The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-22
is 1T 4 TRUST.
1t Is Not, Says MIR. Lehman of the
Associated Press.

1t Is Not, Says MIR. Lehman of the
Associated Press.
One of the toasts at the annual banquet
of the Associated Press in Chicago on the
night OF May Is. was rs the Associated
Press a Trust2" 1t was responded to by
Mr. Frederick Lehman of ST. Louis,
who, among other things, said:
what is a trust?-not in the technical
sense, but in the broad and popular sense
Of the word? 1t is an association, combn-
alton, arrangement or understanding be-
| tween the producers or the dealers in a
/ commodity for the purpose of enhancing
its price TO the public. The pretext in
every instance has been some improve
ment of internal economy which shall re-
| duce the cost of production. and that be-
| ing true, it follows that the trust is bene-
! fetal at once 10 its promoters and to the
! public. And il that were true, the public
! has Intelligence enough to perceive it, and
they would believe it. But they do not
believe it, and for the simple reason that
/ it is not true.
THE trust finds itself relieved from the
/ necessity of improving its internal econo-
| mics because it has power over the mar
| ket; 1t has control of prices, and thus Sc
/ cures its profits and does not have occa-
| sion to work for The improvements thar
! tend to a reduction of cost And while IN
! many instances reductions in prices have
! followed the formation of a trust. they
nave always been, in spite of it, and never
because of it. (Applause) There never
would be any objection on the
| part Of the public to com
pettors in line of business engaging
with each other in respect of anything
| in which though competitors thew have
yet common interest Suppose the manu-
facturers of Buffalo united to utilize the
water power of Niagara Falls. Nobody
would characterize that as a trust Sup
pose the merchants of Chicago combined
to secure better transportation facilities
for the city. Nobody would characterize
that as trust And this is the test
whether an association between people in
! the same business is a trust or whether
it is a combination for purposes of in
ternal economy-does the association deal
exclusively with a matter of common in
ternal interest to them or does 1t deal
with their relations TO the public?
Now, apply that test to The Associated
Press. The business of the Associated
/ Press relates exclusively to a matter of
internal economy. 1t relates to the gather
ing of news, and it does not relate to the
vending of. newspapers. There is nothing
in the articles of the Associated Press.
there is nothing in its tacit understand
ings, there is nothing consistent with the
purposes of its organization which can
result in combination between the news
papers themselves having for its purpose
/ the regulation of the prices a which pa
/ pers are sold And the sole object of the
association is to regulate It's internal
economy in its own interest and equally
in the interest of the public. And every
newspaper man can honestly and con-
i
GRAFTON with his brethren in the news
gathering business.
I'VE are the victims of a mistaken ter
minology. We speak of news as a COM
modify in the same sense in which we
characterize coal as a commodity. But a
moments reflection will show that it is of
an essentially different character. What is
the report of the Associated Press-that is,
all that it has 10 offer to its members; that
is all that it could have to offer to any
one-ls it a commodity? Is it something
tangible? The blowing up of the Maine
was that news? No; the report of that
event was news. The property of the AS
ISOLATED Press was not the event itself,
nor even the information of the event. but
simply that particular narration of the
event which one of its own agents, becom-
ing the possession of the information, I'M
dertook to convey to his employer-that
and nothing more. (Apiause).
you have men upon Cuban soil who
venture upon the very verge of the battle,
who have ventured within the enemy's
lines, who have emperilled their lives, and
are to-day possibly subject to be shot as
spies If they are captured. What do they
bring into the conduct of their business?
Courage, enterprise and intelligence And
these high qualities are their own, and
what they achieve through them is their
own. and no law consistent with free insu-
tutions can compel them TO share the fruits
of their perilous industry with the coward
and the sluggard who lags behind. Can
it be possible that while one man is will
ing to go forward and to venture the per-
/ lis Of a news-gathering service in a time
like this, another may sit comfortably in
the rear and undertake to determine the
value in money of the differential between
cowardice and courage, between enterprise
and Incidence? Great applause) Col
/ Fred Burnaby undertook to report the war
in Egypt. He reported it, not from afar
but from place in the ranks Of battle. and
he went down in the front rank of battle
with the thrust Of a savage spear through
his throat, regrettng, perhaps that ne
was not able to report his own death.
(Applause)
Events occur. They may be within the
knowledge of a thousand people One man
may have the quality of mind that ena-
bles him to perceive in given event some
thing Of human interest. He is able 20
give to the report Of that event form-a
literary form-which makes IL attractive.
That report is his property, 20 dis
pose of absolutely as he will. and
upon whatsoever condition or limitations ne
| chooses to impose. And there never was
an enact ment of the United States that put
! any limitation upon his right thus to dis
! pose Of his own personal effort.
| NOW what do your ieporters-what do
! your -gatherers carry into their
work? No privilege conferred by any law.
! no franchise granted by any state, no