Evening star., 1935-04-25
PUBLISHER RAPS
NEWS HANDOUTS
Association Also Warned
That N. r. A. Extension
Bill Holds PeriIS.
BY the Associated Press.


ment was using "the most powerful
and insidious mechanism that has
been developed in the history Of man"
to disseminate its propaganda.
Col. Robert r. Mccormick, pub
Usher of the Chicago Tribune. said
that because the newspapers defended
1t at Washington. "the freedom Of
the press was preserved for all people" +"
The Chicagoan declared the news
papers greatest function was the ex-
posure and denunciation Of corruption
in government. AS result. he said.
1.-The newspaper has incurred the Ill
will Of ambitious politicians and be-
come the chief exponent of the free
dom of the press"
Raps propaganda" Flood.
Asserting that a free press was Of
little use if it had to depend on false
information. Bryan said So agents
were putting out propaganda for Fed
eral departments and agencies.
I'm the first year of its existence" "
he added, "the A. A. A. issued 5000
news releases. In the latter part Of
1888 there was no newspaper big
enough, after 1t had discarded all its
news and advertising, to carry the
handouts from Washington daily.
THE Department Of Agriculture
used to issue purely factual bulletins"
he said. They are now propaganda
bulletins, aimed to create special
state of mind.
Wherein does 1t differ one bit
whether 1t is done by Stain, Musso-
lini, Hitler or Won Goering, as long
as it is done?"
Bryan urged publishers to find
"other and corrective sources Of
news"
Election OF officers today will mark
the retirement of Howard Davis
business manager OF the New York
erald-Telegram, after three terms
as president.
Bainbridge Colby to Speak.
Bainbridge Colby, former Secretary
Of State, and Jerome D. Barnum, pub
Usher of the Syracuse IN " Post
Standard, are slated to speak at the
same session.
Colonel Mccormick said publishers
had saved the freedom of the press
for the time" but at the price of
vigilance in code negotiations and
upon firm refusal to accept deceit
fully misleading" suggestions from
N. r. A. authorities for the imposition
Of limitations upon that freedom.
Repeated warnings were given at
the opening sessions against accept
ance of the N. r. A. extension bill
now pending in Congress. and pub
fishers were fatty advised by their
Code Committee that its enactment
in present form would abrogate con-
stitutional guarantees Of free press.
The Code Committees recommenda-
tions were adopted unanimously.
Recommendation against further
voluntary assent to any code" was
made by the Code Committee in the
event of enactment Of the present
proposal extending the N. R. A. for
another two years after expiration of
the present act June l6.
Howard Davis, business manager OF
the New York Herald Tribune, presi-
dent of the A. N I. A. and chairman
of the Code Committee, asserted at
tacks on a free press have been and
are being made from many sources
and in many ways"
Wagner Bill Criticized.
The Code Committee concluded its
report by stating that "any thought
given the N. R. A. bill must include
consideration of the Wagner Oabor
disputes) bill" the provisions of which
were characterized as obnoxious" in
a separate report by the committee
on Federal laws.
Both measures" the Code Com
mittee reported, would place all Ia
Dor relations under the supervision
and control Of politically appointed
ag gencies of Government. Both
measures would subject employers to
the decisions Of these agencies, under
penalty Of fine or imprisonment or
both for failure to comply. Neither
measure places any obligations on
employees or employe organizations to
comply with such decisions.
Each of these measures seeks to
evade the fourth amendment to the
Constitution of the United States,
which prohibits fishing expeditions
into ones private affairs. Such ex-
petitions have only recently been con-
demned by the United States Supreme
Court in an opinion by the late
Justice Holmes to which there was no
dissent"
Four Problems Raised.
The N. r. A. bill In its present form,
the Code Committee declared, raised
the problems of O Government regu-
latory control over the press, CD presi-
dental power to determine who shall
and who shall not be included under
codes, CD the imposition of numerous
requirements not now contained in the
newspaper code, and a. extension Of
the code for another 80 days.
Following the reports and addresses
by Davis and Col. Mccormick, the as
sociation unanimously adopted reso-
luton introduced by James Stahlman
of the Nashville (Tenn) Banner, re-
questing the various newspaper asso-
Citations in the country to cooperate
with the A. N. P. A. in the formation
of a committee to consider mutual
problems" should the n. r. A. extern
sion bill be adopted.
The association adopted three reso-
lutions introduced by Col Mccormick:
Commencing South Dakota papers for
their defense of the right to comment
on the public service Of the court.
praising Louisiana papers for their
stand against tax which under the
guise of a general tax sought to throt-
tie and destroy newspapers that dared
to criticize the acts of the party in
control of the State legislation" and
complimenting the Code Committee
for ite r,orIr ", AZ D A ynofforS