Evening star., 1948-12-01


former A. P. official, and Kel
deposited with the United Pres
before sundown that day. service t
the Associated Press-covering tn
> West and the South-would be GU
off. Mr.. Laffan continued that late
; on he would advise Messrs. Lawson
Knapp and Driscoll as to the term
, on which service would be given.
The Star at that time was gettin
its telegraph news from the Ney
York United Press. as it previousl
had obtained it from the New Yorl
, Associated Press. The first tina
Mr.. Noyes learned of the Unite'
Press ultimatum was when MI
Lawson told him that he and hi
two companions could not come II
dinner that evening if Laffan O
Walter Polk Phillips, manager o
the United Press, were to be present
Both had been invited. Mr.. Lawson
felt that he and the Associated Pres
had been humiliated by the U. F
management. The dinner was hell
without them and that evening MI
Phillips told Mr. Noyes: "Thes
Western gentlemen will have t
come through-we are tired of al
this talking"
Mr. Noyes said that this was tn,
first time he began to ''See the light.
i Sought Impartial News.
The United Press at that time wa
dominated by three men. only on
of whom, Mr.. Laffan, was a news
paperman. The two others were MI
Phillips, a former telegraph opera
tor who had been instrumental il
forming the United Press, and tn
third was John r. Walsh, Chicago
banker who, incidentally, owned I
newspaper.
AS Mr.. Noyes saw it. the issue tina
these men had raised was this:
Shall the newspapers of th'
United States be at the mercy of ,
privately owned news collecting an,
distributing organization at it
mercy not only as concerns a none.
tribute, but. of much more impor
tance-at its mercy as to the new
received, whether it should be homes
or perverted, whether it should b'
impartial or biased, whether i
should be influenced BY the interest.
and opinions of its owners and tn,
press of the United States and tn.
people of the United States be sub.
ject to the unrestrained will of in.
dividuals or any individual so far a!
the press association news wa!
concerned"
The United Press was a CONNER.
cial organization, selling it's produc
for profit and its operations wert
controlled by the New York news
papers and, more directly, by tn,
three men just named. There wer'
incidents which suggested that tn,
color of the news was being shaded
to the financial advantage of thos,
who controlled it at the source.
European Coverage Obtained.
After fruitless negotiations tn,
final break between the Associated
Press of Illinois and the New Yorl
United Press came in September O.
1893. In the preceding March, Nell
vile E. Stone, who had been asso
ciated with Mr. Lawson on tn,
Chicago Daily News, had been made
general manager of the Associated
Press. His London manager nat
made a deal with Reuters. Hava!
and Wolff news agencies for Euro
pean coverage This strengthened
the hand of the Associated Pres.
when it announced itself as ar
open competitor of the Unitet
Press in making available it!
own worldwide service. In Cc'
tober the A. p. stockholders sub.
scribed to guarantee fund for theil
battle with the United Press, in.
creased their own assessments ane
I the fight between the two organiza.
tions was on in earnest.
Mr.. Lawson, Charles Sanford
Diehl-who had been in charge o.
the Chicago Office of the Western
Associated Press-and Mr. Stone
came East to New York, the enemy.
territory, and began enlisting help
The New York Evening Post, the
New York Stats Zeitung, the
Brooklyn Eagle and Pulitzer's Worlc
joined the Associated Press. Ths
Philadelphia Inquirer and the Bull.
letin followed. Mr.. Diehl came tt
Washington and talked with Mr.
Noyes, persuading him that the
time had come to cut loose from
the United Press and go with the
Associated Press.
Il am convinced of the justice o.
your cause" Mr.. Noyes told hi!
caller (as related by Oliver Gram.
ling in ZAP, the Story of News")
THE practical question now has tt
do with the hope of your success
Lot Cast With Associated Press.
How much of a practical ques.
ton" it was can be understood with
the realization that the United Pres
controlled the single available sourc,
of telegraph news along the Eastern
seaboard and any paper suspected o
faltering in its allegiance to the U. P
could be cut off Immediately. Mr.
Noyes decided to go to New York ant
find out for himself how things stood
He went to see Charles A. Dana O
the New York Sun. Dana, an OLE
friend of Crosby Noyes, was in
clined to laugh the matter off pattet
his young caller on the shoulder ans
advised him to forget 1t. But he in
Istructed that the books be produced
for Mr.. Moves to examine for him
self and the examination convinced
Mr.. Noyes that he should take tn,
gamble with the Associated Press
He returned to Washington and tolt
IDiehl that The Star would 60 along
In later years Mr.. Noyes said tina
when Diehl, Stone and Lawson hat
Explained what they were reall,
latter in the formation of a grea
co-operative news organization, {"
became crusader myself, an atti
ltude that has continued to this day
for I have felt that no other publ,
service that I could possibly render
was comparable in Importance will
doing what lay in my power to safe
guard the integrity of the news re-