The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-28

of today a very improper one) was abol-
ished more than thirty years ago. many
people think that it still exists and oc-
casionally some one arises hercely to de-
nounce this unhoiy alliance
The simple truth is that the Associated
Press has during all these thirty years
and more paid exactly what other news
i charged by the telegraph companies for
the facilities furnished US are greatly in
excess of those charged individual news
| papers and still more than those charged
stock brokers having leased wires
The Associated Press leases wires
/ many thousands of them, from the Wesf-
j ern Union. the Postal. the American Tele
graph & Telephone company, and from
several of the Independent telephone com
panies.
/ The first three have common basic
rate, charging US $24 mile a year in the
DAYTIME and sl2 a mile a year at miSn nj;
For exactly the same wire they charge an
! individual newspaper $50 and $40, respec-
lively, and a stock broker gets still fur
| the- reduction.
Far from receiving discriminatory fav-
ors, the Associated Press feels that II IS
| being distinctly and heavily Disseminated
| against.
! In these days when all transactions on
a large scale are being subjected to SO
| spicuous a mark of public attention as Is
| the Associated Press should not nnd
| itself immune from critical inspection
From time to time some voice Is raised
denouncing the Associated Press in the
same breath both as a monopoly and be
| cause it is not. a monopoly, and Insisting
| that it become a monopoly by admitting
| to its membership all desiring its service;
| the theory being that in some way tfe
| with a public and subject it to the
| obligation of a common carrier to serve
| all corners.
From an ethical standpoint only. then
| is there anything improper, unsafe. or I'M
| wise in a group of newspapers, large or
small, associating themselves together 10
| do thing that each must otherwise do
separately and of reserving to themselves
| the right to determine to what extent the
n
| larged?
1t does not seem possible to hold fairly
| join with one in Chicago and one in Phila-
delpnia to maintain a common CORE
spondent in Washington without making
1t obligatory on these three newspapers
to share the fruits of their enterprise with
other New York, Chicago, and Philadel-
phia newspapers.
If in addition they arrange that each
shall supply the others with the news of
its home city; is it within the bounds Of
to competitors the same facilities?
I give this illustration because that is
exactly the relation of the newspapers
composing the Associated Press-the scale
only being enlarged.
The obligations of common carrier
are, however. in no wise dependent on
the magnitude of its transactions The
ferry sculled across a stream is just as
much impressed with a public use Is
the Pennsylvania railroad. Each is
common carrier. 1t is the nature of the
transaction and not its size that deter
question of common carriership, what is
right for three to do is proper for three
hundred or for eight hundred to do
To compel the Associated Press to as
sumo entity of it's own and to serve
all corners would. in my Judgment. bring
about a condition fraught with the
gravest dangers to the freedom of the
press and in turn to the freedom of the
people.
newspapers of the country are represent
ed by membership in the Associated
Press.
There are a number of concerns en-
gagged in the collection and sale of gen
eral news to nonmembers of the Asso-
Ciated Press, and in one way or another
they supply their customers with what
are declared TO be satisfactory services.
In no wise desiring to become anything
approaching a monopoly. the Associated
Press has avoided even the appearance of
any competitive price rivalry. admitting
additional members solely on the ground
of common benefit to the members of
a cooperative institution.
If by some occult reasoning the Asso- |
ciated Press could be held a common
carrier, these news-selling organizations
would be wiped out and the Associated
Press would; if the end sought for was
and the incentive for cooperation no /
longer existing. it would naturally drift
into a concern for pecuniary profit, In |
private ownership and subject to private |
control.
No more dangerous situation can well !
be imagined than the passing of the con- |
troll of the greatest news-gathering and |
ews-disseminating agency of the world |
from the hands of cooperating newspa- |
pers to the control of some Individual |
interested in manipulating the news-the |
master and not the servant of the news |
papers.
Because this danger would be so grave |
it will not come, but for another reason |
also, very basic reason.
There can be no monopoly in news.
The day that it becomes apparent that a |
monopoly in collecting and distributing
some method individual newspapers or |
groups of newspapers will take up the |
work of establishing a service for them !
selves, Independent of outside control.
The news of the world is open to him |
who will go for it. Any one willing to ex- |
to approach it may dip from the well of !
truth.
Press does not consist of its leased wires |
or its offices. Its soul is in the personal |
service of human men, of men with eyes
to see, with ears to hear, with hands to
write, and with brains to understand, of |
men who proud when they succeed,
Inundated when they fail and resentful
but the blind instruments of this service,
though the wire has brought the utter
n hos These huma a entities are ranging
the world to send word of its doings. "f
its reioicings, and its borrowings to sat
isfy the thirst of the people for intel
lgence of the march of events.
The news service of the Associated
Press of the horror of Martinique was
service of a man who at the first hint of
the disaster that had wiped out popula-
ton took his orders, chartered boat. and
went TO Martinique. where no correspond
ent still lived and sent story, his story
of the great tragedy, wrecking his health
by the effort required.
To get this report, this news, was
open to any one.
To get it cost the members of the As
ISOLATED Press more than $4,000 in addi-
ton to the human wastage and prodigious
effort.
1t was a part of the days work.
Ard as today devoted men labor and
die in order that the members of the AS
sociated Press an organization that |