Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-16

ed to refrain from publishing. either as edI-
tor!aI or as correspondence Of any descrip-
ton, or from any print, any matter that
| may furnish aid and comfort to the enemy.
"'second. That they be also requested.
and earnestly solicited, to signify to their
correspondents, their approval of the fore
going, and to comply with 1t in spirit and
| letter.
"'Also, Resolved, That the government be
requested to afford to the representatives
OF the press facilities for obtaining. and i'm
mediateiy transmitting. all information
proper for publication particularly touch
ing engagements with the enemy"
The foregoing agreement and resolutions
were produced before the committee of the
House by Mr. II. E. Thayer, then acting as
censor.
suppressing the Censor.
A majority Of those who signed these res
olutions appeared before the committee and
| testified that they understood their agree
nent with Gen. Mcclellan authorized them
to form a rule of action for the censor and
the press. Many of them stated there were
more grounds to complain OF the manner
IN which the censorship had been exercised
after the resolutions had been adopted than
before. This will surprise no one. after
reading one OF the letters of instruction
sent to the censor, and produced before the
committee, as follows:
Department of State, October ~, 1862
"Mr. H. E. Thayer.
Dear Sir: For the present. It il deemed
advisable to prohibit all Geographic dis
patches from Washington intended for pub
licaticn which relate to the civil or mill
tary operations of the government, with
the exception Of tie dispatches of the regu-
lar agent of the Associated Press or other
dispatches which contain the same facts
VI course. items of news, personal move
ments and so forth, are not prohibited
Signedl "F. W. SEWARD"
Inc judiciary committee went on to say:
ine rule. II carried out, would develop
tended too far in that direction.
Mr.. WilkiSon testified that the censor
would not allow him to send dispatches
which, In the estimation of the Secretary
of State or the censor, were damaging to
the character of the administration. or any
member OF the cabinet, or that would be
injurious to the reputation of the officers of
the army. Ben: Perley Poore and other
correspondents. testified to the same facts.
Witnesses testified that the censor would
not allow them to send anything about
Gen. Stone. Balls Bluff or Gen Sherma n -
The committee submitted many suppressed
dispatches in its report to the House, and
said: Examples of suppressed dispatches
OF as harmless a nature as the foregoing
might be given to almost an indefinite ex-
teri: but it is unnecessary to do so. as those
cited are sufficient to show that the censor
must either have had other Instructions
than those which appeared in the testi-
mony or was most unfortunate in exer-
c1slng the power given him by the Secre-
tary OF State. which, in the opinion OF the
committee, went far beyond the bounds of
propriety considering the boosted freedom
of the PRESS
The censor was accused of suppressing
dispatches cut from newspapers published
In Washington. which had been circula ted
IN the stores, houses and hotels of the cam
ltai 1or hours before being offered for tel
egraph.
Bull Run Russell n Stock Gambler
The suppression Of all news by telegraph
Of the Trent affair in 1861 was brought out.
The censor testified that on Friday, De-
cember p, at 2 o'clock pm, he received
positive orders to suppress all matter con-
corning IT.; but that at forty-five minutes
after o'clock he allowed the following dis
patch to be sent by Bull Run" Russell.
Samuel Ward. New York Hotel. New
YORK: Act as though you heard some very
good news for yourself and me as soon as
you get this Gsigne0 w. H. RUSSELL"
The committee further said ANY man of
ordinary discernment might have detected
in this dispatch the contraband Informal
tfon. Stock speculations were active and
remuneratlve, and the committee think Mr..
Russelrs friend made a good thing out of
the good news" Va
Mr. II. G. FAINT, banker in WASHINGTON
city. WAS examined by the COMMITTEES in
I re- renee 10 his operations in stocks upon
tne trent affair. Mr.. FAINT had seen in the
herald that Mason and SIidelI were to be
given up He put to work Mr.. Robert +.
CorWtn to ascertain whether this fact ha d
% Seem communicated to LORD Lyon. Mr.
GorW1n learned in the Department of The
interior that 1t had. Mr.. FAINT Invested in
STOCKS accordingly. Mr. Corwin's share in
the profits Of that single investment were
thirteen hundred dollars
The committee said: The censorship of
the press was needlessly vexatfous. partIv
from the instructions given to the censor
and partly from his manner of carrying
hoY nut Va
between Secretary Seward and Mr.
Thayer"
The committee answered the points of in
quiry directed by the House as follows:
i. Geographic censorship of the press
has been established in this city.
2. The censorship existing at the time the
investigation was directed by the House
was originally established upon the basis
OF the agreement between Gen. Mcclellan
and the representatives of the press. but
was enlarged in its scope by the Secretary
of State.
8. At the time the inquiry was directed
to that time, and until the 25th of Feb
ruary last, the censorship was controlled
by the Secretary of State.
T. ihe original design was to prevent the
publlcat1on OF military information which
might be of advantage to the rebel authori-
ties.
g. Dispatches. almost numberless, of a
political. personal and general character,
1900
correspondents have been deferred from
preparing others, because they knew they
could not send them to their papers by tel
egraph. ~ vi
The telegraph has become a most i'm
portant auxiliary to the press of the coun-
try, and should be left as free from gov
eminent interference as may be consistent
with the necessities Of the government in
time of war. These necessities cannot ex
tend beyond what may be legitimateIy con-
hected with the military or naval affairs of
the nation, and to these should the gov
eminent interference with the transmission
OF intelligence be confined, for it is this
character of Information alone which can
be of Importance to the enemy, and which
msy properly be withheld from the press
and the public, in order that 1t NAV not
reach the enemy. The committee, there
fore, recommend the adoption of the fol-
lowing resolution:
Resolved. That the government should
not interfere with the free transmission of
intelligence by telegraph when the same
will rot aid the enemy in his military or
naval operations, or give him Information
A
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