The New York herald., 1862-03-21

formation III reference 10 The movements OF the army
The following is an abstract OF tho report of the
| mt.ee:--
To enable tho committee to prosecute It's inyesga.
tions effectively, the House, on the sh OF January
clothed with power TO send for persons and papers and
much testimony has boen taken upon all tho points OF
inquiry directed by the House. During the dark days Of
April. 1851 the government assumed exclusive control
the government. The censorship to have been
first under the control OF the Treasury Department then
transferred to the War department! then TO the
State Department, whore il remained until tho 25th Of
February last Soon after General Mcclellan assumed
command Of the Army of the Potomac series of resou
tons were adopted by the representatives OF the PRESS
and approved by the General for the purpose of deter
mining rule for the guidance of the press ia the pub
cation Of matter which might he connected with tho
interests Of the government paper containing said
resolutions produced before the Committee by Mr.
H. i. Thayer the present censor and reads as follows
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the editors Of all newspapers in the loyal States and District
ETha al such sa:g,s be requested to refrain from
dssii,lon or Tom any goin any matter that may furnish
Seeond-Ths lLey be also requested earnestly solicited
snry 70 their her approval OF the fore
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majority Of tboso WIG signed these resolutions have
sppeaYed before the and tost;red that :bey
understood they shold form ru.e Of action fer the
and the prcss Many of them state that thcro has
been ground TO complain of the Ia which
the censorship has been exercised since these resolutions
adopted than bc:ore. This oanno: be mater OF
surprise when we consider tbs Instructions given 10 the
censor who presented the following 70 the committes:
DrrAnrxtsr o. STATS, Oct. %. 1861.
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the Of the agent ID. sosiatsa Press.
Items 81 ne % sS iaoyemeo AND e sh s 40 not
The committee ir their report state
This goes far hsyoad the spirit OF the resoa,ons We
questioned tho agent OF he associated whether nc
had been abe to send dispatches which ailoa ell
TO be sent by specis pcndrais He unable
say whether siSh te fact. The correspondents lid
tell him their business and he dad tell them his
lie hsd complaint 10 make against the censor Tis
instructions 20 make comments but merely TO
transmit news His dispatches were merely dry ma.
ers OF fact and detail aud hs aimed 10 write without
regard 20 men or politics.
This style Of correspondence i regarded as rather un
interesting by tho committee, and tasy say
The rule, if carried out, would dcyclopc mcst rey
o-abic censorship. 1t has already cade loo far in that
direction. MI wlkesson testified that the would
allow him send dispatches which, In tho estimation
Of the tho Secretary Of state, damaging
% the character Of the administration mem Der
Of the Cabinet that would be injurious 20 the rspus.
ton Of officers or tho army r. Peroy Poore,
pondent, ask2d Il nc would have scnt despatch
lao mad received reliable Information 70 that eject which
indcatod tho mpolcy OF trusting General McCsan with
the of the army. lie replied that be would
have tried lie understood that he could not criticsc
the conduct of officers OF the army or the every dav
conduct Of Cabinet officer. lie derived this understand
ing from the Other correspondents testified that
they not allowed to send dispatches rejecting
members or the Cabne
The report says that very few dispatches found
among those that suppressed by the which
reflected mombcrs Of The Cabinet other civil officers
and pronounces the person selected as 10 be
wholly desue or the qualifications necessary ~ linn
eor tho discharge Of delicate Office and his tcst
mony given support cr this sweeping censure, to-
ge,her with examples OF suppressed dispatches respect
ing rumorcd changes in the Cabinet, General Stones
affairs, &c. Witnesses testified that the would not
allow Them to sond ythlng about General Stone Rails
Bluf OK General Sherman, &C. After introducing num-
ber of ;te suppressed kilograms, tho report Says:
Examples of suppressed dispatches OF as harmless
the foregoing might DO given to an almost in
definite extent butYt sary TO do So those
cited are sufficient 10 show that the must either
have had other instructions than those which appeared
IN tho testimony or was most uportunae the exer.
{ &c of the powers given him by The Secretary Of
state, which, in the opinion OF the colntcc, went far
beyond the bounds Of propey, considering the boastcd
freedom of the press
The censor IL accused OF suppressng pal chez cut
from papers published here and which had cir
culaed IN the houses, and hotels of Washington
hours before being offered TO the telegraph The trbu
ton Of OF the newspaper correspondents respect
Ing despatch about the Presidents Message which ap
paared in the NEW YORK HERALD, is developed In Che
report which says
The committee had proof that that despatch was sent
10 the HERALD ny telegraph Dnt " was not proved tat
the ceiisor saw H.
Ito Is censurcd therefore, for not watching the en-.
poyes moro closely. Tue suppression OF the Trent
saar upon The wires, when it given for publication
IL commented upon
The censor testified that Friday, December 81 al
Two O'Clock ~ he rccc, ed positive orders to suppress
M espa tchcs cernng the matter, but ut forty ive
minutes after two he allowed the following despatch to
s,xurr woop NKw YORK HorrL, NEW YonK--Act as
though You hsSra G as S%s & very good neV G y2sf and
Tho commia,es say that any Of ordinary discern.
man, might have detected that despatch the contra
hand Information and that Mr. Russell has not by his
letters TO the London Times entitled himself TO privileges
which were denisd to own citizens. stock spocula
tons were active and remuneratve, and the committee
think Mr. Russells friend made good thing out of tho
good news ii. q. Fsnt, banker OF this city, was
anned by the committee in reference TO his operations
10 stocks upon the Trent affair." Mr.. FAINT had read in
the HERALD that Mason and sde to be given up,
and he put to work Mr. Robert j. Corwin to ascertain
| whether the communication had been made 10 Lord
Lyons. He ascsrtainsd, In the Department Of the Ins.
ror that had Mr. FAINT invested in stocks and Mr. Cor.
wins share Of the profits 81 30o The committee say
that the censorship Of the press except In regard 10
military affairs, needlessly vsxatious, partly from
the instructions given to the censor partly from his
manner Of carrying them out, dividing the blame about
equally between Secretary Seward and Mr. Thayer The
| committee say
The censorship 10 have been without any clearly
defined limits after the departure from the agreement
|
Since the Goth OF February the date Of Secretary
ssuons order the committee believe there has been
norferencs with eiy dispatches except hosO OF mill
tary character Tho representatives Of the press have
no disposition 70 coupain ol the suppression