The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-16

Press hereinafter referred to is an ope-
rating telegraph company. 1t leases
over $1,000 miles Of telegraph wires, ex-
tending through and between all the
States Of the Union and operates them
daily by Its own employees. 80 that often
$4,000 words or over forty columns Of
printed matter are transmitted to the
leading papers Of the country.
1t Ii only necessary, however. upon
this point to call your attention to the
two comparatively recent cases Of the
Lottery Cases ass. u. g.. 321). and In
ternational Text Book Co. VS.. Pigs
(217 u. g., 91).
In the first case lottery ticket.
roughly scrawled upon a piece Of paper
and unlawful In character under the
laws OF the State. was yet held to be q
subject Of commerce when taken from
one State to another.
In the latter case. which relates more
closely to the one referred to in this
complaint, the International Correspon-
dence School. which was engaged In in
structng people through the medium of
the malls. simply prepared instruction
papers and other educational matter
and supplemented them by written let
tiers Of instruction. which were trans
mitted from one State to another.
The Supreme Court in both cases held
that the lottery ticket and the educa-
tional correspondence were alike SUBJ
5ects OF commerce. and we submit that
II IL impossible to distinguish between
these written documents and the trans
mission from State to State OF written
r.n; n.ws ., ,ha 1919 xvh.s, VI. .u
ur.d no ~. ,n,r,n.,r -,
,h,n~ 49,. - ~ ue vi inc
ume ~ transac,,ons in si,,ar CIV. ~.
preparation Of the news Of tho world IN
literary form. its sale to Intending p,,r-
chasers ana its TRANSMISSION from stat.
to State are not only far more COM
mercial In character than a lottery
ticket or letters Of instruction, but they
one Of the great and impor.
tant industries OF the world
1t being clear. therefore. that the
news OF the world as reduced to con-
crete form and bought and sold as such
Undersigned respectfully submits. that
IL IL a part OF the commerce between
the states. which the act Of July 1. 1890,
co"e"e ~ p'"eeS' i''ih uuhWi VI tfIOuop-
olization II the said act. in furtherance
or us great public policy. seeks to pre-
vent any monopolization or attempted
Of the most insignificant
commodity however valueless II may be
ihtrinsicaily. 1t certainly must be held
TO apply TO a similar monopolization Of
a commodity upon the free transmits
SION OF whlch the education OF the
masses ana therefore the operations Of
free government must necessarily de-
pend
iii.
THE HISTORY OF THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS AND OTHER NEWS
AGENCIES.
The business of collecting and dis
,ributing news for publication In the
nress ia and has been for many years
carried an nv associations or CORPORA.
tons that were not themselves engaged
directly in the publication Of a news
manor Tho funds FOR maintaining such
business. and the revenues therefrom
arc derived from sums paid to such as.
.,cia,iors or corporations by news
p,p.ns in recelp, OF news reports sold
or furnished 10 them by such associa-
lions mr. COMBINATIONS.
I.non the invention Of the magnetic
,e,ecraph demand WAS created
throughout the United States for prompt
and commemorative reports OF news hap
peninxs throughout the world which
made Il essential 10 the %uccessful
NJ all first class ncws.
M pers 10 no furnished with such news
renorts Tho cost ~ attaining such
news reports is so great that II Is and
always has been impossible for any one
newsnaper alone 10 bear the entire ex-
nensc OF gathering such news. Ac-
cordin9ly. in 1s4s shortly after the
practicabil,ty OF the mag.
ne,ic telegraph. the seven leading ne VS.
naners In the CITY OF New York entered
into n combination and Advancement
with one another and with the owners
NJ the telegram patents and formed an
as.ociation called the Associated Press.
for the purpose of having said associa-
lion gather world news and transmit
he same exclusively by telegraph at
rates greatly discriminating in favor OF
said association az compared with the
rates ~ newsnapers in general for
nub,,ca tion In the NO uspa ners OWNED nv
he proprletors OF said seven New York
daily newspopers ana such other news
pspers in tho interior NJ the country
as said association chose IN furnish
NTH such new. renor,, in cors,dera,ior