Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-03-27

The Judiciary committee Of tho House OF
REPRESENTATIVES at washington, were recently
directed BY that body to institute inquiry into
the censorship over the telestAphic dispatches
intended for the press The committee have
made report. from which We give extracts be-
low. One Of the first acts Of the Government
or rather OF the State Department, In relation
IA this censorship, appears TO have been the fol-
lowiugs y
DEpARrmEsr or STATE, oess 20, 1862.
HE. THAYER--D Dear Sir; For the present IL
is deemed advisable 70 prohibit all telegrapnic
dispatches from Washington, intended ior puoh'
cation, which relate to the civil or military oPe'
rations OF the Government, with the exception
of the dispatches Of the regular agent oi tne
Associated Press, or other dispatches wnich
contain the same facts. OF course, items OF
new. personal movements, and 90 forth, are
net prohibited
r. W. SEWARD.
OF this censor, Mr., THHEh, the committee
say. 9.~.5.Asalsig
Tae suppressed dispatches are sufficient to
ahow that The censor must either have had 9TH
Sr instYuotions than those which appeared In the
tastImonv. or was most unfortunate in the eztT-
else Of fis po,ceTs siven TO him BY The Secretary
OF State, suhich, in he opinion Of he committee,
cent far beyond the bounds Of pTopTisfv, eoHsid-
eyinq The buaSted freedom of the press.
The following are samples of the testimony
taken before, and reported by, the committee;
Mr.. WilkesoD, of tho Tribune, testified.
"The general result Of my observation, since
have come into contact with this new institution
Of the censorship Of the press, ID that am not
permitted to send anything over the wires
which, in the estimation OF the censor, the Sec
retary Of State, and Of the Assistant Secretary
of State, shall be damaging to the character OF
the Administration, or any individual member
of the Cabinet, or that would be Injurious to the
reputation Of the officers charged with the pros.
ecution OF the war, and particularly those Of
the regular army Mr.. Ben. Peiley Poore, of
the Boston journal, understood that he could
not criticise the everyday conduct OF Cabinet
oficer.n Mr.. w. B. shaw testified that 'it
was held that We ought not TO animsdveft in
any particular upon the Government or any Of
its officials That seemed 10 be the idea which
controlled the censors. We we're not permitted
to criticise the officers Of the Cabinet"
The committee cay Of tho suppressed dis
patches: ,A
Very few dispatches rejecting on members OF
the Cabinet and other civil officers, were found
among the suppressed dispatches. The wit
nesses explain this BY stating that they seldom
prepared such dispatches, because they under
stood that they would not be permitted to eend
them over the wires.
The New York World publishes the follow
ing, which it says was part Of the testimony
before the committee, bat was not embodied in
their report
WAR DEPARTMENT, Oct. 5, 1861.
My DEAR Sin: lis my wish that you neither
suppress nor alter the kilograms of Mr.. Samuel
Wilbeson. Please send them as they are writ
ten and sigted BY hin.
Y Respectfully,
SIMON CAMERON.
MR THAYER
The World adds:d
This MIR. WilkesoB, Who was then favored
above all the other correspondents, is the re.
porter Of the Tribune in Washington.