The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-30
In trying to relieve them from condi-
ions they seem contented with.
A LONG STRUGGLE ENDED.

A LONG STRUGGLE ENDED.
The assignment in bankruptcy yes
terday of the United Press ends a
long struggle in the only way in which,
as those have known who were familiar
with the business Of news-gathering,
it could end. For many years there
were two great associations, the AS
ISOLATED Press and the United Press,
that provided news service for the
newspapers of the country. The latter
was always the inferior, but it did at
one time control a considerable terri
tory and was an active rival. It was
not possible, however, that it should
survive or divide the field, because the
principle on which it was organized
was radically defective. The Associat-
ed Press is a great cooperative institu-
ton, all of whose members share fully
in the benefits of its enterprise and
achievements. The United Press was
organized after the manner of private
business concerns, with stock owner
ship, and could never appeal to the
same loyal and enthusiastic support
even from those that gave to it tenn
porarily their allegiance. And it has
never been at all doubtful which of
the two would demonstrate the right
of the fittest to survive.
For several years now the United
Press has been kept in the field only
by desperate efforts and great sacri-
fees on the part of those who were
interested in building it up into a
profitable concern. Ever since the line
of hostility was drawn between the
| two associations, the quality of the
newspapers that retained the Associat-
ed Press service and gave up that Of
the United Press was a sufficient guar
| antee of the future. The enterprise
the push, the foresight, the news-gath-
ering instinct of the country were all
on the side of the larger association.
The list of defections from the United
Press has been growing so steadily and
rapidly that the impossibility of hav-
ing it remain in the field was obvious.
Practically banished from the West,
and limited to few tracts in New
England and in the South, it had not
a constituency that could support it in
| the great enterprise necessary to COM
| ISOLATED Press. 1t fell constantly fur
Their behind in the race, and one enter
| prising paper after another withdrew
! from it in order to secure the cOmplet-
est and most reliable news reports.
| The detection of the Boston papers last
week, followed by those of New York
| that still took the United Press service
a day or two ago. precipitated the end,
and the Associated Press is now with
out rival in the field.
We feel that both the public and
those interested in newspapers directly
are to be congratulated upon the event.
The latter find the value of their prop
critics greatly enhanced by the removal
of the possibility of starting rival pa
pers under a hostile franchise. This
is a substantial pecuniary gain. The
public will profit by the still more
elaborate and perfect service that the
! Associated Press will be able to- rem
| der now that all it's resources can be
| bent to the task without dividing the
| field with an enemy. And this is one
of the instances where monopoly is
not to be feared, any more than it is
| Objectionable that we cannot set up
| two governments in the United States.
| With the purely democratic system of
the Associated Press, what is done for
all is for the benefit of each. The weak
est paper profits equally with the
strongest, and the readers of all share
! in the result. From every point of
view, the demise of the United Press is
a fortunate event; and the end of a
| long struggle that has shown cOnclu-
sively the splendid ability and the in
| herent worth of what is now the great
est agency for the collection Of news in
! the whole world, and has a continent
in which to work and expand without
| opposition.