The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-04-28

membership all desiring It's service,
the theory being that in some way the
activities of the association impress
it with a public use and subject it to
the obligation of a common carrier to
serve all corners.
From an ethical standpoint only,
then, is there anything improper. I'M
safe. or Inwise in a group of news
lapers, large or small, associating
themselves together to do a thing that
each must otherwise do separately
and of reserving to themselves the
right to determine to what extent the
membership of such a group shall be
enlarged?
1t does not seem possible to hold
fairly that a newspaper in New York
may no join with one in Chicago and
one in Philadelphia, to maintain a
common correspondent in washington
without making it obligatory on these
three newspapers to share the fruits
of their enterprise with other New
York, Chicago and Philadelphia news
papers.
II in addition they arrang that
each shall supply the others with the
news of its home city, is it within the
bounds of reason that they are re-
quired to furnish to competitors the
same Facilities?
| give this Illustration because that
is exactly the relation of the newspa-
pers composing The Associated Press
the scale only being enlarged.
The obligation of a common car
rio, N pa hnNGnNra- In, 40 NtiSn Inrnn1-
cnt on the magnitude of it's ransac-
tions. The ferry sculled across a
stream is just as nue. impressed
with q public use as is the Pennsyl-
vania railroad. Each is a common
carrier. 1t is the nature of the trans
action and not its size that determines
its obligations. AS respects the ques-
ton of common carriership, what is
right for three to do is proper for 800
or for 500 to do.
To compel The Associated Press to
assume an entity of it's own and to
serve all corners would, in my iudg-
M mt, bring about a condition fraught
with the gravest dangers to the free
dom of the press and in turn to the
freedom of the people.
AT present about one-third of the
daily newspapers of the country are
represented by membership in The
Associated Press.
There are a number of concerns en-
gagged in the collection and sale of
genera news TO non-members of The
Associated Press, and in one way or
another they supply their customers
with what are declared to be salts
factory services.
In no wise desiring to become any
'hing approaching a monopoly. The
Associated Press has avoided even
the appearance of any competitive
price rivalry, admitting additional
members solely on the ground of a
common benefit to the members of Il
cooperative institution.
If by some occult reasoning The
Associated Press could be held as a
common carrier, these n~ews-selling
organizations would be wiped out and
The Associated Press would, il the
end sought for was accomplished, be-
come a real monopoly and the incen-
tive for cooperation no longer exist
ing, it would naturally drift into a
NDiiSN' " pCNuhIuIy pIblll IN DTl-
vate ownership and subject to private
control. f7'
No more dangerous situation can
well be imagined than the passing of
the control of the greatest news-gath-
ering n Notwithstanding agency
of the world from the hands of CO.
operating newspapers to the control of
some individual interested in marlipu-
latlng the neWS-the master and not
n servant of the newspapers.
Because this danger would be so
grave it will not come, but for an
other reason also, a very basic reason.
There a be no monopoly in news.
The day hat it becomes apparent
that a monopoly in collecting and dis
trlbutlng news exists, hat day, in
some way, by some method individual
newspapers or groups of
viii take up the work of establishing
a service for themselves, Independent
d outside control.
The news OF The world is open T.,
him who will go for it. Anyone will
ing to expend the energy, the time,
and the money to approach it may dip
from the well of truth.
the news service of The Associate |
Press does not consist of it's leased
wires or its Offices. It's soul is in the
personal service of human men, OF
E'en with eyes to see, With ears to
hear, with hands to write, and with
brains to understand, of lncn who are
proud when they succeed, Inundated
Hnen they fail and resentful when
ms ligned. The telegraph wires are
hu the blind instruments of this
service, though the wire has brought
The utternlost parts of the world mar
VelouSly close. These human entities
are ranging the world to SEND word of
it's doings, of its rejoicings, and it's
Borrowings to satisfy the thirst cf the
people for intelligence of the nlarch
OF events.
The news service of The Associated
Press Of the horror of Martinique was
not the event itself. 1t was the per-
Sonal service of a man who at the
first hint of the disaster that had
wiped out a population took his or
ders, chartered a boat, and went to
Martinique, where no correspondent