poison. The dispatches, as submitted in evidence, contained numerous pencil-marks, excisions and revisions; and all these were initialed, so that it was possible to tell whether Mr. French or one of his assistants had done the work.
Mr. French, under cross examination, explained exactly upon what principles this "editing" had been done. Thus there had been cut out a sentence: "That mine-guards have resorted to unlawful practice is generally conceded." Mr. French explained that this sentence was editorial opinion; the dispatch did not say who conceded it. Mr. French declared that he used this same system of editing all through the dispatches. But in the same dispatch his attention was called to the sentence: "Contrary to expectations, the miners did not go to the meeting armed with rifles." This clearly prejudiced sentence stayed in the dispatch—in spite of the fact that the dispatch did not reveal whose expectations were referred to! And Mr. French testified that such cutting out of a sentence favorable to the miners and leaving in of a sentence injurious to the miners did not in his judgment render the dispatch unfair. Mr. French repeated the words twice: "I do not say unfair. I do not say unfair." So we are provided with a precise measure of the sense of fairness of an Associated Press manager in charge of strike-news!
In one case the story of an ambush by miners came to the Pittsburgh office, with the qualification: "According to the story which reached here this afternoon." These words were cut out—the effect of the alteration being to make a rumor into a statement of fact. Mr. French could give no justification for this proceeding. From another dispatch the sentence had been cut: "The workers were ready to stick to the last." That seemed to Mr. French a superfluous sentence! Again he had altered a dispatch which interviewed the President of the United Mine Workers of America. "He declared that the miners of West Virginia were groaning under oppressive methods." Mr. French's office had altered it to read that the miners had been groaning; and he could see no difference in this change of tense!
I have taken the trouble myself to study the dispatches; and how I wish that I might have Mr. French upon the witness-stand! I would like to go through the five hundred and thirty-seven dispatches and point out how utterly false is his claim that hearsays and opinions were not admitted. There
