Evening star., 1948-12-01

his presidency OF the ASSOclateS
Press was public trust. He was
careful to identify himself with no
group or faction, holding himself as
aloof from partisanship or partisan
expression as the style of straight
news reporting which had become
the hallmark of the A. p. Perhaps
he felt that such an attitude needed
at least some explanation, such as
is suggested in his response on the
25th anniversary of the Associated
Press and his own presidency Of the
A. p, when he received a gold bowl
and a bound volume of congratula-
tory letters from newspapermen the
world over.
Disciplinary Action Recalled.
Most of you who sit on the floor
here today" MAY %, 1925, he said,
"know-and know through bitter
experience-that one of the main
duties of the Board of Directors of
the Associated Press is a disciplinary
one. You know it to your cost.
suppose that in the course of these
years nearly half of the members of
the organization have fallen under
the disciplinary hand of the board;
and in this unpleasing task it has
been my function as president to
lecture and admonish the offending
members, taking a holier-than-thou
attitude which is very Objectionable
And 1t has been rendered somewhat
difficult by the fact that I, myself
have felt the heavy hand of justice
on five or six occasions -.
TT is now more than 80 years
since Melville Stone and Victor Law
son and Charles Diehl explained to
me the visions of a cooperative
nonprofit-making news gathering
organization, and I fell under the
thrall of the Associated Press-a
willing bondage that has lasted until
this day. In that time, or since ]
have been connected with the AS
sociated PreSs-in those 80 years
| I have served with nearly 10 direc-
tors and I can claim for myself what
assert as to them, that this service
has been one of solemn truSteeship
and that I have never known of an
action taken that had anything else
as it's object than the best interests
of our association"
To those who knew him and re-
garded him with affectionate ven
Grafton, there was noticeable
change in his outward personality
after he was freed from responsible
ity as president of the Associated
Press. 1t was as If load had been
taken from his shoulders. His COO
reserve changed to affabiiity. Those
who had felt that it was difficult
even to get close to him suddenly
discovered In him charming COM
panion, one of the most fluent. OF
conversationalistS whose anecdotal
"reminiscences were unmarried by any
hesitancy in remembering names
dates or places. These reminis-
cences were the delight of his asso-
ciates at The Stars round luncheon
table and of visitors who sat with
them. His stories of old Washing
ton, of the newspapermen he had
known-and he knew most of them
ard of the early newspaper battles
| in connection with establishment OF
the A. P. were unwritten chapters OF
American history. Had he been as
facile a writer as he was fluent con-
versationalist, some of these chap
tiers might have been preserved.
Avoided Dogmatic Opinions.
At work, he was a man Of few
words. He made no trivial observa-
tionS. His wife once remarked that
she had never heard him express a
dogmatic opinion on the basis OF
what somebody else told him. Un-
less he had determined fact fol
himself, his use of fact was always
qualified by reference to its source
At business conferences. in which
his judgment was sought, he often
refrained from expressing any opin-
ion-having made the discovery that
conferences often settle a matter by
the process of exchanging views and
that a decision is often reached BY
tacit understanding rather than
direction. When he did express his
opinion, no one was left In any
doubt as to where he stood or how
be thought.
OF his guiding philosophy In the
conduct of the Associated Press, he
said this:
I'VE believe that the safety of the
American newSpapers-and of their
readers-depends upon the mainte-
nance of mutually owned and di-
trected news gathering agency that
cannot be the instrument of any
private ownership The very posi-
bility of our newspapers being SUBJ
ject to mere opinion of any private
ownership, of what is good or bad
in legislation or election. is peril
and if the menace becomes that OF
a dominant, privately owned news
gathering organization with sinister
motives, the menace becomes a
monstrous one. The news OF
the Associated Press must be non
partisan in its highest sense; must
have no tinge of bias, whether po-
litical, economic or religious. 1t
must neither advocate nor oppose
causes. 1t must be simply the ser
want of its member newspapers In
their purpose to obtain for them
selves the news of the far-flung
world as expeditiously as is COM
patible with accuracy. This is the
sole mission of our organization
In much of the same vein of look
ing backward, Mr. Noyes addressed
the stockholders of The Star Com
pany in January of .945 regarding
the policies that had been followed
by the paper.
"Of those who have been active
in the management of The Star,
he said, my brother (the late Theo-
dore w. Noyes) and myself alone
remain of those of the second gen.
Grafton of the group of owners who
purchased The Star in 1867
and if there is any counsel of value
that I can give it should be given
now.
Since 1867 the conduct of the
(Star's) editorial and news columns
has been placed in the control of
the editor who alone formulates its