The Republican journal., 1902-12-25
"NEwsPAPER NIGHT. =
BOatOu.

E
Editor. Are Guest. Of the Merchants Club.
BOstOu.
From the Boston Globe OF Dec. 17th.l
Last nights dinner of the Merchants
club at the New Algonquin club might
be termed newspaper night" Gen..
Chas H. Taylor presided and made the
introductions. Stephen O'Meara of the
Journal spoke as the substitute for
Melville E. Stone, general manager of
the Associated Press, who was unavoid-
ably absent. Frank A. Munsey, the
magazine publisher, and owner of the
Washington Times, New York News and
Boston Journal, outlined his ideas of
the ideal newspaper, and E. H. Clement
of the Transcript delivered what the
president termed ''the benediction.'
Gen Taylor spoke of his early efforts
in fighting the Associated Press, with
Mr.. Stone, who is now the general man.
ager of the "a. p" and in course of a
brief resume recalled the fact that three
Charlestown boys, John II. Holmes of
the Herald, Stephen O'Meara of the
Journal and himself, have been at the
head of three quite prominent news
papers in this city.
/ Mr.. OMeara outlined the develop
ment of the Associated Press from the
time when there were no European
cables, and when pony express from
Halifax to New York brought the Euro
pean papers, from which the papers of
the metropolis culled the foreign news.
After a time this association of news
papers sold this news to other news
papers whose fields did not interfere
with their own. By and by these New
York papers sold this news for more
than it cost them, and still had the
news without cost to themselves.
Then came the organization of the
New York Associated Press, followed
by the New England Associated Press,
F, which included 16 or II of the more
important New England newspapers.
He then described the organization of
the New York State Associated Press,
the Western Associated Press, the
Southern Associated Press and the Pa
cific Coast Associated Press.
These associations he described as a
series of trusts. Against these was
arrayed what was known as the United
Press, which conducted it's business so
well that dozen or Is years ago it ab-
sorbed the New York Associated Press.
He then described the breaking away of
the Western Associated Press from the
United Press and its undertaking to
cover the news of the world for itself.
This western association, instead of set
ting up money-making concern to
distribute profits among its members,
started an absolutely cooperative sys-
TEN, and it is on that plan that the AS
sociated Press of today operates.
hna fn,.c 70 l, Da;, 4
were removed from Illinois to New
York because of the decision of gran
ger supreme court that there was no
such thing as property in news, and
organized under the club law of New
York.
This association, he said spends about
$4,000, 600 year for news and has about
10000 miles of leased wires. In emer-
gencies like the Spanish war it assesses
It's members to defray the increased cost
OF such emergencies. The cost of that
war to this organization during the six
months that it lasted, as well as during
the succeeding six or II months in the
Philippines, was an additional assess
ment of 100000. For tugboats alone
in Havana and Santiago, the cost was
about 81, 600 day
Mr.. O'Meara contrasted the efficiency
of this system with that of the Euro
pean system and said that the Associ-
ated Press was undoubtedly the greatest
news-gathering organization in the
world.
Gen. Taylor introduced Mr. Munsey
as man who, 25 years ago, was tele-
graph operator in Augusta, Me-, and
who, desiring to enlarge the scope of
his energy, went to James G. Blaine
and outlined to that great statesman a
plan he had to go to New York. Mr..
Blaine told him the plan spelled suicide
and advised him to remain right in Au-
guSta, and that in time his opportunity
would come. But Mr.. Munsey wouldn't
heed this advice, which Gen Taylor
said subsequent events proved wasn't
worth cent. He succeeded in the
magazine field, and now he enters into
journalism. To this field Gen. Taylor
welcomed him and called for three
cheers for him, which were given.
Mr.. Munsey recalled some of the
early difficulties that beset him in the
magazine field, and, speaking of news
papers, said there was wide difference
between publishing newspaper from
the rOStrum and issuing one from a
newspaper shop. 'There is an infinite
amount of nonsense talked by theorists
of one kind or another he said, land
unfortunately it all sounds just as well,
and reads just as we'll, as the nuggets
of practical wisdom dug out of the rock
bed of experience by the workers of life
men who know and think and do
He advocated the application of the
trust method to newspapers and said
that in his judgment it will not be more
than five or ten years before the pub
fishing business of this country will be
done by three or four concerns. There
will be chain of papers representing
each of the great political parties, and
another which will be independent.
Under these conditions of combina-
ton he predicted newspaper that
would be of a much higher grade Of
excellence than any now in the market,
and that would attract a staff of wri-
tiers which would make the papers a
treasure-box of news and intellectual
' expression in various fields.
Mr.. Munsey then discussed organized
' labor and organized capital, said the
one had caused the development of the
other, and that either, without opposi-
ton, would be sure to become tyranni