Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-19
CENSOR BLUE PENCIL.
LIEUT.. J. ID. MILEY, OF THE FIFTH
United STATES ARTILLERY.
The Most Sworn at Individual
At Key West-A Sketch OF Him
mt Work Drawn from Life--Sleep-
less Night, Anxious Days.
(corregpondence of the Dispatch)


KEY WEST. June 17.-If the recording
angel is not treating war correspondents
with leniency and overlooking their use
of language not in accordance with a
Sunday school bringing up, there will be
u long, black catalogue against them
during the time they have been at Key
West. The cause of 1t all Is a good look
ing gentleman, wearing the uniform
of q first lieutenant In the Fifth United
States Artillery, and armed with nothing
more formidable than a huge blue pencil,
sharpened at both ends.
The good looking individual is IAeuten-
tenant J. d. Miley, aide to General SHAFT
ter, and the frat man to occupy the
newly created position OF censor OF news
paper dispatches. If the people OF the
United States could only see what
glorious war news they are missing in
consequence of the ruthless blue pencil
of Lieutenant Miley having denied 1t
transmission over the wires, there
would be an anticensor crusade organized
in short order. The sleepless nights and
anxious days that have been rendered
fruitless by the elimination from the
news dispatches of the information that
.'beats" that elated the scribe as no
thing else in the world can, and have
never been transmitted to the office
where centre the hopes Of the war cor
respondent who obtained the news by
incessant watchfulness and the practicing
of all the arts and wiles known
TO the craft; the despotic authority ex-
ercised by tho censor, who decides what
is information that may so and what
1 h., # Iasar orfa an
work mere lottery-these are the
things that eat into the souls of the
scribes who toll here, and make them
pray that the arm of the censor may
fail powerless at his side the next time
he attempts TO blue pencil their best
paragraphs.
There is no remedy. 1t may be asked
by those not familiar with the rules OF
the censorship: "Why not send the dis
patch by mail. and circumvent the fiend-
ish purpose OF the censorY' Alas, the
penalty for printing anything that has
not been censored IS so terrible that no
one dares TO send anything to the office
of the newspaper he serves unless the
censor assumes the responsibility OF say
ing that IL is in accordance with the
ideas OF the government regarding what
IS, and what Is not allowable. IL news
gets into the respective paper OF the cor
respondents, mere lndt Is kuoWn 10 nave
come from Key West I'm defiance q the
censor. the newspaper offending will be
shut off from the privileges extended TO
the members of the press. which means
that the meagre chance he has of get
ting news through will be gone. and he
might as well pack up and go home
for all the good he could do here.
SO strict is the censorship that not even
illustrations can be sent through without
the go. X" Of Lieutenant Miey affixed
10 the drawing The accompanying
sketch. which was made by your artist.
MIR. William Bengough, shows the awful
Lieutenant at work on "a reporters manu-
script. After Mr. Bengough had sketched
the censor. he had TO take the drawing
70 him 20 receive the official mark which
iy shown at the foot before IL could be
sent through the mails. Imagine the
feelings Of the artist who had TO submit
10 the original OF his sketch, the picture
that represented him In the very work
that the picture was 10 be part Of No
chance OF caricaturing when the one carl
catured has the right TO veto the sending
OF the sketch. This may account for
the fact that the picture shows Lieu
tenant Miley az his BEST IA an easy pose.
and wearing a natty uniform, with a
plentiful showing OF white linen. What
the picture does not reveal is the back
ground OF wrathy correspondents who
are waiting for the censor 10 apply the
finishing touch 10 their copy" This
latter picture may be printed when the
war In over and the censor's blue pencil
has been buried with the Ratchet
~sas ~ 81 ~ agxr2yating 10 see ones