The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-28
WORK OF THE A. P.
fcontinued from Page one.l

(Continued from Page One.1
The Associated Press is in no wise
tho master of the newspapers con-
shutting its membership; it is dlsunct-
ly their servant.
Its board of directors is composed
nj active newspaper men chosen at
annual meetings by the membership
and in an experience running through
% wears of intimate connecllon VIII
the present organization ana alSo Ihe't
~ the older Illinois corporation, l
have never known an instance IN an
rho changing personnel of boards Oh
directors when there was any depar-
ture from the most rigid observance VI
the highest obligations of trusteesnIp
and disregard of private and seltlsh
INTERESTS The president, vice presl-
dents and members of the board OF
directors serve without salaries
The Associated Press of today is the
outcome of a many year struggle pc
tween two opposing systems one
that Of news gathering concerns Win
prlvate or limited ownership Whlch
dealt at arms length with newspapers
to which they sold news at such prom
as might be secured. and over Whlcn
the newspapers who bought from them
had no more control than over the pa
per mill supplying them with PRINT
paper. - tho
theory that "A powerful, prlNateiE
agency is a menace to the press ana
people.
Determined to establish an agency
subject only to the control of the news
papers for whom il acted. IN 1888
a group of western men composing tlc
Western Associated Press began ngIlt
TO attain this end, and since that time
a contest between these two opposing
principles has been Waged- In assert
ing that The Associated Press, as to-
dav constituted, is the servant ana
agent only of the newspa perS for which
il acts. I have no thought of minlmlz-
ing the tremendous importance of the
work it does as such an agent, but wish
simply to emphasize the thought that
properly speaking it has no entity OF
its own. no mission save to serve It's
members.
Its members are scattered from the
Atlantic to the Pacific, from Canada
TO the Gulf and represent every pos
sible shade of political belief rellglous
faith and economic sympathy 1t is
obvious that The Associated Press can
have no partisan nor fractional bias
no religious utilization, no capitalistlc
nor pro-labor trend.
Its function is simply to furnish
its members with a truthful, clean,
comprehensive. -partisan-and this
in its broadest sense-report of the
news of the world as expeditiously as
Is compatible with accuracy and as
economically as possible.
To do this the newspapers compos-
ing its membership contribute first,
the news of their localities and second,
weekly assessments of money aggre-
eating about 100000 per annum,
with which an extensive system of
leased wires is maintained (22,O0O
miles of wire in the daytime and u.s.
600 miles of wire at night, bureaus
in the principal American cities sup
pIei-enting and collating the news of
local newspapers and bureaus for the
original collection Of news throughout
the world.
The volume of the news reports to
members varies greatly. ranging from
five hundred words daily by telegraph
or telephone to papers able to utilize
hut "A small amount of general news
matter, to more than fifty thousand
words daily or thirty-five newspaper
columns in the more important cities.
The method of collecting foreign news
has been greatly changed in recent
years Formerly The Associated Press
collected its foreign service in London,
receiving the news there of the Reu-
ter company, of the Wolff Agency of
Germany, and of the Havas Agency
of France with smaller affiliated agen-
cies in Italy and Spain.
The objection to this method was
that the news as received in London
was alleged to be impressed with an
E-liSllSH DldS III any event II was con-
cededly not collected from an Amerf-
can viewpoint.
To meet this criticism The Associa-
ted Press has established regular bu-
reaus of its own in all the creat news
centers. and now maintains offices and
STATS in London, Paris. Berlin, Rome,
st. Petersburg, Vienna, Toxic, Picking,
Mexico City. and Havana, in addition
To hundreds of individual correspond
ents scattered through the world
1t is probable that in the foreign