The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-11-03

False News..sW who 10 Responstble
From The Springfield (llass.; RspaslieanI
People say they can't believe the news
papers; the first reports are always false
and nobody knows what has really han.
pened till weeks after the event, and the
they are obliged to infer it from odd frap.
ments OF truth that get out by accident
The case 10 not 20 bad a. this, but it is
bad enough. 1t il difficult 70 get 1 true
idea Of the events Of this var. Some Of
the most inportaet campaigns and b1oodi.
est battles will not be understood till long
after the war is over, and impartial bisto-
~ viii have many revisions Of opinion to
make as to the regulations lost and won
IN the great struggle of the nation fer
life. 1t is always difficult to arrive at an
accurate knowledge of great events while
they are In progress, and We estim ate
them under the influence of the general
passion and turmoil. But in this war
additional and needless difficulties arc
placed in the way of writing the history
OF current events. Tie newepapets are
not responsible for these difficulties
1t is for the interest of the pre- ss to
publish the trnth, and the leading news.
papers Of the country expend a great
deal of time and money 10 ascertain the
facts as they transpire. There are some
Bohemians in the profession, it is true,
who can be subsidized to write up or
write down regulations, but these are ex-
ceptions. Respectable newspapers do not
employ or tolerate such writer's The
truth is that most of the attempts at de.
ception come from another quarter, and
the reputation of the press suffers from
the false policy of the War Department.
Secretary Stanton has from the beginning
made it a leading aim to bamboozIe the
people. Nobody complains of the con-
cealments of army movements. or the
suppression of any facts that might be
useful TO the enemy; bu. outright lying
about battles that have been fought, and
when the enemy is fully informed as to
the results, admits of no excuse. The
truth comes out at last, and then such of
the people as do not know who did the
lying. blame the newspapers, and those
who do know lose confidence in the con-
duct Of the war. The effect Of these
frauds upon the people are bad all round,
but the newspapers are the immediate
sufferers. and have right to be indig
nant and TO fix the fault where it belongs.
The newspapers viii end out the truth
and print it. if the war Office will let
them. II not, then let the responsibility
fall where the fault is.
What monstrous and futile conceal
ments and perversions Of the truth we
have bad for weeks As to the disastrous
repulse at Chicamauea. The FIRST dis :.
patch that announced it told the truth,
but the War Office immediately put an
embargo on the telegraph, and went to
work to cover up the facts. Little by
little the truth haa come out, till now the
War Department itself announces the
real character of the Chicamauga defeat,
in order to justify the removal Of Rose
Grams. Secretary Stanton is honest and
impetuous, but he lacks faith in the pause
and in the people, or he would no. per-
sist IN policy that brings discredit upon
himself. the Government and the press,
and serves no useful purpose. His time
he should reform in this matter, DR. he
himself reformed out Of place and over.