The New York herald., 1873-12-16
military Correspondents Of Live jour-

makhtary Qorrosp0noonts on 1.-Two Jour-
mails.
Sir Garnet Wolseley, perhaps. is not to
blame for declaring newspaper correspondents
TO be the curse of modern armies-we mean
he does not know any better. He il type of
a very common class of men in the world,
who would fain be their own historians; who
would be the sole commentators on their own
acts, and who regard the daily chronicler in
their midst as q military spy and literary
pirate. We know this character well. He
inveighs against the press IAN accursed in
stitution, you know-engine of slander.
vehicle Of false intelligence" and SO on.
This is all public defamation. Its utterance
gives tone to its authorize becomes man of
quality; he is of the first estate; the press Of
the fourth But with what strange action he
gives illustration to his words. He is never
more courtly, never more polite, never more
deferential than in the company of the special
correspondent, whom he classes elsewhere
under the generic title of a scamp loafer. {"
1t is this style of man who will call
the special correspondent aside, after an
abundant feast and whisper in his
ear, elf you mention my name
make it short" 1t is this class of people who
throng the newspaper offices of New York
with personal intelligence respecting their
own remarkable selves, or ''news Of the first
importance to the community concerning
some business enterprises of their own. 1t is
this portion Of the human race who send more
waste-basketed communications to the press
than all the rest of mankind. They do not like
the special correspondent because he is the
historian Of the day, the recorder of facts, one
whose appointed duty is to tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth We
know that there are mendacious correspond
ents as there are mendacious generals, but
this should lead no one to conclude that they
are all of the bad. Now, if Sir Garnet
against Ashantee at his own expense, and as
private enterprise, perhaps there might be
reason for excluding special correspondent
from his camp. But it so happens that Great
Britain supplies the coin, and very consider
able coin, to say nothing of some valuable
British subjects who are directly taxed to
make big reputation for Sir Garnet, to
know what use he makes of his money
and his men. This is the reason why
correspondent representing large
constituency has q right to accompany
all operations in which those constituents are
interested. In the early times, when the
newspaper correspondent did not exist, mill
tary expeditions went into history with all the
coloring al the vainglorious and pompous
might be able to command from his Boswell
Thus we remain in ignorance Of many of the
colonial wars which have been prosecuted by
the maritime Powers. To-day that kind of
deception is impossible. The correspondent
prevents it, as he also gives just credit and
deserved praise when due. When the rebel
lion broke out an attempt was made to obtain
correspondence from those actually engaged
in the service. All of those men proved fail
ures because they could not devote the neces-
sary attention to their pens Then the special
military correspondent became an institution
and useful public servant as our copious
and graphic letters from Cape Coast Castle
printed yesterday morning furnish ample
proof. We doubt not Sir Garnet Wolseley
will return with high opinion Of this class of
writer's if he become successful general in
the present campaign but if he reaches Eng
land with long face and disaster in his heart
newspaper correspondents will be viler than
any of those beings who ever depended from
Tyburn Tree.