The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-04-30
PERHAPS MIR. ARNOLD CAN EXPLAIN THIS

THURMAN ARNOLD is an assistant to the At
torney General of the United States. His Jot
lis to enforce the antitrust laws enacted by Con
gress. The Associated Press is the largest news
gathering agency in the world. 1t is owned by the
biggest and richest newspapers in the country.
For half century if anyone wished to estab-
llish daily newspaper, he could not secure the
GA P service unless the GA P" publishers in his
town gave their consent, and four-fifths of the
papers associated with the "A. p" approved the
proposition
Of course, that meant the Associated Press
Twas a copper-rivited "trust"-the kind of trust
banned by the antitrust laws enacted by Con-
lgreSS.
A few days ago the Associated Press held its
annual meeting in New York City. Members of q
special committee reported they had been talking
with Thurman Arnold. Mr. Arnold declared the
Associated Press operating in violation OF the
antitrust laws, but he assured the committee that
if the "a. p" changed its procedure a little he
would not proceed against it in court.
So the committee recommended that hereafter
la publisher who desired the "a. P'' service might
have it if majority of the members gave theil
IapprOval, and the new member agreed to pay 1(
per cent of the "dues' which would have been col
lected from him had he been a member since 1906
or during the last AZ years-but in no event
would he be let off for less than three years dues
The money thus collected would be turned over tc
his competitor, or competitors in his home town
! In urging the acceptance of it's proposal, the
committee argued that if the publishers didn't ac
lcept Mr.. Arnolds compromise he mi ght take then
into court and the court might order "the dissolu
! ton of the corporation"
In other words, the court might enforce the
antitrust laws as written by Congress, and the
Associated Press and other ws-gathering organ
iZations could no longer operate as trusts" bu
would have to set up certain 'StandardS' which
would apply to everyone who used the "a. p
service
Obviously that would make it much easier tt
establish new daily newspapers which would give
the existing dailies "a run for their money"
Facing this ugly situation the publishers &C
cepted MIR. Arnold's compromise. Anyone can se
that the compromise does not meet the issue On
the first test Of the new rules, the Washington
es-Ierald" and Marshall Fields new Chicago
Sun were barred although they were willing t.
pay the price. Field was abused like pckpocke
for daring to seek admission
i For all practical purposes, the Associated Pres
will continue to function as a trust"
For about two years, Mr. Arnold has beer
raging up and down the land denouncing labo
unions and proclaiming his determination to U.s.
Ithe antitrust laws to "hamString' them He di'
this, although Congress in writing the anti-trus
flaws specifically exempted trade unions.
i When trade union leaders protested, Mr. Al
mold and his assistants in magazine articles an
t|pubc speeches, endeavored to persuade the peopl
l|that trade unions were BRACKETS" which threaten
5 ed the well-being of the country.
i Unfortunately for Mr.. Arnold, when he place
the matter before the Supreme Court of the Unit
,|ed States, that distinguished tribunal insisted o
following The law and decided against him on prac
| tlcally every point.
Il Now please note the difference between tn
way Mr.. Arnold treated labor unions which wel
not subject to the law and the rich publishers O
1.-THE United States operating through the Assc
SIciated Press and therefore clearly subject to tn
' law.
$ He negotiated with the publishers benin
closed doors. There publicity. Not a sou
aleXcept the members of the publishers committee
1 knew what was going on.
Why was Mr.. Arnold so tender with powerfl
a|publishers who had violated the law for years
I and why he tough with trade union
(which, according to the highest court in the lane
2 never violated the law? Perhaps Mr.. Arnold ca
eXplain, but he hasn't ''peeped' a peep up
date.