The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-06
HEARINGS
CONCLUDED
Reciprocity Bill will Soon Be
Reported
OUT OF THE COMMITTEE
Herman Ridder and Melville Stone, One
Newspaper Publisher, the Other
Manager of Associated Press,
Heard Yesterday.

washington, ~. ~, June o.--I uoll'
hearings on the Canadian reciprocity
III were concluded by the Senate fl
nance committee yesterday, representa-
tives of the American Newspaper Pub
fishers association and of the Asso-
eisted Press being the last to appear
before the committee.
Secretary of State Knox, at the re-
quest of Senator Bailey, has been asked
to explain to the committee to-day
whether the Root amendment to the
paper section of the bill, providing that
il shall not be in force until the pres
idont is satisfied and has issued proc
hmation to the effect that the paper
and wood pulp are being admitted free
into all the provinces of Canada, Is IN
full accord with the agreement, as UNI
derstood by the commissioners from
both countries who prepared the treaty.
On Wednesday the committee will take
up the bill in executive session TO dis
cuss committee action
Both Herman Ridder, until recently
president of the American Newspaper
Publishers association and Melville 4.
Stone, general manager OF the Asso-
ciated Press, testified yesterday in
answer to ueries from various senators,
that in their opinion no effort had been
made by the newspapers of the country
to present only one side of the reei-
procity argument, to color their reports
on the question or to suppress any
facts which were of news value.
Bruce Haldeman, president OF the
Publishers association, and Frank h.
Moves, president of the Associated
Press, also appeared
The chief interest which the news
papers of the country have had in the
matter. Mr.. Ridder told the com.
mittee, is their desire to free them
selves from the paper manufacturers
trust, which now, he added; has the
publishers at its mercy The readers
OF the country would benefit by cheap
er paper, as we'll as the publishers, he
declared, because the money saved on
paper could be used to furnish larger
and better news service.
Mr.. Ridder had not proceeded far
when Senator McCumber Of North Da-
Eota startled the committee by. chal-
longing one of his statements as an
"ahsolute falsehood."
Senator McCumher's action brought
a quick response from Senators Stone
and Bailey. who declared tina wit
nesses should not be insulted Mr.
Isidder had made the statement that
the newspapers of the country and
the publishers association had not at
tempted to suppress facts or to color
stories sent from Washington on the
subject of reciprocity when Senator
McCumber interrupted with his charge
OF falsehood
Several senators insisted that Mr.
McCumber's remark should be stricken
from the record.
Senator McGumber agreed to have his |
remark changed so as to make it read |
that what Mr. Ridder said was "un-
founded"
The hearing wound up with friend
liz philosophizing between Senators |
I,aiiey, Smith, Lafollette and Clark, on
the one hand, and Mr.. Stone on the |
other, as to whether or not it would |
be better for the public if the news
papers gave them more Of the serious,
solid and instructive sort Of news and |
less Of the sensational
Mr. Ridder, who occupied the greater
part of the day before the committee,
acknowledged that the publishers as.
sociation had sent out bulletins and |
letters urging the passage Of the reci-
procity measure But | wopld not I
have favored the measure he said,
iii had not thought it would be of
benefit to the country as a whole, in
dependent OF my interest in it as
publisher"
When Mr. Ridder attacked the paper
trust, which he said limited the out
put, fixed the price and told pub
Usher where he must buy his paper,
both Senators MeCumber and Bailey,
of the bill, declared that if