Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-07-14
CORRESPONDENTS TRUSTED
In Great Conflict of the Rebellion
Word Censor Was Never Used
Mo Need for It.

81 do not recall hearing the word
censor used in the army of the Poto-
mac" said Maj. S. G. Brock, who
served on the stats of Gen. Howell,
Gen. Foster and Gen. Terry in the civil
war. There were always lot of cor
respondents around headquarters, pUt
they were given absolute liberty of ac-
ton, with one exception. There was
an English writer with us who sent
his matter to the London Times. This
gentleman seemed to be dissatisfied
with the way the war was conducted
on the union side, and sent out some
very exaggerated and unfair reports.
When his paper came over here these
articles were copied by the American
press, and fell into the hands of the
commanders. Mr.. Englishman was
then courteously invited to move out,
and he did so.
THE American correspondents, how
ever, were universally trusted. have
seen them come into the generals Office
and voluntarily tender their manu-
script for inspection.
Thought I'd let you see how ham
died that little affair" of yesterday,
general they would say. I'D take it
as favor If you'd correct any mis-
statement of facts
When a secret movement was in
progress there was no need to caution
the boys of the press. They were pa
triotic and appreciated the value of dis
cretion as highly. as did the soldiers.
There were no yellow journals in those
days and while the correspondents
were as ready and anxious to print the
news as reporters are now they were
not given to eXaggeration and high
sounding phrases. The bald truth was
vivid enough. The correspondents con-
tracted the soldier habit of direct, terse
language. That was just what the peo-
pie of America wanted. The public
mind was so wrought up that so-called
fine writing or an attempt to make
bad worse for the sake of sensational
ism would not have been tolerated.
THE soldiers liked the correspond
tins. From their work in the papers
they first learned of the results of the
moves they had been engaged in. The
soldier who bore the brunt of the fir
| ing line was often ignorant of what his
courage had accomplished until he read
about 1t in the papers. You see, the
front was often ten miles long and
there was no means of knowing what
was going on all along it except as
gathered from the press reports. OF
course, the correspondents rode up and
down the line interviewed the com.
manders, viewed the field from all po
sitions, and obtained information i'm
possible to the soldier. I have seen &
particularly patriotic newspaper mar
become so enthused over battle tha
he would seize a musket and take {
hand in the scrimmage. That sort o
a man, you could we'll imagine, would
mt need press censor.
"It was the respect engendered b,
these intelligent press workers of tn,
sixties that led me into newspape
work at the close of the war. l dom
know what sort of things would hap
pen nowadays if the United States
should be drawn into a great war, bu
| fear these new varieties of self-right
eous journals that have since grown III
in the large cities of the east woul,
hardly send to the front the sam
stamp of correspondents that shares
trouble, with the army of the Poto
mac. Macon (Mo) correspondence
Kansas City Star.