Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-15
Associated Press in Reply to Criticism

i better papers-papers issuing truthful
news and with clearer sense of per-
/ spective as to news.
/ Entirely independent of the Asso-
ciated Press, or any influence it might
have upon the situation, there has
been a noticeable shrinkage in the
number of important newspapers in
the recent past One reason has been
! the lack of demand by the public for
| the old-time partisan journal. Instead.
the very proper requirement has been
| for papers furnishing the news inn
partially, and communities therefore
no longer divide. al formerly, on po-
litical lines in their choice OF news
papers The increased cost of white
| paper and of labor has also had an
| effect.
Since there are some 500 or more
! daily newspapers getting on veR well
without the advantage of the Asso-
ciatei Press franchises" it can hard
ly be said that we have reached
stage where this service is indispens-
able. This is strikingly true in the
light of the fact that in a number o;
cities the papers making the largest
profits are those that have not, nor
have they ever had, membership in
the Associated Press.
1t will be agreed at once that pri-
vate right must ever give way to pub
lie good. If it can be shown that, as
commended, the national welfare re-
quires that those who, without any
advantage over their fellow editors,
have built up an efficient cooperative
news gathering agency, must share
the accumulated value of the good will
they have achieved, with those who
have been less energetic, We may have
to give heed to the claim. Such a con-
tention, so persistently urged as 1t has
been, is certainly fattering to the
mem bership and management of the
Associated Press. But, however agree
able it always is to divide up other
peoples property, before settling the
matter, there are some things to think
Of First, it must be the public good
that forces this invasion of private
right; it must not be the desire OF
someone who, having an itch to start
a newspaper, feels that he would pre-
fer the Associated Press service. Sec
ond, the practical effect of a rule such
as was laid down by the Illinois SUI
preme court, requiring the organiza-
ton to render service to all applicants,
must be carefully considered News
is not commodity of the nature of
coal, or wood. 1t is incorporated. 1t
does not pass from seller to buyer in
the way ordinary commodities do.
Although the buyer receives 1t, the
seller does not cease to possess 1t.
In order to make a news gathering
agency possible, it has been found
necessary to limit, by stringent rules,
tn, use of the service by the member.
Thus each member of the Associated
Press is prohibited from making any
use of the dispatches furnished him,
other than to publish them in his
newspaper. If such a restriction we're
not imposed, any member, on receipt
of his news service, might at once set
up an agency of his own and put an
end to the general organization. This
rule, as we'll as all disciplinary meas
ures would disappear under the plan
proposed by the critic of the Atlantic.
A buyer might be expelled, but tomor-
row he could demand readmission.
There would in practice no longer be
members with a right of censorship
over the management; instead there
would be one seller and an unlimited
number of buyers. Then, indeed, there
would be monopoly of the worst sort.
And government censorship, with all
of its attendant and long since adj
mitted evils, would follow. Under
republican administration, we should
have a republican censor; under
democratic administration, a demo
cratic censor. And a free press would
no longer exist.
Absolute journalistic inerrancy is
not possible. But we are mach near
er it today than ever before. And it
is to approximate inerrancy in its dis
patches that the Associated Press is
striving If in its method of organ
ization, or in its manner of admins
tration it is violating any law, or is
making for evil, it should be punished.
or suppressed. If any better method
for securing an honest, impartial news
scrvice can be devised, by all means
let us have it. But that the plan pro-
posed would better the situation is
clearly open to doubt.
MELVILLE Z. STONE.
General Manager Associated Press.