The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-06-26

The Censorship-IssA bsurdity. According
70 an Administra tiOn Organ.
When the military censorship of the press
was instituted we saw its absurdity and pre-
dicted its failure. The Republican, the most
radical of radical journals, and special organ
of the administration at Washington, now comes
to the same conclusion. II pronounces the sys-
TEN all wrong. IL shows that the carelessness
exhibited by those who control the military
telegraph has recently "cost US at least one
whole cavalry regiment, the enemy taking ad-
vantage of information it received from our
papers," which information passed the censor.
and was Of course considered by the press all
right. The Republican charges that "the au-
thorities have manifested much looseness in fur
nishing the newspapers of the country with de.
tailed statements tending to injure General
Hooker's operations directly. by the fact that
such information is exactly what the enemy
desires and would sacrifice men and money to
obtain"
This is exactly what the censorship amounts
to, and what we verify believe it was intended
to effect-to give favored journalists, who were
ready to do any dirty work for members Of the
administration, a monopoly Of c0ntraband
news. with an utter disregard of the oonse
quences to the army or the country. For ex-
ample: a tslegraphic despatch from Harrisburg
passed over the military telegraph, on Monday,
to Washington, under the charge OF the mill
tary censor. Among other things it stated
how many regiments arrived there from New
York on that day, and what orders the troops
were expecting. This all the evening papers
in the country published, and the Washington
Chronicle, the particular organ Of Mr.. Stanton,
contained it next morning-"the very last jour-
nal" says the Republican, Gin which It should
appear" Mr.. Stanton threatens to demolish
Philadelphia paper for publishing similar
information. What is he going to do about the
Washington Chronicle, edited and owned by
Colonel Forney, Clerk of the Senate, and tidus
decided by Mr.. Chase that newspaper CORES
pondent should not hold any Office under the
Treasury Department. Would it not be an
equally good rule to establish that no federal
official, in any branch of the government, legis-
lative, judicial or executive, should own, edit
or write for newspaper! Again: the Republt-
can justly complains that the Washington
morning papers Of Tuesday Uniformed the
enemy exactly where General Couch is located,
how far he had advanced into Maryland and
what he contemplated doing, and precisely
where General Knipe's command is; the where
abouts of General Kelly, and what he is doing;
the situation of General Tyler at Harpers Ferry
and Maryland Heights, and all about General
Schenck's movements in Baltimore. All these
commanders are cooperating with General
Hooker against the common enemy"
Now this information came by telegraph,
"over military wires (for all the wires in the
country are in possession of the government,
and was not stopped by the military censor in
Washington" Now as we showed yesterday,
the most trivial matters have been suppressed
in dispatches sent to us, while the military Gen.
sors have permitted the most dangerous infor-
nation to go forth in other journals. The 1ri-
bme and Times have again and again publish
ed contraband news, with the connivance of the
authorities, while we were in possession Of the
same news and scrupulously withheld it, lest
injury should be done to the cause. 1t is wor-
thy of remark that the Secretary Of War has
never yet punished any radical journal for Civ
ing information to the enemy, while he has sup
pressed many newspapers and imprisoned their
editors merely because they differed in opinion
with Stanton L Co., or published adverse criti-
cisms upon the management Of the war.
The remedy proposed by the Republican is
that the government should issue war bulletins,
and that any and every paper should be sup
pressed that published anything else relating to
the army than what was thus furnished by the
War Department. What reliable news this
would be What beautiful uniformity il
would present! Now we don't believe in per-
hitting the War Department to manufacture
in the right, the policy or necessity Of the War
Department suppressing any journal for any
cause whatever. The true course is to abolish
the censorship and throw upon every journalist
the responsibility for what he publishes If he
gives information that will aid the enemy let
him be prosecuted according to law, and let
twelve of his neighbors, placed in jury box,
decide on their oaths whether he is guilty or
not guilty. Let the laws be rigdy enforced
against all alike; but let there be no despotism,
arbitrarily favoring one and expressing an
other.
PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE REBEL INVASION
New York has now sent seventeen regi
ments to the relief Of Pennsylvania. Without
the aid of New York and New Jersey the Key
stone State would have been almost helpless
| The inhabitants Of Pennsy lvania seem to have