately with
held BY the Disssminators OF News-A
Very Partial Service.
that the democrats had to put up
$3.50 to get Bryan to speak here
Common report is that $3.50 was
raised in Rock Island and 500 in
Moline. 1t must have made those
Rock Island democrats who carried
the heavier end of the log tired to
find that the Associated Press dis
patches located that meeting in Mo-
line and ignored Rock Island entire
ly.-Morning Union.
So it seems it has come to pass
that The ARGUS Is obliged to stamp
every untrue utterance of irrational
republican orators An absolute false
hood to protect itself from the charge
of virtually confessing the truth Of
all that they say. The case in point
is one where f. d. Sweeney, Of this
city, stated at Hampton that the
democrats were obliged to pay $3.50
to get Mr.. Bryan here. The ARGUS
not realizing at the moment how
keenly alert the republicans are this
year to grasp at opportunities to clinch
false utterances, did not feel
the necessity of denying point blank
Mr.. Sweeney's absurd statement, any
more than it did of declaring untrue
or even mentioning his equally ridic-
ulous declaration made at the same
time that Bryan had refused to speak
at towns in Indiana where his train
stopped and where he had been
booked to speak, but where the
necessary bonus had not been put
up. One of Mr.. Sweeney's utter
ances is "a far fetched as the other.
1t is a matter of fact that wherever
Mr.. Bryan's train runs it is neces-
sary to raise enough money among
democrats to pay for the train, as
the railroads are not furnishing the
democrats trains for nothing this
year, and MIR. Sweeney does u great
injustice to the corporation he rep
resents in attributing to it the extor-
ton OF charging $3.50 to run the
Bryan train in here and out. The
Rock Island corporation attorney has
evidently gained his impression
from what the railroads allege to
charge the republicans in order to
tighten their grip by big show
ling that they are donating what
would amount to such enormous
sums to the campaign fund in the
Igratuitous train service furnished on
lan 70
fusing to speak in any Indiana town.
he has never failed day or night to
meet the people anywhere in this
broad land that he could get to, and
no town has been denied the privi-
lege of seeing and hearing him be-
cause it could not pay for the train.
Wherever he has managed to get to
the people Of any city, or hamlet, he
has spoken to them-and he has in.
variabIy paid his way at that.
A. to the Press Uareiiability.
As to the Associated Press report
ling the Bryan speech at Moline in.
stead of Rock Island, it will cause nc
remorse as long as the people Of
both cities heard him, but the error
is not unexpected from an associa.
ton which has been as partial as tn,
Associated Press has throughout the
campaign. The particular part o.
Bryan's speech here selected to be sen
out to the world showed the garbline
tactics employed by those on boart
the train, who. through the courtes,
of Bryan, are taken over the country
with him, but who care nothing fo
truth or accuracy, or where or how
he speaks so that they eau miscon
strue what he says. Aud to give on
the impression that he had givei
Rock Island the 60 by, had evidentl,
the same motive as did the purpos'
to make the report as little cons picu
Gus rs possible by sending it in will
q Monmouth date line. The entir
incident constituted a fair sampl,
of the unfair disposition o
levery press association in tn,
country this year toward Bryan, an,
it is on this account that he is anx
ious to meet as many Of the peopl,
as possible that they may know hin
J as he is and not as he is reported t
be. The ARGUS receives the reports
Of both Associated Press and tn
lAmerican Press association and j
has had reason to observe the parti
san tendency Of both. the Associates
Press being extremely so. Day aite
day as an instance, the reports ar
burdened with inconsequential visit
to Mckinley Of delegates from hi
\ Immediate neighborhood. Will
lBryan's addresses to thousands ar
dismissed with 3 few lines. Ha
Mckinley been abroad in the couu
try this year, instead Of Bryan. th
Associated Press would have littl
= lelse to give out to its customers bu
: the reports of his addresses.