The herald., 1898-04-21
PASSION FOR WAR NEWS

| It has come to be an axiom that the
newspapers give the people the kind Of
news they want. 1t is obvious that this
kind of news they want now is wal
rews-the movement Of troops, the ma
neuvers of naval vessels. The Broad
way front of The Herald building, with
its daily augmented crowd of eager
seekers after the latest information from
the storm centers, Is a scene that is
duplicated in every considerable city in
the country boasting Of an enterprising
newspaper with a comprehensive news
service. Its significance is not lost upon
publishers. It is in the nature of an
ultimatum: "Give us nothing but war
news" The patriotic assemblies will
occasionally tolerate bit Of humor in
the bulletins, but quickly resent the
posting of any sort of news that does not
have bearing, more or less direct, upon
the all-absorbing theme.
The journalistic enterprise Of 'sS may
be contrasted with that of the civil war
period, but not compared, since there are
no points of resemblance. And yet the
relative success of the newspaper COR
respondents in securing information of
the contemplated movements Of the
army, and the wide publicity given to
them in advance, was a constant source
Of embarrassment to federal command
ers. Commenting upon this, shortly be-
before his death, General Sherman said:
1t cost the nation, first and last,
hundreds and thousands of lives and
millions of property destroyed. Every
movement of troops was reported.
Whenever any movement was fore
shadowed by the necessary prepara-
tions for moving, 1t was telegraphed.
This, when printed in the north, was
sent through various channels by
southern agents to the confederate
government. Wherever it obtained,
surprise was impossible, and important
movements were frustrated. The
enemy were in force where they would
not have been but for the enterprise"
of northern war correspondents.
A brief paragraph in the London
Standard, in the early stages of the
Franco-Prussian war, enabled Won
Moltke to locate General MacMahon,
after his hurried retreat from Chalons.
and to take quick advantage of the i'm
portant information, to fall upon and
crush him at Sedan.
""Tis an i'll wind that blows nobody
good" but in the event of war with
70 of Gp dc oie Ia
newspaper enterprise will all be with our
antagonists. Neither Spanish newspa-
pers, nor yet American correspondents
on the continent, will help our govern
ment to information of value concerning
the movements of Spanish vessels or ar
mics. Press censorship in the peninsula
will more than minimize the alertness
and activity Of the scribes. On the other
hand, the refilling of canteen, in the
most secluded locality in Cuba, will be
noted by the American correspondent,
speedily transmitted to the United States,
and utilized for all it is worth by the
agents of Spain in this country, through
the innumerable facilities at their COM
mand.
The passion for writing history day by
day, with fuller and fuller details, is
likely TO increase rather than diminish.
So long as the people display the appe-
tite, it will be fed, unless the government,
in its wisdom, shall endeavor to prevent
a repetition of that which, more than
thirty years ago, "cost the nation hun
dreds and thousands of lives and mil
lions in property destroyed"