The Washington times., 1901-07-25

The London Telegraph publishes the
following from its correspondent in South
Africa:
Il know of no more puzzling task than
getting through, either by wire or letter,
early news OF military events in South
Africa Direct and Indirect obstacles are
interposed to she prompt transmission of
information. Ever since the evil days
when General Wolseley (as he then was.
think suggested rather than instituted
the method of doctoring newspaper cor
respondence matters have gone from bad
to worse. We are rapidly getting abreast
of the mischievous methods of Napoleonic
bulletins and if there is any sequence in
history or causes the same disastrous re-
suits to the authors and supporters of
such a policy will assuredly follow some
day. OF so much I again think it my duty
to give warning.
with commaEders-in-ch chief. from Gen.
eral Butler and Lord Roberts onward.
acting practically as privileged war cor
respondents. by their authority securing
prior rights upon their own news and
blocking the ordinary correspondents
freedom to transmit messages-for as
much as week at a time it has hap
peued in Natal and upon this side-the
British pubic permitted IN urSt
instance only to read official news. And
what these have been and sometimes are
no matter. The ancient proverbs about
giving the thing that is not so the start
of truth and beating IL in a race around
the world is grasped by the military
mind.
Even letters-all letters press or 9TH
erwise-to England and Europe inclusive
are subject to press censorship, which
may or may not be exercised, as the
chance falls | have explicitly enquired
about this subject, and there are others
who can bear me out In the accuracy OF
this statement The whole business of
censorship, as conducted in South Africa,
cannot help believing, is mainly a bum
gle and blunder. So far as mailed let
ters to English newspapers are concerned.
these are always a month behind the
event and the restriction cannot be to
prevent news being taken advantage of
by the enemy Rather 1t looks as If the
enemy were the British public, who were
to be held in strings as much as possible,
and only permitted access to official bull
letins- The sooner the whole matter of
unofficial correspondence is put upon
definite basis; conformable to our free
institutions. the better il will be for ev-
erybody. It is high time some one made
bold to say so much
The Paris Patrie'' publishes an inter
view a correspondent had at Toulon with
Lieutenant Jobart. who was In command
of the Gustave Zede during the recent
sensational success of that submarine
boat in the harbor of Ajaccio.
The officer states that the enemy were
perfectly welf aware OF the departure of
the Gustave Zede from Toulon in tow of
the tug title. AS Ajaccio was neared
Lieutenant Jobart dismissed the title and
lay on the surface of the ocean waiting
for the appearance of the enemy. He soon
saw two cruisers leave their anchorage
and he sank his vessel until they had
passed out of sight. On coming again to
the surface he saw that the battleships
were at anchor. so he erept nearer, only
sinking when he saw the big vessels NOV
ing. After he had taken his bearings for
an attack on the Charles Martei, and
when the battleship passed over the Gus
taye Zede the torpedo was fired. which
struck the vessel. and thus alarmed the
fleet that a submarine WAS in the harbor
The lieutenant says that none of the
lookout men on the warship observed him,
hut when the torpedo had been nred hc
rose to the surface. when two shots wert
fired from the fleet, and he sank at once
remaining below the surface until the las