Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-03-29
ne rreeAsn ef shs Press.

lreom ~ 1ov Ieek A19ee y g
Orr fcrefathers deluded %, their chill.
arsn. into The belief that when they pat
;ato the Constitution 40 Article J0T0sd.
ding any abridgnsest Of re tresdons q
eke Pres, il meant something, out tnsy'
did not anticipate that : free wh'to peo-
ME would ever be such fools - to divide
up into geographical parties, and dash
into : civil var about four millions Of
| negroes, and, pending the dash, create
| that sort Of public opinion which would
Justify the Government 10 muzzling the
Press! All this, however, is the old
story. .Hbols. in the wild pursuit Of a
theoretical liberty, ensldve fhemsetces,
free foar millions Of blacks, thirty MIL
lions Of whites consent to be slaces.
The Judiciary Committee Of the
House Of Representatives, it will be
recolIected, some time ago, were in.
.tructed to inquire into the Telegraphic
Censorship over the Press in Washing
tou-which Committee las now made .
report.
The following appears to be one OF
the frat acts Of tee Government (the
State Department.: go.
| ORPARr xssr OF STATE, October sd. 1859:
II. THAYEa-Uedr Sir For the
present it 10 deemed advisable TO pro-
hibit all elcgtaphic dispatches from
Washington, intended for publication,
! which relate to the civil CT military op-
er..ions of the Government, with the
exception OF the dispatches Of the regu-
lar spent Of the Associated Press, or
other dispatches which contain the same
facts. OF course, items Of newe, per-
sonal movements, and SO forth, are not
Or. hitited. Ve,y truly, yours,
F. w. SEWARD.
OF this Censor, Nh. Thayer, the Com.
mi,tee say:
Tie suppressed dispatches are suffi.
Gent to show that the censor must
either have had other instructions than
these which appeared in the testin ony,
or was most unfortunate in the exercise
Of the powers given TO him by the Sec
re,ary of State, which, in the opinion Of
the Committee, went far beyond the
bounds Of propriety, considering the
boasted freedom OF the Press.
Mr.. Wilkeson, testified that the Gen.
sor would not allow him to send dis
patches which, in the estimation Of the
censor or tho Secretary Of State, were
damaging to the character of the Ad
minislration or any member Of the
Cabinet, or that would he injurious to
the reputation of officers of the army
Is. PerIey Poore, correspondent, was
asked if he would have sent dispatch,
if he bad received reliable information
to that effect, which indicated the i'm.
policy Of trusting Gen. Mcclellan with
the command of the army. He replied
that be would not have tried. lie un-
derstood that he could not criticisc the
conduct of officers of the army, or the
every day conduct OF Cabinet officers.
He derived this understanding from the
censor. Other correspondents testified
that they were not allowed to send dis
patches rejecting upon members of the
Cabinet.
The report says:
"That very few dispatches were found
among those that were suppressed by
the censor which reflected on the men,
bers of the Cabinet or other civil officers,
and pronounces the person selected as a
censor to be wholly destitute Of the
qualifications necessary to fit him for
the discharge Of so delicate an Office
and his testimony is given in support OF
this sweeping censure, together with ex-
amples of suppressed dispatches respect
ing rumored changes in the Cabinet,
Gen. Stones affairs, &c. Witnesses
testified that the censor would not al
low them to send anything about Gen.
Stone or Balls Bluff, Gen. Sherman,
&c.
1.-THE censor is accused of suppress
ing dispatches cut from papers pub
lished here, and which had been circu-
lated in the houses, stores and hotels Of
Washington, hours before being offered
to the telegraph"
STOCK CALCULATIONS PROBABLE.
The suppression of the Trent affair
upon the wires, when it was given for
publication, is commented upon:
The censor testified that on Friday,
December p, at o'clock p. NJ, he re-
ceived positive orders to suppress all
Dispatches concerning tie matter, bu,
at for;y.6vc minutes after two he al.
lowed The following dispatch to 60:
SAMcEL WOOD, Nkw YORK HOTEL,
N. Y: Act as though you had heard
some very good news for yourself and
me, as soon as you get this.
w. Ii. RUSSELL.
The committee say that any man OF
ordinary discernmcDt might have de-
tectcI IN that dispatch the contraband
information, and that Mr.. Russell has
not, by his letters to the London Times,
entitled himselfto privileges which were
denied to our own citizens. Stock spec
ulatons were active and remunerative,
and the committee think Mr.. Rrsseil's
friend made good thing out of the
good news. FL G. FAINT, a banker Of
this city, was examined by the commit
tee in reference to his operations in
stocks upon the Trent affair. Mr.. FAINT
had read that Mason and Slidell we're
to be given up, and he put to work MIR.
Rotert J. Corwin to ascertain whether
the communication had been made to
Lord Lyons. He ascertaiued in the
department Of the Interior that it he'd.
Mr.. Fant invested in stocks, and Nj.
Corwin's share of the profits was 81, 800
n