Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-29
ExClTlNG-NO BLOOD SHED.

New York, April 2S.-The annual
joint dinner of The Associated Press
and the American Newspaper Pub
fishers Association was thrown into
riotous and prolonged disorder tonight.
when Thomas T. Williams, business
manager for William r. Hearst. was
rose to reply to biting criticisms Mayor
Gaynor had just made of Mr.. Hearsts
part in journalism.
For IS minutes the uproar continued
while men stood in the chairs and wo-
men craned their necks to see from
the balconies of the banquet hall.
Mr.. Hearst is not here. | am his
friend and have Il right to be heard"
shouted Mr.. Williams. climbing upon
the speakers table and shaking his
fist in the face of the mayor.
Put him out" Shut up" Free
speech" came from all parts of the
hall
Toastmaster Nat Wright of the
Cleveland Leader hammered in vain
for order, while Mr.. Williams stood
impressive but obstinate, with folded
arms. to be heard
This is a disgrace to the press of
the United States" shouted Adolph S.
OchS proprietor of the New York
Times, as he stood on his chair behind
the postmaster and begged for a word
Mr.. Williams, | promise you. has
less than 40 words to speak. let mo
say them for him"
NO, Mo-" yelled the others
Mr.. Williams says ---" began
Mr.. Ochs.
No. No" broke in the thoroua:i,ly en-
ragged diners, with added insistence.
Mr.. Ochs sat down while the orchestra
played Dixie"
Mn Williams still Kept his feet ana
semblance of calm was not restored
until Rev III Newell Dwight Hills of
Brooklyn, with = witty and fcllcitous
speech brought laughter out.
Directors, executive and members of
the Associated Press aud Of the New
Paper Publishers Association here met
at their annual Joint banquet in the
Waldorf Astoria to forget for a while
that there are flights to follow mine
disasters to cover, murder and divorce
trials, executive inquiries. tariff discus
si>ns and race suicide. to sink for the
moment wholesome rivalries as compnt-
fellowship in one profession, the fourth
estate and Il realization of their CO..
operative cndeavor to inform 5000. 900
Of 4 reading. thinking people their sub
5criberS and critics.
seven hundred sat DOM to the tables
and after the coffee had been brought in
TIA" hosts began TO heae things about
themselves from their guests. Mayor
n ;,,..f
speaker took for his subject: "I'ha Press
il Its Relations to Public Officials" II"
spoke is Is his wont aud as he had been
invited to do without mincnc word"
ana il was these words which angereJ
MI Williams
References Enthusiastically drawn FROM
the mayor s own political experience IN
the recent mayoraltN campaign of I'M
cxampied bitterness i,e drove home vita
names aud specific instances
In his attack on VIA. Randolph Hearst
who ran against him for office and has
since criticised his administration sharp
~ IA" applied epithcts seldom heard IL
public speaking.
Woodrow Wilson, president OF
Princeton University, who followed the
mayor, in speaking of the CELEBRITY at
tho world wide news and the attend
ant comment thereon as now trans
Ilitted by telegraph. mentioned the
decline OF the editorial in power ana
the growing Importance of the prompt,
accurate and unbiased neWsgatherer.
lie said in part:
I'VE have witnessed your day Of cX-
traor6inary multiplication of Journals
Of ali sorts and an extraordinary IN :
crease in tho amount of printed mat =
tor OF every kind. Printing has become
"a chcap that it has become almost q
commonpIace medium of speech. There
was n time when anything we say in
,,ript seemed very serious and DELHI
crate. But in our time there had been
an unmistakabIe falling off in the in
Guenco of printed opinion. The power
,f tta editorials is certainly not what
it once was.
THE telegraph and the telephone,
moreover. have drawn the world to-
cether into something like single
community. 1t is just as easy and nat
;1ral to read the news of yesterday
from Rome as the news of yesterday
from the neighboring towns. And
with .he news come the comment,
comment from every quarter. not only
from our neighbors, but from editors
and correspondents all over the world.
And so what We read begins to have
for US only the significance of what
we hear. Printed opinions are coming
to take the rank with actual spok-
en- opinions and editorial comment
has very little more weight than con-
yersational comment.
CONTINUED on Page Twelve.)