The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-20
the army in the field. We hereby agree to abide

imPersohaiity WHICH III mas Always maintained
and publishes the following editorial =
1--WE publish this morning "A copy of the rules
lately issued for the guidance of editors and
newspaper correspondents with the army in
the field in India. They are of most strin-
gent and vexatious character, and literally car
ried out, involve little less than the prohibition
of all independent news whatever, degrade the
correspondent to the mere mouthpiece OF the
general in command or of the censor he
deputies Every letter the correspondent
sends home is made liable to pass I'M
der the censor's eye; every telegram will,
as rule, so pass both letters and kilograms
may be stopped or altered in passage. In order
that this rule should be observed the military
authorities are made the medium for the
despatch and conveyance of newspaper CORE
spondents' messages. Correspondents are adj
vised to limit their information to such Us they
can obtain from official sources, and this they
are compelled to transmit under official surveil-
lance and control They may make arrange
ments themselves; may employ special mes
sengers; may not even avail themselves ofthepub-
lie service, of the telegraph of the post Office,
beyond the radius of the military jurisdiction.
No message may be sent off in cipher or in any
language but English. Possible evasion of these
for example, of secret cipher, not apparently
cipher, are all guarded against by even further
precautions The editor who wishes to send an
agent to the theatre of war must sign a declara-
ton that he has read the new rules, that he
agrees to abide by them, and must regu-
larry forward copy of his paper to head
word. Any breach of rules by correspond
ents are in part punishable by military law, as
we'll as by summary dismissal. No new CORE
spondent will be suffered to take the place of
correspondent who is thus dismissed. There
are other regulations of a troublesome and vex-
atious kind, but not SO calculated to interfere in
the discharge Of the correspondents duty to the
public and his employers. Correspondents, for
instance, are to wear distinctive badge, to be
write for these Alone and are bound on all Oc-
casions to carry their licenses with them.
THE INSULT TO THE BRITISH PUBLIC.
"What, we would ask, does the public ex.
pect to find in the letters of q correspondent
with the British army in the fieldl What it has
the right to insist upon finding, surely. An in
! dependent report of whatever our soldiers
may be doing and suffering, and independent
| judgment OF operations in progress. An Eng
lishman wishes above all things to know the
truth, whatever it be. He can trust himself for
the effect it will produce. He is properly i'm
patient at any attempt to treat him as q child,
to tell him only the bright side Of things,
| or to confne him to such doled-
out measure of information as may
be thought good and advisable. The presence
of q newspaper correspondent with the army in
the field is felt by him to be an additional guar
antee for the trustworthiness of the news he re-
ceives. The generals own opinion as to his
own skill and conduct he will receive for what
it is worth. He will test it by the opinions Of
others. He has desire to be fed with stories
of victories that have never been gained or to
hear nothing of the reverses which have been
actually suffered. Truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, is what he demands.
This he can hardly look for in a correspondents
letter which has been so wortled as to pass the
ordeal of censorship and which may have been
altered and amended in conformity with official
views. If the rules we publish were carried
ont they would be fatal to the main purpose for
which special correspondents sent out. A
model correspondents letter would consist of
few safe generalties us to the movements of
our troops together with an abundant measure
of praise all round to the various officers in com
mand. If anything special. the report must be
so dressed and arranged, or SO magni
fed, rs the case might he, to
satisfy everybody concerned and produce
the best impression possible mt home. II moth
ing special, space might be taken up harmlessly
with picturesque descriptions of the country
through which the army is passing; but even
this must be so disguised that the most watch
full enemy would fail in the endcavor to identify
it, Even for this meagre allowance of news the
public would have to wait the convenience of
the military authorities No special means of
forwarding correspondence may be resorted
to under any circumstances, however
great the pressure upon ordinary means. SO
only could a correspondent be sure of retain
ing his license badge and the whole insignia of
his Office. But, however secure these might be
made the difficulty would still remain of in
ducing men Of culture and capacity and good
position to undertake q duty which is to be
thus discharged.