Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-06-10
NewspapersDidn Suppress
Facts About Reciprocity.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Herman Ridder and Melville Stone
Say no Attempt Was Made to :.
Color News in Favor of I
Treaty ,.--.

Washington, June 6.-Public hear
tngs on the Canadian reciprocity bill
were concluded by the senate finance
committee, representatives of the
American Newspaper Publishers as
sociation and Of the Associated Press
being the last to appear before the
committee.
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 by cheaper paper, as
well as the publishers, he declared.
because the money saved or paper
could be used to furnish 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 | would not
have favored the measure" he said,
"if | had not thought it would be of
benefit to the country as 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 a pub
Usher where he must buy his paper,
both Senators McCumber and Bailey,
opponents of the bill, declared that If
there was such trust they wanted
to see it prosecuted by the govern
ment
Mr.. Stone testified that no instruc-
tons 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
only.
Taft Opposes Amendment.
To Senator Stone, of Missouri, Pres
ident Taft again made it clear that he
is opposed to any amendment what
soever to the Canadian reciprocity
agreement
Senator Stone had heard report
that administration opposition to the
Root amendment was not entirely sim
cere, and that Senator Root had been
assured privately that the president
would not be displeased If his amend
ment were adopted.
81 came to the White House." said
the senator, ito find out for myself
whether the president was In earnest
in opposing the Root amendment And
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 ReDuhlican "