The Sentinel=record., 1911-06-06

men TESTIFY
GIVE VIEWS ON RECIPROCITY
WITH REFERENCE TO BIG
PAPER TRUST.
Manager of Associated Press Denies
That News Has Been colored
or instructions Given to
Employees.

Washington, ID. c., June 5.--PnbIic
hearings on the Canadian reciprocity
oil were concluded by the senate fl
lance committee today, representa-
tees OF the Associated Press being
the last to appear before the commlt-
tee.
Secretary OF State Knox. al tha ra.
luest OF Senator Bailey, has been
isked to explain tomorrow whether
the Root amendment TO the naner
ection OF the bill providing that ii
snail be in force until the president
Is satisfied and has issued n nroc,a-
nation to the effect that paper and
wood pulp are being admitted free
into all the provinces of Canada. Il IN
ull accord with the agreement as un-
derstood by the commissioners from
both countries who prepared the
reaty. Wednesday the COMMITTEES
VIII take up the bill in executive ses-
sion to discuss committee action.
Both Herman Ridder. until recently
PRESIDENT of the American Newspaper
Publishers Association, and Melville
y. Stone, general manager Of the AS
'iciatcd Press testified today in an
swer to queries that in their opinion
10 effort had been made by the. news.
,apers OF the country to present only
me side Of the reciprocity agreement.
70 color their reports on the question
,r suppress facts, We're Of news value.
Bruce HaIdaman, president OF The
Publishers Association and Frank b.
Noyes. president of the Associated
Press, also appeared.
The chief interest the newspapers
1f the country In the matter, Mr..
Ridder told the committee, is their
lesire to free themselves from the
paper manufacturers trust which
now, he added, has the publishers at
Is mercy. The readers of the count
Try would benefit by cheaper paper,
as well as the publishers, he declared,
because the money saved on paper
sould be used to furnish larger and
better news service.
The hearings wound up with
friendly phiiosiphizng between
Senators Bailey. Smoot. La Toilette
and Clark on one hand and Mr..
stone on the other as to whether 1t
would be better for the public If tho
newspapers gave them more OF the
serious, solid aud 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 association had sent out
bulletins ane letters urging the pass
age of tne reciprocity measure
But | would not have favored the
measure, he said, IF | mad not
thought it would be OF benefit to tho
70 the country as whole, independ-
snt of my interest In It as a news
paper publisher pub! = IS y,
When Mr.. Rfdder attacked the pa
per trust" which he said limited the
output. fixed the price and told q
publisher where he must buy his pa
per, both Senators McCumber and
Bailey, opponents OF the bill. deciar-
I'd IL there was such trust they
wanted to see 1t prosecuted BY the
government. Mr.. Ridder insisted. in
answer to numerous questions. that
any amendment to the bill. would, -
his opinion, endanger and probably
| kin the measure, and that. therefore,
h4 was IN favor Oh seeing the bill
passed exactly as I came from tfe
house.
Mr.. stone testified that no
structions had been sent out 70 Asso-
o,ated Press correspondents - g
canadian reciprocity except that fhey
had been told 70 send an, imporsap1
matter connected with il because q
The general interest in the sup1ect'
a,,sstionea in detail as to tae