The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-09-12
The Truth or Nothing.


Under this head the Springfield Repub-
lican has sensible article respecting
the war news. After saying that the GEN.
sorship of the press is soon to be removed, it
says j
"The manifest incapacity of whoever is
telegraph censor at Washington to judge as
to what is proper to be made public and what
should be suppressed from military consider.
ations, has added to the general confusion
and anxiety. The idea seems to have got in
to that department that is business is to doc
tor the news, with view to sparing the feel
ings of the people; that they cannot bear
the truth all at once, and it must be sweeten-
ed and dealt out carefully, little by little =
whereas, We understand the real purpose of
the censorship to be to prevent the publca
ton of facts that may thus become known to
the enemy to his advantage. What the enc
my already knows there can be no harm in
communicating to the loyal public. The peo-
pie of the North are not crowd of timid
children, scared by every little reverse, and
they do not like to be treated as if they were
not to be trusted
But the censorship utterly fails in these at
tempts to conceal unpleasant facts indeed
we believe it causes extravagant and unwar-
rantable fears by the attempt, as we'll as by
the assurances it is so free to transmit sever
al times day that all is going well and that
Washington is safe. When we are told that
the gunboats are ordered to Washington,a land
that the department clerks are being armed
for its defense, We cannot avoid the conclu-
sion that somebody thinks Washington is in
danger. When we are told that Gen Nc
Clellan with the remainder of his army is left
behind the forts to protect Washington, in.
stead of being sent to fight the enemy at Ma
nassas, we infer that Gen Halleck contem.
! plates at least the possibility of the defeat O
our armies in the field and the consequent
necessity of defending the capital BY its forts
y When We learn that we obtained access t
the battlefield of Friday and Saturday on
u ly by flag of truce, to collect our wounded
% and were obliged to leave many of them a
last in the enemy's hands, probably to die o
u neglect, and that on Monday evening ou
{ troops advanced two miles tow0lds the las
battle field and that ambulances with ou
j wounded were captured on Sunday morning
4 between Centerville and Washir gton, we ar
certain that the previous comforting assuran
u ces that we repulsed the enemy and held tn
field were not anywhere in the neishborhoo'
- of the truth. And We are equally certain
! that tie effect of such deceptions is bad whe
Il we find them out. We now understand tha
" the assurances that the enemy were surroun
Al deG and their retreat cut off were all gam
y mon, and that it was only by good luck an
J. hard fighting that our own forces were abb
- to retreat to the intrenchments at Centervillt
The real ground for encouragement is tina
II our armies in Virginia are now all on thi
!" side of the enemy, and are being strengthen
'e ed, with fair prospect of resisting the pre-
n gress ofthe great and desperate army of rel
u els assailing them. We believe they wi
al keep the rebels out of Washington and ult
le mately beat them and drive them back, b,
H. our faith is shaken, not confirmed, by Il
C. concealn.ents and misrepresentation th
IN come from Washington. Let US have Il
OF truth as to the war, or let us have nothing
g all"