The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-30

 ing, better hours, pay or working conditions for newspaper men. and women.
 We are here to discuss the closed shop as matter of Journalistic and 1 public principle, not as an economic issue.
 Established for the benefit of all the people are four fundamental rights in the conStitution-free- dom of religion-freedom of speech l-freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly. Experience has proved and even now is demonstrating in Russia, Italy and Germany that the interference with one of these fun- damental rights means the curtail- ing of the others-the collapse of liberty itself.
 Freedom Of Press
 Freedom of the press is not an exemption accorded by the Consti- tuition for the benefit of publish CTS; it is but one of these four guarantees. It is 8 publishers re- sponsibillty, a citizens right one which entities him to an accurate statement of what is taking place in order that he may have the facts wherewith to judge matters of pulp {, lie policy and take whatever action may be necessary to protect him. self and that which he holds dear.
 There has never been a time in our history when uncolored pres- entation of news was as vitally im- portant as today. The extension of the great press associations serving news to newspapers of varying so- cial, economic, political and reli- gious beliefs has emphasized this development of impartial news treatment. Thousands of men and women are devoting their lives to the gathering and presentation of the news without bias.
 Vital Service Of Press
 "This vital service of the press to the public can be performed pro- perly only when those who are re- sponsible for the publication are free to choose the persons whom they deem best qualified to report and edit the news. This respon- sibility cannot be discharged if some outside authority, beyond their control, determined whom they shall or shall not employ. That is precisely what the American Newspaper Guild seeks by its de- mand. And that demand is the more serious because the guild is now committed to a number Of def- mite political objectives.
 "The recent American Newspaper Guild convention in St. Louis by resolution took positions on such debatable subjects as the war in Spain, the court bill, and the sup- port of a particular political party. In the same convention the guild as an organization enlisted as partisan in the tremendous public dispute now involving the entire labor movement in this country.
 Guild Rules Mandatory
 "Following the expression on the public policies enumerated the guild laid down mandatory rules calling for & closed or guild shop. The closed shop is present in mechanical departments of many newspapers absent in some: We unite now, how ever, in unSwerving objection to the closed shop for news and editorial department workers-not because we regard 1t as labor issue involv- ing questions Of wages, hours, and working conditions, but because we are unwilling to turn over the news columns to any group already com mitted as an organization on highly controversial public questions.
 we make no charge that bias is found per SC in the world of a guild To do so would imply bias per SC in a non-guild worker. Neither is true. Bias arises, however, among any group respecting any policy common to the group. No newspaper can command confidence in the fairness of its news presentation if 1t selects all its employees from only one poli- tical party, one religious denomina- tion, or any one group devoted to a single cause.
 Two Important Phases
 "We do not deny that causes re- quire champions, and that progress springs from the genius of advo- cates. Equally important to society, however, are those who report the controversial scene. It is the news paper mans job to do that, not as a partisan but as an objective observer.
 Therefore be 1t resolved that as editors and publishers here assem- bled from all parts of the United States we declare our unalterable opposition to the closed guild shop or any other form of closed shop for those who prepare and edit news copy and pictures for newspapers. and we hereby express our deter imitation not to enter into any agreement upon such basis.
 American Society of Newspaper Editors.
 Pacific Northwest Publishers as- Sociation.
 "New England Daily Newspaper association.
 "New York State Publishers asso- citation.
 finland Daily Press association.
 California Newspaper Publishers | association.
 Pennsylvania Newspaper Publish CTS association.
 Texas Newspaper Publishers as- sociation.
 "Ohio Newspaper association.
 Southern Newspaper Publishers association.
 ] American Newspaper Publishers association"
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