Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-18
PRESS CENSORSHIP.

There was a time when nations eXer-
cised no censorship over the press in
times of war. It was before the art of
making newspapers was invented. Since
the days of Gutenberg and Faust the
tlucnce as a dissemination of intelligence.
During the last fifty years newspapers
have taken a very active part in public
affairs. both as to the publication of the
news concerning current events and in
drawing political conclusions therefrom.
With their growth in power and inhu-
ercc comes a temptation at times to
abuse their privileges. When a coun-
try is at peace with the world these mat
tiers regulate themselves, but when a war
is in progress it not infrequently becomes
The duty Of a we'll organized government
to protect the general interests of the
people from the publication of false and
misleading reports concerning the move
ments of its troops, and the differences
lldi Cdl lllSleDy Dc | d IL US u he steps
which it may contemplate taking against
the enemy.
In some countries a press censor runs
his eye over everything which is pre-
pared for publication in the press, and
eliminates that which in his opinion may
prove detrimental to the interests of the
onypr1Y1anf Tn a frap cDJlH+ry like \ NM
erica. where the broadest liberty of ex-
prs ssion is given, there are no press CEN
sors in fact. The only precaution taken
by this government is to exercise a CEN
so,ship to a limited extent over matters
cabled from the seat of war. when federal
authorities have charge of the line. This
sort of a censorship was for a time ex-
ercised by General Otis in the Philippines,
and men sent to Manila for the purpose
of misrepresenting the course pursued
b. the government, to build up sym
restrained from cabling to home papers
the infamous falsehoods they had pre-.
pared for the deception of the American
public.
The wisdom of such a course on tn,
part of General Otis became apparen
when anti-imperialists went to the ex
treme of trying to incite mutiny anon!
the troops. Not realizing the full scop
of the movement in this country agains
the government, General Otis desire,
to abandon the censorship OF press dis
scandalous and Infamous round robin,
laid before the American people by til
thwarted copperheads % the yello'
press, led the federal authorities to ir
sist upon the further maintenance of tn
censorship system. In September, how
ever, General Otis reached the c%onclusio
that the representatives of the oppos
tion press We're sufficiently tanned to b.
have themselves and keep within legit
mate bounds. The censorship was a,
cordingly removed. In trying to pos
at appears that the press reporters ne
lected to inform their constituents tn
the embargo had been lifted from the
facile pens, and for some -eeks sin
the action of Otis the democratic new
papers have ignorantly paraded the no
rors of suppressing the news, when tn
were receiving all the newsstand mo
tou.
With the opening up of the fall car
paisn in the Philippines, it is to be no
ed the necessity for further censorsh
OF newspaper cablegrams may not ari.
But should a fusilade of lying dispatch
again be forwarded from Manila, to for
the basis of a political campaign of fra
and misrepresentation, the censorsf
should be re-established. 1t is enou
for the government to conduct a war
a successful conclusion without bel
hampered and held back by public Sc
tinlent built up on false and misleadi
premises.