Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-04
A PRESS &c NS0R
Singular Position of the Assistant
Secretary of War.
NO NEWS EXCEPT THROUGH Elm
He Has Rebuked Old Army Officers
for Leaking.
g o NJ E G. R T G 1 S NJ S

There is general complaint Of the difficulty
of obtaining legitimate information in re-
gard to the official business of the War
Department. 1t comes from all sources.
Congressman. lawyers. merchants. and last,
but not least. newspaper men. Under the
existing system the official acts of that
department are a sealed book. Officials
from chiefs Of bureaus down to their mes
sengers. have been repeatedly warned
against revealing any of it's business that
may have come before them in an official
way or otherwise, no matter how innocent
or insignificant II may SEEM to anybody
outside of the departments without first
having obtained permission to do so from
Cen Doe. the new assistant secretary of
war When Secretary Lament reorgan . Il
the business methods Of the department he
gave the bureau chiefs. all of whom are
officers of high rank in the army a limited
discretion In The matter of divulgng official
news, 50 far as their own offices We're con-
'cerned. But Assistant Secretary Doe was
not satisfied with this arrangement ans
when the Secretary went away and left
him in charge of the department he took
occasion 10 lecture the bureau officers and
10 give them orders which practically de-
prived them of all discretion in the mat
ter.
Mr. Doe as Censor.
knowledge of military affairs as the ad-
jutant general of the Wisconsin state mill
tia. Several of the men he lectured were
many years his senior. and had served in
the army all through the war. They had
an idea they knew their business better
than he did. and consequently they did not
take ms structures with the best of grace
Newspaper publications about military
anairs seemed to cause Mr.. Doe more
all
and perplexities. and IL is said he got The
loea IN his head that he would personally
control all such publications in the future
ana that nothing about War Department
anairs should be published without his am
thority- II Is said that he thought he had
put 10 express his wish in this matter and
u would be respected. both by officials of
tne department. and by the ubiquitous news
paper men But IL was not SO by any man.
ner OF means. Things got into the paners
JUST the same as usual. without having
undergone the scrutiny or censorship ~
WI, Doe wnereupon he waxed exceeding
mFoth. NOT that the matters were of any
Importance OF that their publication couId
nave resulted In any possible harm They
nad not been authorized by Mr. Doe, and
'hat was a most serious Offense
The Young Mans Mistake.
He Instituted Investigations without num-
Der 70 ascertain how the matters got ont
and In so doing. il is asserted. he con-
trived. by his open insinuations. to rroc-
ucaiiy insult several officers of high rank
army on1cers are not apt to be,ray official
secrets and are exceedingly sensitive IN
criIcism ON that score. The War De-
PeItnent never was a prolific field for the
news sathirer. but 1t rever was such
close corporation in that respect as il is
ur DER the present administration Mr. Doe
labors under the sad mistake thar he ia
The only person who knows what shorlJ
ana what should not be made public: that
f-f1 Il.
Lamont He Is willing to concede Mr. La
mont some rights in the matter but no
one else. He therefore has ordered that ali
applications for informat ton be Submitted
to him. AS he is generally inaccessibIe 10
callers other than personal friends Ii will
De readily understood that the searcher
after legitimate information in his depart
ment has hard road to travel Mr. Doe
has two private secretaries and there is
q popular theory among newspaper men
that their principal function is to turn
DOWN visitors In order to protect their
chief from the vulgar gaze of the public.
His Action Criticised.
Mr.. Doe finds few supporters Of his pol
Icy Of secrecy even among the newspapers
of his own party. The Baltimore Sun
speaks of the matter as follows:
There is some Indignation among off,
Gals Of the War Department over the con-
duct of the assistant secretary Of war In
reprimandirg a number of army officers
of high rank for giving information re-
garding certain action taken by the de-
partmeLt. and II Is understood that the
edfct has gone forth that hereafter no one
connected with the department shall trans
NIT. directly or indirectly. by letter or word
Of mouth. anything relating to the business
except upon the consent of Secretary La
montS assistant.
Mr.. Doe. who was appointed assistant
secretary at the solicitation of Don NJ.
Dickinson and other western democrats, Is
a n har Of ven rS
was adjutant general of the Wisconsin
state forces. He has inaugurated a number
OF drastic reforms In the department,
some of which are objectionable to the old
army officers. His latest Is to muzzle their
opinions, or, I'm fact. to prevent them from
making any communications to any one
regarding the conduct of the affairs of the
department. Mr.. Doe holds that persons
seeking information should apply directly
TO him. and that he shall be the judge of
what Is 10 be given out and what not. He
Is or opinion that much matter leaks out at
the department which the public. especially
Is not entitled to, and he proposes to be the
Judge of what is proper for publication and
for persons 10 learn hereafter 1t Is said
that upon several occasions of late the
young assistant has rebuked old officers for
giving out Information, and that these
officers hold such rank that they do not be-
lieve the young assistant has been justified
I'm calling them TO account
Even More Severe.
than its Baltimore contemporary. 1t SAYS:
WASHINGTON. September s.-The War
Department has a censor Of the press As
sistant Secretary Doe. whose few years
services as an Edjutant general of a western
state gave him the highly appreciated title
OF general has added materially to the
duty which Naturally devolves upon the
second head OF the department. by critical
survey of all that Is published in the papers
directly or remotely relating to the War
Department and the army When a nara
graph OF even minor importance apDears
in the papers not traceable to the office of
the assistant secretary for it's source. Mr.
Doe has an investigation. No business is
too important to suspend that he may dis
cover the culprit who furnished the hint
which formed the basis of the pararraph
In question. On more than one occasion he
has called in prominent officers. whose
years of experience entitle them to a con-
hdence which Mr.. Doe has withdrawn from
them. and they have been Inundated by a
cross-exam nina ton intended to establish the
enormous crime of furnishing information
TO the newspapers.
Although the latest rules governing War
Department officials allow a discretion in
the information furnished the press on the
part OF heads of bureaus, Assistant Secre-
tary Doe has by his conduct made the ex-
ercise of this privilege the occasion OF bonn
bastic criticism. He has no hesitation In
r..frr ia