The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1911-06-06
PUBLISHERS FAIR
+ TO RECIPROCITY
No Attempt to Color News
In Its Favor.
PAPER TRUST ATTACKED
Herman Ridder Tells Senate Commit
tee Publishers Are at the Mercy of
the Manufacturers.

Washington, June 6.-The hearings
before the senate finance committee
on the Canadian reciprocity bill for
mally closed, preliminary to vote to-
morrow.
This morning Secretary of State
Knox took the stand and pointed out
informally to the committee that the
bill as it passed the house embodies
the terms of the agreement negotiated
between president Taft and Minister
of Finance Fielding, of Canada.
Both Herman Ridder, until recently
president of the American Newspaper
Publishers association, and Melville
E. Stone, general manager of the AS
ISOLATED Press, testified that in their
opinion no effort had been made by
the newspapers of the country to pre-
sent only one side of the reciprocity
argument, to color their reports on the
question or to suppress any facts that
were of news value
Seek Freedom From Trust.
The chief interest which the news
papers of the country have in the mat
ter, Mr.. Ridder told the committee, is
their desire to free themselves from
the paper manufacturers trust, which
now, he added, has the publishers at
it's mercy The readers of the country
would benefit cheaper paper, as
well as the publishers, he declared,
because the money saved on paper
could be used to furnish a larger and
better news service.
At one point Mr.. Ridder charged
that a representative of the Interna-
tional Paper company had perjured
himself and characterized the men
whom he charged with conducting the
paper trust as "a gang of thieves"
Mr.. Ridder acknowledged that the
American Newspaper Publishers as
ISOLATION had sent out bulletins and
letters urging the passage of the reci-
procity measure. But l would not
have favored the measure" he said,
eff l had not thought it would be of
benefit to the country as a whole, in
dependent of my interest in it as a
newspaper publisher
When Mr.. Ridder attacked the pa
per trust, which he said limited the
output, fixed the price and told pub
Usher where he must buy his paper,
both Senators McCumber and Bailey,
opponents of the bill, declared that II
there was such a trust they wanted
to see it prosecuted by the govern
ment.
Mr.. Stone testified that no instruc.
lions had been sent out to Associated
Press correspondents as to Canadian
reciprocity. except that they had been
told to send any important matter
connected with 1t because of the gen
eral interest in the subject. All re
ports, he said, were supposed to be a
recital of facts on their news value
Taft Opposes Amendment.
To Senator Stone, of Missouri, Pres
ident Taft again made it clear that hi
is opposed to any amendment what
soever to the Canadian reciprocity
| agreement.
Senator Stone had heard a repor-
SudI duullll' tIdllOu OppOSAtiOu W liz
Root amendment was not entirely sin
cere, and that Senator Root had beer
assured privately that the president
would not be displeased if his amend
| ment were adopted.
Il came to the White House," sale
the senator, ito find out for myself
whether the president was in earnest
in opposing the Root amendment. And
| I found out. He told me that he was
against the amendment proposed by
Senator Root and would be against
| any proposition by any other senator
Democrat or Republican"