New Britain herald., 1914-05-12

WHdC cAIcIlL IS IuCHlUcI OL d press association entitled to monopoly in community of news gathered by the association of which it is mem ber," different question is presented
 I can only deal with this as an individual who took part in the for nation of the Associated Press (the present organization.)
 Our desire was to form a co-opera- tive association of representatives of newspapers that should be the agency by which we could exchange news with each other and jointly collect news for our common use.
 We conceive that we have an en- tire right morally and legally to do this, just as much right as paper in Philadelphia. q paper in Chicago and a paper in Washington have right to employ Mr. Richard Harding Davis to go to Vera Cruz and send dispatches for their joint use.
 Membership Is Very Large.
 It IS for us to decide, in our view, whether we will enlarge our group by the admission of new mem bers-as a matter of fact our present member ship is very much larger than when we organized in 1900 though it now
 
 newspapers of the country represented in it's membership. ,->-.
 We have provided method by which new members may be elected
 My own view-and I have consist ently acted on that view-is that a member should be elected when 1t is to the benefit of the association gen. erally.
 h 1nf af ell r would admit every applicant. We want our members individually to be strong and solvent It does not strengthen or benefit the organization to elect another member in a field that will not support another paper.
 Often Voted Adversely.
 I have also repeatedly refused to vote for an applicant for membership when l thought that his admission would tend to break down a compet- ing news service.
 l see by your program that MT. IT, win is to speak on this subject.
 l greatly regret that I will not have the pleasure of hearing him-if only for the purpose of correcting some of his misapprehensions as shown in a recent article that appeared in Harper's Weekly
 I am sure. however, that MT. Irwin will forgive me- if II take this oppor- tunity of pointing out to him where he IS in error-at least from my point of view.
 Pristine success that was made of the Associated Press of Illinois un- der the leadership of Victor F. Law son and Melville E. Stone was not at all due to any marked superiority in news gathering.
 Due to Determination.
 It was due to determination that so far as the members of that as- sociation were concerned their news service should not be controlled by a private ownership-that it should in fact be gathered for and by the news papers and controlled by them and be non-profit making and this is true of the present organization and is it's basic principle. a r .tF
 Second--Mr. Irwin states that most of the members of the Associated Press hold what is known as rights of protest" He is mistaken-only a small fraction of the members hold such rights.
 Third--Mr Irwin falls into a not surprising error, though it is rather surprising that writing as a supposed expert he should base an indictment on that error by asserting that the bond vote has controlled the election of the board of directors-as he pie turesquely put it "the old crowd holds absolute and perpetual control. Noth- ing has even so much as shaken that control"
 Very picturesque and very untrue.
 l suppose that I am in a position to know as much about the affairs ofsthe Associated Press as MT Irwin
 Upholds Bond Vote.
 My belief is that the result of no