The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-04-06
CONGRESS TOLD OF
READY print FACTS
Although Claimed to be Cooperative,
Companies, Two Concerns Now
Practically Monopolize Business
CONTROL ADVERTISING MEDIUM
Newspapers Printed by Them Enter
Homes of Millions and Amount to
Approximately 100000 Copies
BY Congressman G. H. Tavenner

BY Congressman G. H. Tavenner
Washington, April 6,-"You viii
remember that Mr.. Smith testified
that in case the Western Newspape,
Union Co. was successful in secur-
ing control Of the American Press
Association, it was the intent an(
purpose of Mr.. Joslyn to sell out tc
Rockefeller and Morgan, who fully
appreciated the Importance Of being
able once week to reach 6O,OOO,-
600 people of the United States"
This is a paragraph from re-
markaible statement to the House Ju-
dietary Committee by D. w. Wilmer,
of Kansas City, in which he describ-
ed, the dangers in the so-called
"ready-print" trust.
According. to Mr.. Wilmer, two
concerns, who have working agree
ment with each other, now practical
ay monopolize the business Of fur
nishing "patent insides'' to country
weekly newspapers. Under the
guise of being cooperative enterpris-
es, these concerns have built up a
mammouth business, and have driv-
en- practically every competitor from
the field.
They control the greatest publicity
medium in the world through the
country newspapers. These news
papers go into the homes, and the
patent insides are read closely by
the millions of - Americans whose
chief source of information is the
local weekly newspaper. There are
approximately $1,000 country news
papers in the United States. The
ready-print trust furnishes reading
matters to all but a few hundred Of
them. The average circulation is
500. The total circulation is 12,-
100000 copies and are influenced by
the matter furnished by the trust.
Mr.. Wilmer believes that there are
great possibilities for evil in this
monopoly of the dissemination of in
telligence, and has asked the commit
tee to draw it's trust bills so as to
dispense this control of the country
press. In addition to the possibility
that the monopoly might sell out it's
columns to the purveyors OF tainted
news, there is the possibility point
ed out that the ownership of this
great avenue of publicity might pass
to the money kings of America, who
could use it to chlorofom public
opinion and perpetuate evils which
the people are now struggling to
overcome.
Although these two ready-print
concerns claim to he cooperative, it
is pointed out by Mr.. Wilmer that
the ready-print paper-that is, news
papers printed on one side only, the
country publisher to fill up the other
side with local news-is sold to the
publishers at a figure which gives
a living profit But in addition the
ready-print concerns sell advertis-
ing space at high rates, and the pub
Usher, who actually gives this ad-
vertising circulation, does not share
in the advertising profit.
''Hhis ready-print trust has been
known to make big contracts with
political committees" said Wilmer,
land is constantly looking for bust
ness from publicity bureaus of one
kind and another. Thus the coun-
try press has been commercialized
while, by a system of monopolistic
prices and rhetorical legerdemain it
has reduced the country printing Of
flee to a dependency, until rs to 81
percent of them are under mortgage
Under this system how can the coun.
try press be free to serve the public
and be healthful influence in the
body polite?
''Hhe country paper is the home
paper, and one side of thousands oil
them is in control of a trust which
has power to say what shall go on
the ready-print side. The ready
print trust is a double menace-eco.
nomic and ethical"