Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-21
ANNUAL MEETING. HELD
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Directors for Three Years Are Elect
cd and Members OF Advisory
Boards Appointed.
ADDRESS by f. W. LEHMAN
Former Solicitor-General Discusses
Wonderful Growth of Newspaper
business and Part Played in Mod
crn journalism by Organization.

w. III. Cowles, Spokane Spokesnan-Re-
HeW; d. T. Town, louisville Herald;
u: NJ. Johnston. Houston Post: Herman
bidder, New York City. Stats -Zeitung.
The members OF, the association
unanimously voted to rcScind tho by
raw giving the board Of directors tho
power to order member to discontinue
INC service Of competing association.
recess was taken until 10 Il. NJ. to-
morrow. when announcement will be
made OF the vote to change the bylaw
relating to hours OF publication.
Members OF the -adris6ry. boards for
me ensuing year ,%wssgss.eell,ected as fol
Eastern diviso1fr@--sJf.' D., plu.mmer.
Springfield rnion::D:::.A- Miller. Allen
town (Pa) Call; James W.itSreenc. Buf-
falo Express: !. Il. Hirsch, Pittsburgh
HoIkshiatt; Van LenriBlack, Baltimore
Nominating committeeman Knox,
Manchester On. H) Morning Union.
Auditing committce-E. T.. Smith,
Meriden tConn) Record.
Southern division--Jamcs r. Cray,
Atlanta Journal: Frank T.. Glass. Mont
goncry tAla) Advertiser: Robert
Ewing, New Orleans States; II. c. Adler.
Chattanooga Times; Bruce IiaIdeman
Louisville Courier Journal.
Nominating committec-W. ]. Craw
ford. Memphis Commercial Appeal;
George b. Dealey Dallas News.
Auditing committee = Frederick J.
Thompson. Mobile Register
Central division-P. +. Burton jon
lin MoJ News-Heraid; L. p. Adler.
Davenport tIowaJ Times: j. l.. Sturtc-
want Wausau WisJ Record Herald:
T. w Booth. Grand Rapids tMichD
rtess; Thomas Rees. Springfield GllD
Nominating committee --Thon,ns Recs,
Springfield (Ill) State Register; James
keely. Chicago Herald.
Auditing cornn!ttee-o. y. Brandon
burg. Madison Wis.l, Democrat.
Western divisional II. De Young.
san Francisco Chronicle; s. A. Perkins,
Tacoma Legend: a. J. Blethen, Seattle
Times: a. y. Mckay. Salt Lake Tribune;
!. y. stevens. Pueblo Chieftain
dominating committee. r Con-
ncrs. Oakland Tribune: S. c. Bone. Seat
tie Observation-Disclosures.
Auditing comm!ttee-John + Carroll,
Portland Telegraph.
FREDERICK w. LEHMAN
ADDRESSES ASSOCIATION
At the afternoon session the members
were addressed By Frederick w Lch-
man, former solicitor-gcneral OF the
United states Mr.. Lehman in his adj
dress said
The original attitude of the law
toward the press was one OF repression.
1t was a Governor OF Virginia who
thanked God that they had no printing
one for a hundred years. 1t was the Gem
e[al Court OF Massa chUsetrs Which, p o.
tyrrssed. upon ri,rrrrTrCr. the
f4St newspaper attempted 10 be pro
sfied In what is now the Urited STATES
3Thc eighteenth century brough,
with it an increasing sense of indlvid-
ual worth and dignity. which Insisted
upon finding expression for its thought.
OF course, that freedom was accom-
panied with responsibility for it's due
exercise. We ElNc Laws which Oh
The publication OF matter offensive TO
public dccency: We require that that
which is paid for shall appear as paid
material. and in these days when John
company has taken the place OF John
Smith. and we don't know who John
Company signifles. we have some mani
fostation of that also.
There are two possible systems OF
news gathering; one TO deal with II as
purely commercial enterprise for
profit. and the other by a cooperative
institution Ike the Associated Press in
which any element OF immediate profit
10 the association itself is left out Of
the account.
With membership like yours dis
tributcd through all the States of tho
Union, representing every shade OF re-
tgious and of political belief and every
Variety Of commercial and Industrial
Interest, there is but one tcnureJof Of
fro possible to those who manage It's
AFFAIRS. and that is good conduct ap-
proved by substantially all or the mem
hrs OF the association.
SOMETHING DISPARAGING
is SAID EVERY DAY
every day something being said dis
naraging of some Individual and libel
oais If untrue. In the fifteen years his
tory Of the present Associated Press It
hns not been mulcted In damages for
single dollar. and yet it Is subject to
prosecution for libel for every word
lRclous that It's report may have con-
tanned. because it's transmission of it's
i,ws reports to its members is just as
much publication as the printing Of
the same news by the newspaper after
ward And to-day there stands against
il but single suit for libel. and that.
rredicated upon a report made by II OF
what one public man said of another
public man. and not upon the ground
OF misreporting what was said.
TT is objected that the Associated
Press rs monopoly. If so. 1t has not
succeeded as monopolies usually do in
newspapers in the United States than
in all the rest of the world beside
"But 1t is said that the members
monopolize their news for their own
columns and don't open them to those
who sarc not members What is newso
Roughly speaking. news is the first
icport of an event of public and cur
r.mt interest. News signifies nothing
in the world except personal advice.
\ man has as much right to say what
shalL be done with scoop as
Caruso has to use his voice To re-
ceives everybody who publishes n On.
per TO membership would be to destroy
the association Itself, because while
theresis much that may go into a news
paper that may he mere routine, as
market reports still every man wishes
:" make his paper distinctive pub-
1irntthn tf fharo 10 lie,
tnctivc In Its general news report, n
newspaper Will become Indifferent, and
undertake to gain distinctive quality
" something altogether aside from the
budget Of news furnished by the Asso-
ciated Press. and 1t seems to mo that
an essential condition Of maintaining
cooperative news gathering associa-
ton is that association shall have the
rightsto determine its own membership.
White tho Associated Press has always