The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-13
NOTHING LIKE It ON EARTH.
COL. BLETHEy GIVES A TALK ON
THE GREAT ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Reviewed Its History Before the
Mems Club of Plymouth Congre-
gatfonal Church-High Tribute
Paid to the Telegraph Operators.

Col Alden J. Biethen, editor OF the Sc
attic Times. gave a talk last evening 10
the members OF the Mems Club OF Piy-
mouth Congregational church. on the SUD
1ect Of tho Associated Press" NUM-
Der OF ladies were also present.
Col Blethen began by reviewing the his
tory OF the great news gathering assoei-
alton from IT'S inception to date, told OF
the competition and final absorption OF the
United Press. 70 which. he said, the even
ing newspapers owe their existence lie
interspersed the lecture with personal
sparks such as the clash between Charles
A. Dana and John r. Walsh, OF the Chi
caRo Herald, in which Walsh was shown
the door by the intrepid master OF the
New York Sur, and wherefrom Walsh re-
tired vowIng a vengeance 10 the United
Pres. which he eventually accomplished
He said these two men were alike In their
strong individuality and inhexible wills.
When they met II was like steel clashing
against steel
Col. Biethen stated that the Associated
press is practically the only news gath
ering association in North America and,
with its ramifcations, the only one In
the world. There are 7s2 members In the
United States and Canada. In 1898 the
receipts OF the association were siyo,VDc
and the expenditures so nearly balanced
the income that at the end OF the year
only SIS was left IN the treasury
The Associated Press was co-opera-
tive organization, and not a money-mak-
ing corporation, Each member collected
the news OF hts dsirct and sent It TO a
central office. whence II Ia sifted and sent
TO various parts Of the country In propor-
ton TO the Importance OF the news 70
that part OF the country. IL controlled
1000 miles OF leased wire Thus all are
served whereas, otherwise, II would be
impossible for any one paper TO gather
all the news, owing 10 the great expense
M n
said the speaker, there IL q family down
East named Scripps, all Of which are In
tho anew paper business" He told that
they owned or controlled evening news
papers IN Buffalo. Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Detroit, 81, Louis Kansas cry, Los an
geles. San Francisco and Seattle, viz: the
Star. How they came to start newspapers
on the Pacific coase was because
prodlgai son went over the mountains
They covered a considerable TERRITORY. as
could DO seen. but got only smattering
OF tho news. THEY don't interfere with
anybody that know Of said the speaker
The colonel was not stinted IN hts com
msndatsn Of Seattle newspapers. He said
they were better than most newspapers
In cities Of much larger population. The
speaker mentioned ine Post-intelligencer
by name. and added that II any evening
newspapers could be found TO compare with
tho Times to tfot EN- out"
He pad high tribute % the efficiency
OF the aei night Associated Press tele-
graph operators over the country, men
tioninr personally $. J. small who is at
the end OF the Seattle Associated Press
wire. He told how. at click OF the key
I'm New York. for Instance. all these ope-
rators receive II simultaneously. They dare
not make mistakes. They dare not break
M II tasy do. ON the one hand the editor
gets after them; on the other the tele-
graph chief. He said these Associated
Press opei ators are the best In the world
and do not get the credit they deserve
The speaker closed with a pathetc recital
of the death Of Night Operator fgo dur
ing tho hig Minneapolis FIRE. several years
ago, who stood BY hts key taking 30 words
OF a. Cleveland murder while the flames
rolled on.
Cot. Rieth-n was occasionally interrupt
thanks was ex er led TO him.