The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-05-27

the then existing order corresponds
ent, after tile most soul trying labor to
secure a piece OF news, was forced to
drive two miles to the censor's house
to have the stamp DC authorization
affixed and thence another two miles
to the telegraph Office 1t frequently
happened that the censor was not at
his house, as be had other government
duties to perform, and quite likely he
was ia bed and asleep and could not
be reached between midnight and s
o'clock in the morning the very hours
that, owing 10 the seven hours differ
ence in time, were most important for
the morning papers Of the United
States Then, too. although Mr. Lam
scott. the responsible censor, was
most intelligent and most obliging per
son, be was at best a subaltern who
must always be mindful Of the criti-
clsms that would follow any error OF
Judgment he might be guilty Of. Ii
was, therefore, only natural that he
should refuse 10 pass anything which
any one above him Ii authority might.
by any possibility, eonstrue as doubt
full Without any disposition On his
part to be ungenerous, BIS duty be-
came. out Of the very necessities of the
case, one OF suppression rather than
censorship.
Il submitted these facts to the EN-
ptror and urged that, notwithstand
ing ell Of this effort, the censorship
was not alone Ineffective, but really
hurtful to Russia. 1t was ineffective
for the reason that no power could
prevent correspondent from writing
whatever he chose and sending 1t
across the border to d German tele-
graph Office whence it would go In
full. The most, therefore, that the
Russian censorship on dispatches GO
ing to foreign countrlez- did was TO de-
lay them twelve or fifteen hours and
to vex and anger the correspondents.
But, I pleaded, these were not the
only consequences OF the censorship.
Since these obstacles were put in the
way Of sending the truth out Of Rus
STA there had grown up regular traf
&c ia the business OF supplying the
press Of the world with false news
about Russia. There are men In Nien-
ma, Berlin ami London who make iiv-
ing by invenung stories about Russia.
Ii, / said, we were free TO send the
truth promptly, no self respecting pa
per would think Of printing these VI
ennesa and Londonese fabrications
Finally suggested that as long as the
censorship lasted kilograms from St
Petersburg passed BIZ the censor took
on an official aspect and passed cur
rent throughout the world for much
more authority than they were really
entitled to.
"The emperor asked how long ! pur
posed remaining III ST. Petersburg aud
said that II / would wait week he
would undertake to do All Of the things
l asked He said thar an they wanted
was that the truth be told, and he be-
lieved there was more certainty Of SCI
curing such an end by the plans ! had |
outlined Mr.. William I. Stead had
been there a year before trying to ac-
complish the same thing, but | am
afraid be was not very taetful about It.
The same evening ! attended the |
great court bah, and the emperor came |
up and renewed the conversation and |
assured Ambassador Mccormick that /
If l would remain HI st. Petersburg FOR
a week he would arrange everything, |
1t was agreed that ! should put my |
suggestions into the form Of memo
randum and send it to him.
''The following Thursday I met Min
lister plehve at d reception, and he said |
be was afraid they could not abolish /
the censorship, although. Of course,
the matter was ia the hands Of his
majesty, who would do as he thought i
wise. M. Plehye wanted to know If |
would not be content with the ap
pointment of bureau Of censorship to /
be located at the telegraph Office and |
to be open day and night. l replied /
that that would certainly be a great |
Improvement, but that ] hoped for
something better
''Then the war came on. and every |