The chronicle=news., 1914-07-31

simply voluntary union OF q num-
her OF gentlemen for the employment
OF a certain staff OF news reporters
to serve them jNntly. For its work
II derives no advantage from the gov
ernfnent, from any state or munich
falfty, frosN any corporation, or iron,
any person. Its service is purely
personal one, and never, except un-
der the lons since abolished slave
laws, has any government sought to
compel personal service, save in cases
OF voluntarily assumed contracts, or
of adjudgments Tor crime. The out
put of 'She Associated Press is not
the news 1t is it's own story of the
news. There can be no monopoly m
news. Al the point of origin, Ha-
yapa, the destruction, Of the Maine
was known by every nan, woman
and child. AM one could have writ
Press men did 1t was their own
story. Who shall say that they, or
| those who employed them, were not
| entitled to its exclusive use? And
ts this not equality true, whether the
employer he one man, or 10 men, or
nine hundred men acting in coopera-
| ton?
You say, Where city has only
one morning paEcr and where that
| morning paper. possessing The As5o-
| ciated Press franchise. is able to
keep the franchise exclusively and
prevent any other paper from get
ting 1t. there arise all the chiefs
which attend monopoly 10 this
let me say that there Is no such case.
\ nor has there been in the life of The
! Assoc lated Press, OF which you speak.
II there were. MIR. Noyes" remark
that "a competitor has as much
right to demand and receive the use
4 Of the others press, composing room.
eattors and reporters" would uhan-
swcrably apply. But as to the facts:
The existing Associated Press began
business on September ~. 1900. with
612 members publishing daily news
papers in 295 cities and town. In the
| thirteen years and nine months
1 which have elapsed since that date
i 627 new members publishing daily
newspapers in 434 cities and town,
have been admitted. AS you Will OBJ
4 serve, this means an average OF
4 about one new member elected eacl
! week. Meanwhile members have re-
4 signed, newspapers have failed oi
4 cased publication, so that the 62'
| elected does not represent an In
H crease OF tnat number on the mem
| bership roll. The present member
ship is 8S1.
As to the exclusive right my an
swer is that there is no exclusive
right. There is what is called
right to Protest which is simpl!
the right OF a member to say that
the board OF directors cannot elect
new member in mis- field, hut mus'
lleave the question OF election to th'
\ membership at large. and even TINS
right of protest" is held by less
than one-fourth OF the members. NC
such right has been granted to any
member in over IL years. ana. since
II requires a vote of seven-eighths oi
4 the total membership of the associa'
tton to grant 1t. none is likely to b'
granted within your lifetime OF
mine. to say the least
Some applicants have failed OF
election, 1t is true. Bnt In the great
ma jority OF such cases they have
failed for other reasons, and not be-
4 cause OF the exercise OF any protest
right. Since the association is n co.
operative one. making no profit
there is no found out OF which tt
provide for the delinquency OF On'
who may be unable to pay for tho
service. And as contracts for leased
wires run over a considerable period
| the failure OF a member to pay his
shnrc of the expenses may become
serious thing. II The Associated
Press were money making venture
it would he justified in taking the
risks which merchants are accustom'
cd to reckon on in making credit.
This is one OF the difficulties
tempt to compel the organization tG
give Its service to all appllcahts. An
Increased charge would necessarily
be paid by the thrifty. solvent mem
bers to provide for the improvident
or untrustworthy.
Any one may withdraw from The
Associated Press. what holds 1t to-
getUer? The confidence OF the mem
bers and of the public in its intcg-
rity. The only property 1t has Is
| its good will. Is this n thing in
which an applicant may claim le-
gal right to share?
In the case OF the New York sun,
It should be said that the proprietors
of that paper have never sought ad-
mission to membership in the asso-
citation. On February 10. 1897. when
the paper was under the control of