The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-29

,,,,I..- - ~ % Cousistont with frte iusti-
lu'lohs can compel them to share the fruits
vi their perilous industry with the cow
~" 60 any tne suggard who lags behind.
.an ~ be possible that while one mar, IA
iIii,ns 10 go forward and TO venture the
M, oil a newsgathering service In time
.,he THIS. another may sit comfortablv in
. ny rear ana undertake to determine the
,o nue ~ money OF the differential between
ga "i I'VE. ana courage, between enterpris.
ana Incidence? Great applause cninn'I
FRED Burnaby undertook 10 report the war
IN Egypt. He reported II, not from afar.
W. from place In the ranks of ba,iis
az. anu ne went down in the front rank of bat
we with the thrust of n savage smear
,h his throat, resretting. perhaps
i , ne was not able to report his own
death. tApplause)
Events occur. They may he within Tho
nnowledge of thousand people. one man
may nave the quality of mind that enables
,i.'n perceive in given event something
VI human interest. He is able ia riye "a
sne report OF that event n form-a literary
iorn-whieh makes II attractive Tha, re-.
ho'e Is MS property, to dispose Of absolute.
90 ne VIII, and upon whatsoever condi-
Ana OF limitations he chooses to impose
NY, ,,nu lnere never was an enactment al tba
United States that put any Limitation unnn
senal efforts. VI h's o"h per-
nave laws that compel services Of a
certain Kind. We have laws that co,nraI
ihiiroaas TO be operated In the Interests ~
.ne general public. But the mandate NJ
nnt ,i row nes upon the property, and does
service. The laws of the United Stst.s ana INA
OF tue different States of this Union eau
tnae railroad entertainments, that -aIIroaa
TIES ana rails. that locomotive engines ana
cars running over those rails are inslru-
lhents OF commerce and are impressed with
pubic use. But there never was a STAT
"s9 =, the United States or of any State.
ana there never was a decision NJ co,,rt
saying that the man who sat in tha cah -
tne es1gine the man who operated II vas
d pohurnan OF the law, not having the fres-
uoii that every citizen OF this country mad.
.nere never was a law that said that he
must operate the railroad whether he chose
10 40 SO or not. (Applause)
| ma ana SO 1t has been with the INN keeper
me obligation of law rested rpon the INN
and not upon the landlord. So II was with
the mill. The obligation O. the law sled
upon the mill and not upon tho miller
NEVER never since the olden days when
men were not recognized as free and india
pendent, never since we escaped the influ-
ehce or the legislation that was suggested
by the black plague and promoted by il. in
accordance with which parliament under
| service for the poor--the equality of ali
men was recognized by the law--has there
been any attempt in Anglo-Saxon to con-
strain or compel the personal services of
men not convicted of crime.
Now what do your reporters-what do
your news gatherers carry into their work :?
No privilege conferred by any law, no
,aIt,! granted by any State, no oppor-
tunity that Is not open TO any one of their
fellow citizens. Their report Is a thing of
brain and Drawn, and In it is to be found
nothing but that labor which responds to
the primal law Of God-'In the sweat OF thy
face shalt thou eat bread all the days Of
thy life tApph,use).
THE property which you have in your
nows, for purposes of immediate publica-
tion, is simply that property which a man
has in his own homestead. Is it exclu-
sive? Yes; so is all ownership. The
owner OF horse has monopoly of his use.
That kind OF monopoly rs of the very es-
stnce of property of all kinds--exclusive IN
the particular thing which has either been
produced by the labor of the owner or mas
been bought by him when produced by the
labor OF some one else. That property Id
always defensible
You have not only the Associated Press,
extending over the United States; you have
your limited associations in the cities. II
hundred or more newspapers may not
combine in the United States to gather
news for themselves, then why may three
or four combine in the city of Chicago or
the city of st. Louis for the purpose OF
gathering up more economically certain
matters OF routine news in those cities? II
the Associated Press must give to whom
soever wishes it, then your local association
must do the same. And It goes beyond
, that--the individual reporter, having news
must give 1t up TO whomsoever demands 1t
because the nature OF the function is the
same and you do not alter its character
because you multiply the number OF re-
porters. Great apivause.) hundred
, black rabbits do not make black horse
| Qaughter.) And that ought not TO BIZ
limited to news. II the newspaper tina
I sends an expedition into the heart OF Al
RIGA, il the newspaper that undertakes tht
: exploration of inc Arctic regions. must
upon compulsion, give tho results of Its en-
5 terprise and its energy to whomsoeyer vii
. then why should not the man who ex
! plores his own inner consciousness an'
: discovers ideas of worth and dignity, WI.
should not he De compelled to yield that Il
whomsoever may demand 1t? Rudyar'
} Kipling produces the Recessienal. we ma!
, read it and make 1t our own; II is mine ans
5 II Is YOURS SO far as II constitutes an addi'
t zion IN intellectual weNth, but if we un
2 dertake to make use Of 1t beyond that. !
: we undertake to make use OF 1t by print
D ing it and selling it when printed we ar
simply reaping where we have not sowh
G and gathering where we have not strewn
t (Applause.) The right OF the Associate
Press to the reports that 1t has gathered !
as high as the right of each ofits indiyid
!, nal reporters to the fruit OF his own labor
Q II is as high as the right of every author e
the productions of his own mind ana NJ
own men: and | do not believe that, now
ever courts may differ, any one OF thef
!, will ever reach the conclusion that you ca
I he made to serve those whom you ehoos
: not TO serve, for If that injunction can b
e laid upon you as body it can be laid upo
every one of your individual members.
1--WE are here an association NUMBERING
- we include all those who by the rules
e the association may be fairly considered u
members, something like 700. There al
II 300 daily newspapers in the United state
S II perhaps does not become me as repre-
e sentative Of the 700 to deny the asseftio
$ MAIDS by the 14eS that you have
: nnonctpoly of the news-gathering enterprl'
} and abilities OF this country tAppiause
: prt n we're on the other side wonl
: a.. tipd soma other ground on Wnic