El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-05-07
WAR CORRE-
SPONDENTS
Notes on the Changes in TIL ir Posi-
tiOn.-In III, Crimea.-The Brit
ish Regulations

Notes on the Changes Ill In IL fOSl
tiOn.-In III, Crimea.-The Brit
ish Regulations
Michael MacDonagh in the Fortnightly.
The custom of newspapers having
representatives with armies In the
field dates only from thu Crimeao War
in the early fif les. Before that per.
iod the public gained its Information
of the progress and varying fortunes
of campaign from Dela' ed
official dispatches, supplemented oc-
cassionally by extracts from private
letters from officers engaged IN the
war, which were sent to the newspa'
pers. The first war corrresponden
was Mr. (now Sir) Henry Howard Rus
sell, who represented "rhe Times In
the Crimea. His position Tn tne
troops was unrecogniz- d by the militia
nv authorities. 1t was consequently
attended by many discOmforts and in
CONVENE ces. His movements were
not 10 the slightes degree restrl ted;
he had perfect freedom of action; he
could 90 where he pleased, and what
he wrote was subject to no censorship:
but he was unable to procure ratlon9
for himself or forage for his horse frorl
the provisioning department OF the ar
nv. On informing the au-
thorities of ''The Times" office of bis
unpleasaut position, he receiver a let
ter 10 the effect that the government
had ordered that facilities should be
afforded him in the field. He INN :
dia,elv proceeded to interview LORD
Ra,lsu. the commander OF the army.
81 sent in my card. he writes. Lord
Raglan was very much engaged; Dut L
was re ,eived by Colonel Steele, VINO
listened to my request for transport
e; wit
face half of annoyance, half of amuSe-
ment, and in the end informed me most
courteously that there WAS not the
smallest chance of my obtaining what
/ desired" Throughout the campa' gn,
therefore, Sir Howard Russell had to
yictual aud clothe himself and forage
his horse as best he could from other
sources. a ha cost him 20. a turkey
the same figure, a iltt pot OF marmal-
ade 5s., pair OF boots t6-out tne
difficulty with him was not the high
prices of provisions aud cloth ng, but
their meagre and uncertain supply
and, as he tells US himself, he present
ed q strange aud rather ludicrous
figure, mounted on hddle-heaoed,
ew e-pecked horse, dressed in all sorts
of odds and ends, Including q commits
az riat Off GERS cap with broad gold
band, Butcher boots with huge brass
spurs, as he rode here and there. as he
pleased, over the fields OF battle.
THE BRITISH REGULATIONS.
But the d ,sition as war correspon-
dent has since been entirely changed
He il bow recognized by the war office,
thanks to the pressure of public opinl-
on. as ap essential sccOmpanlm Mt TO
an army in the field. He is regularly
attached to the army with which he Is
acting; he takes rank as al officer Tor
the purpose of drawing food for him.
self and a servant, and forage for one
horse. from the commissariat depart
ment: he is bound to obey the orders
of superior officers: he Is under militia
nv law; and, finally, everything ne
writes for his newspaper is controlled
by a vigorous military censorship. The
change is perhaps for the better, so lar
as the personal comfort OF the war cor
respondent is cOncerned-thoUg ne
always supplies his provisions and his
transport from his own resources, and
when he i, compelled by circumstances
to fall back on the army commissariat
department, pays for what he receives,
hut it undoubtedly has also immensely
restricted his freedom of action In the
fed, his zeal, energy and enterprise In
the interests of his newspaper AID his
independence in describing the scenes
and incidents which come ucder his
notice in the progress of the campaign.
Here is a copy of the English rules
for newspaper correspondents at the
seat of war:
"First-All newspaper corr espOn-
dents accompanying the army in the
field must be furnished with license
granted under the authority OF the
comm ander-in-chief at home. Iu this
license the paper or papers for which
the correspondent is agent will be stat
ed.
"Second-A correspondent may not
write for papers other than those men
toned in his license. Ii he desires to
do so he must get leave, and the per-
m ission must be duly registered on his
license.
"Third-Licenses Will not be grant
ed to those whom it is considered I'M
desirable to have as correspondents in
the field.
|, s'Fourth-All correspondents in the
field will be under the Nut ny act dur
ing their stay with the army.
'Fifth-COrrespondents will not be
allowed to 60 to the outposts without
special permission, to be granted in
writing each time correspondent
may wish to visit them.
''Sixth-The use of any cipher Is
forbidden to correspondents. French
and German are the only foreign Ian
guages permitted.
ka''Seventh-A staff officer will be
named to act as press censor. He will
register licenses granted under the
authority of the ommauder-ip- chief
at home, and will grant licenses to
local correspondents not accompany
ing the army in the field. Those licen-