The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-20
CANNON ATTACKS
 THE NEWSPAPERS Says They Use Undue
 Influence MAKES BITTER TALK Says Hermann Ridder Demanded He Discharge Committee Who Were
 Considering Print Paper Schedule
MAKES BITTER TALK

Washington, April 19.-A bitter de- nuncia ton of newspaper influence in connection with the fight over free print paper legislation during the last national campaign was made by for rler Speaker Joseph c. Cannon in a vigorous speech in the House today in connection with his opposition to lhe Canadian reciprocity bill.
 There has been a good deal of talk about the price of print paper, good deal of talk that has run over several years" said MT. Cannon. "The com mittee on ways and means of the Six tfeth Congress, when John Sharp Will Hams Introduced his free print paper bill, and it went to that committee, by unanimous vote, as ! am informed, postponed action for that session of Congress and did not even hold a hear ing on it.
 T was speaker They unloaded if on me We had stormy time. News paper publishers through their repre- sentatives, one of whom I shall name, MT. Herman Ridder demanded that should do what had never been done before in the history of the republic that I should recognize MT. Williams or somebody else to rise in his place and move to discharge the committee from further consideration of that bill, which they had prepared for that ses- sion and by the time the next session would come the presidential election would be over"
 MT. Cannon said he replied that he could not do 1t; that it would not be just to his party.
 What happened?" he continued. "1 was informed in the presence of wit nesses that if the republican party did not promptly put print paper upon the free list that great and good man who headed the publishers association, MT. Herman Ridder would support MT. Bryan for the presidency and contribute $100000 to his election.
 We did not pass 1t. When the time came MT. Ridder was made treasurer of that committee and l guess he gave you boys on the democratic side $50,- GOO, did he not? The newspapers say so, and I have not seen 1t denied"
 When last fall the democrats swept into power into the House, MT. Can non said he looked about for some means of defense and introduced a bill creating a special committee to in- vestigate the print paper question.
 T appointed that committee and MT Mann headed 1t. The criticism from one end of the country to the other, by resolutions passed by the Associated Press, and by denunciations in the newspapers, was wholly against me for that action. The committee made an honest investigation. They found a diff ference of s2 a ton between the cost of production in Canada and in the United States. It was unanimous re- port, the democrats on the committee concurring.'
 Mr. Cannon said:
 '.The House adopted the report. It went to the Senate, where there was a scoulprenaises between. $ S. which was the law, and $2, the amount in the House bill. or $3.75. The difference between the tariff board and the Mann special committee was that Mann said s2 would represent the difference and the tariff board said $4.14 would rep resent the difference. In this bill you reject both of them under this treaty and let it in free"