The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-06
STRATAGEMS OF WAR.
Deception Regarded as Legitimate
Weapons of Attack.
From the Chicago Chronicle.

Everything is fair in love and war;"
says the old adage. Morally consid-
cred, this may not be true except upon
the theory that the end justifies the
means, yet il cannot be denied that
both individuals and nations have act
ed upon the theory from time immeno-
rial. Just at present two great nations
are engaged in war, and incidentally
illustrating their belief that a false
hood will sometimes serve their pur-
poses as we'll as the truth. Almost
daily the newspapers chronicle some
great Japanese or Russian victory by
land or sea: the next day the entire
story is fatty contradicted This state
of uncertainty and untrustworthy in.
formation Is often due to measures
taken by the military commanders,
who sometimes regard false reports as
stratagerns of war.
To Catherine of Medici has been as
cribed the maxim. false report. If
believed during three days, may be OF
great service to a. government" ano
Disraeli. in speaking of false politi-
cal reports" says that between solid
lying and disguised truth there is a
difference known to writers skilled in
1.-The art of governing mankind by de-
ceiving them" History shows the
anu SOttlGAlllGS ldSllDB dQ-
vantages of spreading rumors design
ed to disguise or to counteraQ the real
state of things. "Such reports set
a-going,' says Disraeli. serve to break
down the sharp and fatal point of a
panic, which might instantly occur; in
this way the public is saved from the
horrors of CONSERVATION and the stupe-
faction of despair. These rumors give
breathing time to prepare for the dis
| ~ s- AL ,xxR IL
and, as might be shown, in some cases
these first reports have left an event
in so ambiguous a state that doubt
! may still arise whether these reports
were really destitute of truth Such
reports, once printed. enter into our
history and perplex the honest histo-
rian. OF a battle fought in a remote
situation both parties for IL long time
at home may dispute the victory aft er
the event and the pen may prolong
what the sword had long decided. a
sl<irmish has been often raised into an
arranged battle and a defeat concealed
in an account of the killed and wound
3D. while victory has been claimed by
both parties"
History shows that Villeroi in all his
encounters with Marlborough always
sent home dispatches by which no one
could suspect he was discounted. Pom
pey, after his fatal battle with Caesar,
sent letters to all the provinces and
cities of the Romans, describing 1t
with greater courage than he had
fought, so that a report generally pre-
vailed that Caesar had lost the battle.
Plutarch informs us that 300 writers
had described the battle Of Marathon.
In looking over a collection of letters
of the times of James l one is struck
by the contradictory reports of the re-
suit of the battle of Lutzen, so glorious
and so fatal to Gustavus Adolphus.
The victory was sometimes reported to
have been obtained by the Swedes, but
a general uncertainty sort of mys-
terry, agitated majority of the nation.
This state of anxious suspense lasted
a considerable time, but the fatal truth
gradually came out.
The historian of Gustavus Adolphus
observes on this occasion that few
couriers were better received than
those who conveyed the account of the
Kings death to declared enemies or
concealed ill-wishers; nor did the re-
port greatly displease the court of
Whitehall. where the ministry-as II
usually happens in cases Of timidity-
had it's degree Of apprehensions for
fear the event should not be true, and,
as have learned from good authority,
imposed silence on the news writer's
and intimated the same to the pulpit
in case any funeral encomium might
proceed from that quarter"
The same circumstances occurred on
another occasion, when an invention
calculated to spread terror against a
party was too gross, and the city of
London was one day alarmed by a re-
port that the Royalists were planning
an explosion in the river Thames with
an immense quantity of powder ware
housed at the riverside, and that there
existed an organized, though invisible
brotherhood of many thousands, with
consecrated knives. Those who hest
tated to give credit TO such rumors
were branded as malignants who took
not the danger of the Parliament to
heart. Feigned conspiracies and re-
ports of great but distant victories
were inventions to keep up the spirits
of party, but oftener prognosticated
some intended change by the govern
ment When they were DESTROYS of
augmenting the army or introducing
new garrlsons or using an extreme
measure with the city or the Royalists
there was always new conspiracy
set afioat; or when any great affair
was to be carried in Parliament letters
of great victories were published to
dishearten the opposition and infuse
additional boldness In their own party
II the renort lasted oniv a few dava