The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-03
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Talk About Most Wonderful
News Organization in World.
How Presidents War Message
Was Handled Last Night.

of the Current Topic club of the Y. M.
c. A. this season, Frank P. MacLen-
nan, editor and publisher of The State
Journal, spoke last night on the sub
ject, THE Associated Press" Before
the talk H. A. Junck, accompanied by
Miss Blanche Davis on the piano, sang
THE Flag that Has Never Known De-
feat" Governor Capper was in at
tendance and followed Mr.. MacLennan
with remarks ON the Associated Press.
Mr.. MacLennan said in part:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentleman:
assure you that it is a matter of some
diffidence that 1 come before you,
critical audience, to talk at this time
without formal preparation. But, as
the chairman stated, l am simply
called on to fill in a breach. L told
him few weeks ago, in reply to his
request that l speak at Current
Topics club dinner on the subject of
| the Associated Press, that L would
when L came bs ok from the annual
meeting of the Associated Press in
New York the latter part of this
month. l thought then l might give
you something fresh, right from the
organization, at the annual assembly
of the members from every part of
the country. You will remember that
the chairman said in introducing me
just now that at the next meeting you
would have real stunt; that it would
be by home talent, so have suddenly
gone into the breach to take another's
place and advertise your next week S
great event.
Now, this evening is also by home
talent; l don't claim to be of any
foreign affiliation, particularly in view
of the crisis now impending.
1 would also like to correct another
wrong impression: The chairman has
said that man can get up in the
morning and read the happenings of
the entire world of the day before
while his wife is cooking breakfast.
I want to tell you gentlemen (and 1
will have to talk fast because I'm
expecting your honored guest, Cover
nor Capper, to come thru that door
every minute) that you can do a great
deal better than that: instead of wait
ing until next morning to read the
news of the day before, you can read
the evening paper and learn all about
the news that has happened during
that very day, while your wife is cook
ing your dinner, and during the din
ner and in the leisure of the evening
following your full meal.
A Nominee Only.
The chairman also stated that 1
am an officer of the Associated Press,
but 1 am not an officer of the Asso-
ciated Press.
Il have served as vice president of
the organization for two terms, but
was never a director, altho last Janu-
airy the nominating committee did me
the honor OF putting me in nomination
with nine other men, from which list
of ten five will be selected the latter
part of this month. The tale is yet to
be told and five of us will know
whether we are elected or whether we
are not in due course.
81 have taken a great interest in the
affairs of the Associated Press and
have been identified with the organiza-
ton in various ways When 1 was first
connected with a newspaper receiving
the Associated Press the report re-
ceived consisted of LOO words. Today
the State Journal received 1900
words over one wire; that is about ten
columns of space in an ordinary news
paper.
I'VE regard the Associated Press as
the greatest organization for the COL
lection and dissemination of news in
the world 1t is purely cooperative,
a mutual organization. 1t declares no
dividends. has no profits. and by its
bylaws cannot sell intelligence or
traffic in it. The association is prob
ably the most democratic institution
that could be imagined. In its mem
bers are newspapers whose political
proclivities are Republican, or Demo-
cratic, or Progressive, or who lean to
any phase or faction of political or
economic policy. 1t is organized solely
for it's members, of which there are
$50, about equally divided between
morning and evening newspapers.
Associated Press Papers in Kansas.
There are twenty-eight Associated
Press papers in Kansas, three of
which are morning-The Topeka Cap
itaI, Leavenworth Times and Wichita
Eagle-the other twenty-five are ev-
ening papers. These papers receive
from 500 to 10000 words a day as
they may desire or receive as few as
500; papers like the Capital and State
Journal receive about 10000 during
if they be morning papers.
The members of the Associated
Press publish papers in the United
States in four different languages
English, Spanish, German and French
There are but six officers of the
association. the president, who must
be selected from the board of direc-
tors, which numbers fifteen; two
e-presidents, which are selected
from the members of the corporation
and are not directors except they at
tend directors meetings; a secretary;
an assistant secretary, and treasur-
er, none of which needs be a member
of the board of directors or the cor
poration itself. The fifteen directors
have general charge of the organiza-
ton which collects about $4,000
annually and disperses it.
On this board of directors are the
greatest newspaper men in this coun-
try. Conscientious, painstaking and
urselfish, they give their time with
out compensation to the great work
of the Associated Press, the direct
management of which devolves itself
upon Melville E. Stone, a man of ex-
ceptional fitness for the position by
his long experience in the work and
his training in the newspaper field, a
man of unimpeachable integrity, with
an answering devotion to the serv-
ice, high minded, broad minded, new
er failing in the faithful performance