The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-26

1
| at their service for the conveyance OF let
| tiers to Belgium and Germany. ana thence
| TO the various destinations abroad. Inc
| field telegraph was, as a rule, blocked Tor
| newspaper messages by the pressure OF
| army work. but whenever the lines were
| clear the correspondents were at hperty
| to utilize them in sending brief messages.
which had first received official approval.
to their newspapers. The correspondents,
however, sent their long Geographic DIS
patches from offices in neutral countries.
or outside the zone of military 5urisdic-
| ton, and therefore under no censorship
| But IL will be observed that the BRUSH
| regulations give the press censor control
over the organization of special means OF
communication by a correspondent out
side the sphere of military authority. and
the power to prohibit altogether the dis
patch of news by such agencies. If that
rule were imposed by the German war
| authorities during the Franco-Prussian
war, the Unsuitable appetite Of the British
public for news from the theater OF ope-
rations would not have teen appeased, as
it frequently was, by the publication OF
vivid descriptions of engagements a day
or two after they had bsfn fought
Again, in the Russo-Blrkish war, the
Russians accepted ever5 correspondent
who presented crede9tia4 from respec-
\ taDle newspaper anu al
from any Russian ambassador. The per-
nit to accompany the army was written
on the back of a photograph OF the cor
respondent TO whom It was granted; and
a duplicate of the PHOTOGRAPH was Kept
/ I'm an album at the headquarters OF the
| army. Each correspondent was also
supplied with a badge. bearing the
double eagles of Russia TO wear on his
| breast There was no censorship I'm the
or fe1apramS had first
! to be submitted for official approval; but
a copy OF each newspaper had to be sent
! 10 a certain polyglot officer for official
perusal, and he had power 10 order the
removal of any correspondent to the
rear for indiscretions In description or
| criticism.
War correspondence Is now a regular
branch of Journalism. There is never any
| lack Of eager claimants for admission to-
it's ranks-:nen of daring. resource, and
ability, who are attracted by the fasci-
nation of war, and by the most awful.
grim and tragic drama enacted on the
human stage. They are handsomely
paid for their services. There is no re-
striction of them in the matter of ex-
pense, for the newspapers are only TOO
ready and willing to spend enormous
sums of money for fresh and important
news from the seat of war The chief
qualifications for this hard and adven-
furious life are physical strength, the en-
durance TO subsist for days on mea-
ger supply of inferior food. and to sleep
ar night in the open: iron nerves and
mental vigor; sound sense and rapid
judgment: a quick observant eye. capa-
BILE of taking in the ever-shifting scenes
and changing incidents OF a field of bat
tie. and a ready, vivid pen to convey
ones impressions TO paper.
The war correspondent has often, I'm the
discharge OF his duty. to run as great a
risk Of being killed or wounded as any
soldier In the fighting line. 1t has fallen
10 him often. also. TO render a great SER
vice to the army which he accompanies
in the field recent libel action between
two war correspondents who went
through the Soudan campaign or 1896,
attracted considerable public notice.
charge of cowardice at the battle OF Fir
ket was made by the defendant against
the plaintiff which happily-as the result
of the action shOwed-was completely dis
proved But the defendant advanced the
extraordinary theory that ii was the duty
of a war correspondent to keep well In
the front in order TO give a good exam
pie of bravery TO the firing line. OF
course, the first duty Of war CORE
spondent is to look after the interests of
his paper and he could not do his journal
a greater dis-service than to get killed
or disabled in action when he might have
avoided that catastrophe by the display
OF a reasonable precaution- The general
i'm command could. with as much reason,
be accused of cowardice for keeping at
such "a distance outside the line of fire as
enabled him, without running any unnec-
essary risk to observe the varying for
tunes Of the fight and control the move
ments Of his troops. The large number or
war correspondents who have been killed
i'm recent campaigns is evidence of the
fact that these journalists carry their
lives in their hands. even In the ordinary
discharge OF their duties on the field OF
battle.
Before far-reaching rifed firearms
were brought into use. writes Dr. Arch
ibald Forbes Iii was quite easy 10 see
a battle without getting into the range
of fire. But this is no longer possible
and in the future VIII be stIil more i'm
possible. With guns of precision. thar
carry six miles; with mobile artillery.
having a range Of more than three miles.
and with rifles that Kill, without benent
Of clergy. at two miles the war cores
pendent may - well stay at home with
his mother. uness ne has hardened his
heart to take his full share OF the risks
of the battlefield Indeed. II he has de-
termined to look narrowly into the turbu-
lent heart of each successive paroxysm
OF the bloody stTuggle-and IL Is only by
hbluS lAIS tIdl ne can now make Tor
himself a genuine and abiding reputa-
tion-he must lay his account. with en-
during more risks than fall TO the lot OF
the average soldier
But the war correspondents have mt
been content with simply doing their du-
" 10 their newspapers. They have never
shrunk from rendering their side of the
campaign a service whenever il comes
their way, even though it involved the
risk OF their lives. During the late war
between Greece and Turkey, The Daily
News correspondent with the Greek ar
my, describing sharp artillery duel be-
tween the opposing forces at Arta. stat
ed that the Greek gunners were working
very well, but there was marked nery-
BUSINESS" He went on:
AS the feeling was apparent-and II
was wholly justified-Mr. knight and
-, who were about to write long tele.
grams, did not feel justified in avaiIing
themselves of the shelter of the fort for
that purpose, but considered it our duty
10 get our writing materials and do our
work under fire. l think / am not ex-
aggeratng when | say that this decision
produced excellent results Certainly the
action was appreciated. The officers
thanked us most warmly; and when at
length there came a long lull in the fir
ing. all the officers and men available
e'S0Ni'biSN anu SlletItU US very heartily.
an attention that we greatly appreciat
ed"
Even Lord Wolseley. who has been for
thirty years describing the war CORES
pondents as those newly invented ours
es of modern armies" admitted at the
dinner of the Press Club last year that
from the chairman, Charles Williams
he had at various times received the
greatest possible help in the field Yet
the war office has long since decided
that civilian war correspondents are not
to receive medals even when they have