Show THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A Notable Meeting of the Moulders of Public Opinion Chicago Feb HThe annual meeting meet-ing of the Associated Press was held at the Auditorium recital hall today The occasion was notable in this that it served to call together for the first time in American newspaper history representatives of nearly every leading newspaper in the United States in national assembly At the preceding meeting of the Associated Press in October 1893 a decision was reached to make the organization national in scope obliterating sectional lines Asa As-a consequence of the accession of the leading newspapers of the east which had formerly been allied with New I I York Associated Press or with the United Press and which had severed relations with those organizations to join the Associated Press the session today became entirely national in scope President William Penn Nixon called the meeting to order and in a short address congratulated the members upon up-on the great progress that had been I made in carrying out the purpose to I make the association national and to widen its scope and i was today the I greatest news organization in the world Victor F Lawson chairman of the executive committee submitted a report re-port detailing at length the negotiations negotia-tions which had preceded with the United Press looking to the protection of the interest of the newspapers of the country by a peaceful adjustment of the contest between the two organiza tons the rejection of all fair proposals by the United Press and the precipitation that has been going tion of a struggle ben on for the past five months and which was practically brought to a close at this time as was fully evidenced < d from the fact of the presence here ot representatives repre-sentatives of almost all the daily I papers A series of amendments to the bylaws by-laws was submitted and after discussion discus-sion adopted These provided for an Increase in the number the oard of directors A committee > ith Charles P Taft of Cincinnati as chairman was appointed and submitted a list of five directors to be voted upon to fill vacancies and expired terms The gentlemen recommende were elected gentemen unanimously The board now consists of Victor F Lawson Chicago Record and Daily News S S Carvalho New York World 11 H De Young San Francisco Chronicle Clayton M Mc Michael Philadelphia North American Frederick Driscoll St Paul Pioneer Press F B Noyes Washington Star Charles W Knapp St Louis Republic Repub-lic E B Perdue Cleveland Leader lc J Barr Pittsburg Post James E Scripps Detroit Tribune and News Scrpps Butler Buffalo News Buter Stone submitted a satisfactory satis-factory statement of the finances of Although it was the organization Alhough deemed unnecessary for the purpose of the contest a number of gentlemen contet not present at the former meeting when 320000 was subscribed to guar to on the fight antee a fund carry fght asked to be included in the list and the following subscriptions were made bringing the guarantee fund up to a total to-tal of 515000 Washington Star 20000 Philadelphia Philadel-phia Enquired 10000 Philadelphia North American 5000 Philadelphia Press 10000 Cincinnati Enquirer 10000 Baltimore American 10000 Cincinnati Commercial Gazette 1000 Louisville Courier Journal 10000 Chi Louisvie cago Tribune 20000 Baltimore News 10000 New York Evening Post 10 000 Brooklyn Eagle 10000 Buffalo i Buf-falo News 5000 Top ka Journal 10000 Syracuse Herald 2500 Omaha Oma-ha Bee 12000 Baltimore Sun 15 000 Following the meeting of the day the gentlemen were tendered a banquet ban-quet tonight at the Grand Pacific hotel ho-tel present at the banquet included includ-ed upwards of 100 of the editors and publishers of leading daily newspapers of the United States from New York to San Francisco and from New Orleans Or-leans to St Paul The tables were arranged in the form of a square open at one end with a center piece extending down the mid dIe Opposite the eastern terminus of this center piece was the head of the table and at this point was ensconced I William Penn Nixon of the Chicago InterOcean presiding officer of the entertainment en-tertainment After the loving cup had been passed around General Manager Stone proposed the health of James Everson jr of the Philadelphia Enquirer En-quirer who lay ill at the Auditorium hotel unable tobe present The toast was drank standing with much enthusiasm en-thusiasm Following the feast came speeches by Fred Driscoll ot the St Paul Pioneer Press Felix Agnus of the Baltimore American S S Carvalho of the New York Word who responded to a general gen-eral toast including the whole Associated Asso-ciated Press Horace White of the New York Evening Post Frank Richardson Rich-ardson > f the Baltimore Sun whose contribution of 15000 to the guarantee fund was now announced for the first time amid great applause Victor F Lawson of the Chicago Record and News Henry Watterson of the Louisville Louis-ville Courier Journal Clayton Mc Michael of the Philadelphia North American St Clair McKelway of the Brooklyn Eagle H W Scott of the Portland Oregonian L Markbreit of the Cincinnati Volksblatt H P Hall of the St Paul Globe Arthur Jenkins of the Syracuse Herald and 11 E Stone general manager of the Associated Associ-ated Press Cable messages of greeting were sent from the banquet hal to Herbert de Reuter London and Joseph Pulitzer in France The company rose and joined ln singing sing-ing an old familiar song and with the music of a hundred harmonious voices the first banquet of the New Associated Associ-ated ifiress came to a close It was half an hour after midnight and with the c ming of a new day the company filed out of the banquet hal Q with brotherly congratulations upon wih success of the movement celebrated bY the banquet A r I U < r < |