Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31

| IA but one Of the noblest heroes
4 "A of her complete independence.
The seat of whatever memorial
| is considered appropriate ought to be
New York, the metropolis of the New
World, where he spent most OF his life
and where triumphed his lofty ideal OF
emancipating his country from the re-
manning, though certainly the most
dangerous, veStiges Of subsection. That
memorial will recall to future genera
tons the last link in that luminous
chain which, from George Washington
20 Melville E. Stone, transformed the
United States from the neglected col
onies of far-distant European countries
into one of the greatest, most powerful
and prosperous nations in the world.
When I first visited America, some
40 years ago, and lived there for cou-
pie of years the press had practically
no foreign news service. Only scanty,
poor, imperfect reports about European
events reached the United States, anc
even these usually had been manipulated
in the country of their origin in such
way as to create an atmosphere
favorable to foreign interests, which had
everything to gain by preventing the
formation and development Of a free,
independent and national mentality in
America. Such a state of things was
helped by single individuals and by
groups Of men in America, who availed
themselves of the situation to exploit to
their advantage that condition of sub
lection of the most precious OF all lib
erties-Spiritual and mental freedom.
Only BENEFITS old New York Herald
had a meager European service, and
Charles A: Dana, editor of the New York
Sun, under whose enlightened leadership
I first worked in American Journalism.
attempted to create news agency OF
his own.
Sees Gravity Of Crisis.
Melville E. Stone grasped the gravity
of the crisis and determined to rally all
the healthy forces of journalism in the
United States to defeat the men and or
carnations responsible for keeping the
country in this state Of intellectual
slavery. The struggle was long and
hard, but at last his Napoleonic genius,
coupled with most elevated sense OF
patriotism, annihilated all opposition,
and he was able to create and firmly
establish the Associated Press, a
unique type of newsgathering associa-
ton, which has surpassed in magnitude,
reliability and power all other news
agencies in the world.
Many Americans, although reading
dIAt pHACCAdOAA6 CtNAy Aoy VAAO oSAN
of the Associated Press have not an
exact idea Of what it Is. Most of them
do not realize that its fundamental
basis is a cooperative -profit-earn-
ing mutual society of newspaper pub
, fishers, belonging to all political parties,
all creeds. all social and economic
schools. It is therefore the highest ex-
preston Of inpartiality.
Assisted by Distinguished Men.
This colossal work was accomplished
by Melville E. Stone with the assistance
of a few of the most distinguished
journalists of his time, one of whom,
Frank B: Moves, who has been presi-
dent of the Associated Press for 80
years, is the best fitted man to speak
,, today about him. would not dream of
writing of Melville e. Stone If had not
been urged to recall certain events
which may add something to the story
of so great a man. do so reluctantly,
because what witnessed in the third
of a century during which was asso-
ciated with him is to large extent
connected with my person, and hate
to obtrude myself, even indirectly, when
my object Is to speak of the most ex-
allied figure In the annals Of Journalism.