The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-26

.CWtot Vi the bbtHfHV foot VII ivsus ~
| WILLIAM DUDLEY FoUtKn.
INDIANAPOLIS, March "a.
DEAR SIR In an editorial on the As
ISOLATED Press In the Nation OF March
12s 1914, Just sent to me "A a sample
copy and which suppose has also APP
peared in the Evening Post, you Insist
that any failure on the part Of that or
ganizatio~ 10 send accurate and Impair
tlal reports are few In number and arise
through accidents Of haste or through
Incompetence, dishonesty and Partially
OF tho local man on whom the Asso-
ciated Press relies.
Does II not also arise from the essen
tial nature Of the organization Itself and
from the methods employed BY Its man
ager In procuring newsf The difficulty
Of supposlng that these things are mere
accidents ID because In 20 many cases
the whole drift of long series Of des-
patches seems to be In the same direc-
tlon. The dispatches IN the West vir-
gInia labor cases. which you mention,
are not the most fagrant cases. tf
you will read those In the article The
| Associated Press and Calumet" by
Charles Edward Russell, which appears
or Ia about to appear in the April
PcdrsoN's. I think you can hardly ques-
ton that the deadly parallel" shows
even q greater slant In the direction
Of the capitalist against the wage Garner
than the West Virginia case.
| In considering the cause of the actual
attitude Of the Associated Press toward
vital Issues II IL highly important to
consider what attitude II possible on the
part Of such an organization toward the
most important OF these issues.
For the most important vital question
now pending Ia that OF the restraint
and control II not the suppression of
private monopoly. Now. II the Assoc
ciated Press Itself has been n monopoly.
or IS to-day in possession OF q virtual
monopoly. or seeks to acquire one, how
can 1t present fair and impartial
statement Of the struggle against
monopoly How can Il give. for ex-
ample. a fair presentation of the case
Of the sun Printing Association against
itself2
was the news Of this suit promptly
circulated7 certainly know of a
newspaper which received Associated
Press dispatches and which some days
afterward had heard nothing about
| the ease
Under an organization little difYer-
ent from the present the Associated
| Press was held guilty OF the restraint
~ trade by the Supreme Court OF 1lli-
nois. In A suit by the Inter Ocean
/ Publishing Company. reported sc North
Eastern Reporter. page s22, and It was
B by reason ut this that the concern
reorganlzed in New York, with the
same members and same name, hoping
To avoid the provisions OF the laws
against monopoly. But Its exclusive
character continues and some OF the
same provisions preventing competition
eth exist. Are we likely 10 have fair
statement OF the trust issue from such
an organization?
But even more reprehensible than
any failures upon this subject is Its
manner OF collecting news as disclosed
not by mere correspondents. but by Its
general manager. Mr.. Melville e. Stone,
himself. Mr.. stone, II IL true. claims
the very highest accuracy and the
noblest purposes for his organization.
lie said. In a paper submitted to the
National Newspaper Conference at the
University Of Wisconsin In 1912. that
he regarded Its reputati N for truth
fulness and impartiality as its best
asset. That the magnitude Of Its work
tended to make such truthfulness and
impartiality imperative. lie says
In view OF the millions OF critics
passing on Its work the Assoc lated
Press IL automatically truthful and
fair"
According to this the newspapers
with the largest circulation must be
automatically" the most truthful. Are
they 80 in fact? Can automatic veracity
ha Inns Ia
still more exalted strain:
We furnish an atmosphere OF truth
which necessarily purifies the cesspool
OF corruption. We furnish the light
which flames out into the dark places
and makes impossible treason and
stratagem and spoils.' II is our purpos,
to furnish the pure stream which
threads its way through the confused
tanglewood of discordant opinion and
conflicting assertion. II eternal vigil
lance IL the price Of liberty. then he
ceaseless vigil OF tho Associated Press
must have very high va.ue In the re-
public II these had been the words OF
the Almighty proclaiming the unsleeping
Watchfulness and infalliblity of His
eternal truth they could hardly have
been more edlfying. But when we COM
pare them with certain other words
from the same eminent authority in
his article I'm the July Century. 1905,
we are filled with perplexity. Is this
perfect truth he speaks of IL be ascer-
tanned by deceit, and Is the cosspoo.
OF corruption to be purified by means
that are themselves corrupt or oppres-
sive? For in this article Mr.. Stone
describes both what had been the ad-
vantages Of the Associated Press AT an
earlier period and what were its methods
OF acquiring information under his own
management
Mr.. stone says ,CCHtUrB. 3o5l sneak
ing OF its earlier days: There WAS n
close alliance, offensive and defensive.
between the Associated Press and the
western Union Telegraph Company by
the terms Of which the Association was
given special advantages. and il in turn
refusel to patroni1c any rival telegraph
company" And again; The advantages
OF an Associated Press newspaper were
very great. 1t was scarcely possible for
competitor to make Roadway against
the obstacles he was compelled To face.
Not only was the burden of expense
enormous. but the telegraph company.
which was In close alliance with the
Association, delayed or refused TO trans