The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-08-05
FILED IN
NEWSPAPER SUIT
TAKES STEPS TO
END TRADE WAR BE WeEN
TWO CORPORATIONS.

Chicago. H., Aug. 4.-With the III
inc of an agreed decree in a civil
ANTITRUST suit against the Western
Newspaper Union and the American
Press Association the federal govern
ment today took an advanced step
under the Sherman law TO prevent
what the department OF justice re-
garded as the possibility OF compl-
nation to Influence the thought OK
sixty million readers OF rural news
rapers.
The decree is designed to end
bitter trade war between these cor
porations. which furnish boiler plate
and ready print to thousands OF
country newspaper. The defehdan's
are restrained from combining or
continuing alleged unfair methods IN
competition which would destroy one
or the other, and set up a complete
monopoly for the survivor with all
its potential power OF lniluehclnS
the sentiments of the readers OF To-
600 small newspapers of the United
States. which it is estimated fall in
TO the hands of two-thirds OF the
people of the country.
Pointing out that an attempt was
made in 1909 to bring about a com
bination of these isterests, the gov
ernment says:
"The expectation was that in view
of the great power thus acquired
in disseminating information, the
united property could he disposed of
at great profit to those interested
in instilling certain economic IDEAS
into the minds of the people, and
that it was the design that such
disposition of it should be made.
"The circulation from week to
week of information and OF articles
dealing with questions of public i'm
portance is of itself interstate COM
merce, and for one concern to ac-
ouire the power to distribute all such
information and to deceive the pub
lie by its perversion is itself Sc
rious restrain upon and monopo-
lizing of interstate trade and COM
merce Such a restrain and monop-
oily will result unless defendants be
restrained from carrying on their
warfare against each other.
dissolution of either corporation.
While it is charged that the Central
West Publishing company, incorpora'
ted in Maine with capital of $6.5OO.-
000. acquired from 1909 to 1908 at a
net cost of over s2.50O,O00 the bust
ness of competitors to monopolize
trade, the government holds that
the absorbed plants have become so
identified with the properties and |
assets of the defendants that a sep
aratiOn would be a legal impossi- |
bility.
As another reason against dissolu- |
non. the petitica says that news
gathering and dissemination can best |
lie performed 'hr ough the larger
agencies, IF there still remains be-
tween the larger agencies fair, gen
uine. and substantial competition"
The defendants as whole, to-
gether with the association with |
which they have trade agreements,
supply, it is stated, more than 90
per cent of all the newspapers in
the United States using plate or
ready print. The American Press
Association according to the govern
ment. furnished until recently near
ly four fifth of all the plate matter
used in this country, while the West
ern Newspaper Union supplies so |
per cent of the ready print service.
The smaller Independent agencies,
the government adds supply less than
500 newspaper with either stereotyp- |
ed plate or ready print.
As the result of the failure of ne
gotiations to effect a consolidation |
in 1909, the petition charges the de-
PENDANTS began campaign of de- |
struCtive competition in 1911, and |
sets forth alleged methods pursued
nv each COrDnratiOn