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Show JL Pi DEFEND! President Noyes Addresses Newspaper Heads at Dinner Din-ner in New York NEW YOPvK. April 20. Members of The Associated Press met at the Waiuorf-Astoria hotel here today to elect five directors, four advisory boards, and auditing and nominating committees. At a luncheon in . connection with the meeting. President Frank B. Noyes, of tho Washington Star, pro posed a toast to President Wilson, saying, "in offering a. toast the formal wish for health is usually of little sig niflcancc. With us, however, in our only toast it is our custom to offer, tho case is profoundly different for, ery earnestly, very "hopefully and very sincerely we drink to the health the full restored health of the president presi-dent of the United States. "Every season of tho year is an open season for the critic of The Associated Press," said Mr. Noyes, beginning. Accustomed to Railingc. "We are 'accustomed, through long experienco to tho railings against our service of tho uninformed, the notoriety notorie-ty seeker and the the common organ liar who charges bias or -suppression In the report of The Associated Press. "Every newspaperman, every informed in-formed person, knows how preposterously preposter-ously untrue these charges are whoever who-ever may make them. To you I need not explain that our very organization was in response to the demand of the newspapers that- their service should be owned and controlled by themselves and themselves alone, that it should be thoir servant and not their master, that it should give an adequato and truthful record of the day's world happenings, free from bias and from opinion or propaganda. While laying no claim to inerrautcy, our service has been singularly successful suc-cessful in attanlng the objects we sought and the line (By Tho Associated Associat-ed Press) has become "a hall mark of accuracy whether tho ovent recordea signing of an armistice, a decision of the supreme court or' the death of the pope. Politics Difficult. "While at all times this open season sea-son contnues, every four yeara comes a specal period of tribulation. When the presidential campaign rolls around every candidate lor the nomination and the resulting presidential candidates candi-dates and every manager of every such candidate finds clear evidence in our report of bias against every candidate can-didate mentioned until after tho election elec-tion and then all agree that The Associated Asso-ciated Pross has been conspicuously fair. This has been our experience in the past and there is every Indication Indica-tion that the present campaign will be no excepton. : 'T say this for there is a measure ' in the charge for on the theory 'He ' who is not for us Is against us,' The Associated Press is against every can- ' dldate for it surely Is not for any one of them." Mr. Noyes explained that while everyone of the candidates will have the support of individual members. The Associated Press will continue serenely Indifferent as to the outcome of the nominating conventions and elections, elec-tions, contenting itself to supplying Its members with the news as It happens, playing no favorites and punishing no enemies. "The report of Tho Associated Press does not grow or simply come Into being without effort," continued Mr.J Noyos. "Every line, every word is I the product of an individual worker i of whom hundreds toil and advanluro daily to supply a fair picture of 1 he J world's happenings, everyone of youl know that at the bottom of these) charges of bias arc charges against our unanimous workers who, if we are betrayed, are the betrayers, who, if these charges are true, are recreant recre-ant to the trust wo have placed in them. "You know them, you know them all, division chiefs, bureau chiefs, editors, edi-tors, correspondents, reporters, operators, opera-tors, working tirelessly, faithfully, efficiently, ef-ficiently, intelligently. You know that these men are the sail of the earth, the pride of our profession and neither your opinion nor mine can be fitly expressed, ex-pressed, on an occasion of this sort, of the ignoramouses, the blatherskites or the liars who defame them." oo |