Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1913-04-11
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.

STRICTLY CONxlO6NI1A1s
There lies on the Evening Times
safely TO. several days, q copy of 7!;e
N .ssage of the president Of the Crit.
ed States VI IL delivered to the two
houses of congress at the beginning Of
the first session of the sixty third ron.
gress, and which is intended to he
read on April 8, next Tuesday. Print
ed on the title page in bold type are
these words:
Confidential, to be held in conf.
dence, and no portion, synopsis, or in
timation to be published or given out
until its reading has been begun in
congress. While the message is dated
April 8, 1913, some contingency may
arise to prevent Its delivery to con
gress On that date, and extreme case
must therefore be exercised to avoid
premature publication" This is sign
ed by Joseph P. Tumulty, secretary to
the president. The cover also bears
the following injunction signed by Mel
vim E. Stone, general manager of the
Associated Press: 4
tThe following matter must be held
until released, notwithstanding any
other instructions printed or written
hereon."
Most people would conclude .frem
tall this that the message was sent out
in advance SO that newspapers might
have 1t ready for publication as soon
as it was released by wire, but that 1t
was neither to be published in part
or entire, or used as the basis Of any
publication of any sort, prior to Its de
livery any more than if advance copies
has been sent out. The warnings
against premature publication are not
peculiar to this document. Most PEG.
pie are aware of the fact that hun
dreds Of thousands Of documents are
sent out in the same manner in the
course of a year, and the injunction
against premature publication are SUBJ
stantially the same in all cases. If
The Evening Times were to publish
the message or any portion or synopsis
1of 1t before release it would be fined
by the Associated Press, anlagement,
the fines varying from moderate but
very substantial sum for inadvertent
publication to a very large figure for
deliberate violation of the release Or
der. In the aggravated case the pen.
atty would be expulsion from member
ship in the Associated Press. This has
been inflicted on more than one case.
Notwithstanding all this we find in
the Washington Post an editorial con-
tanning very complete summary of
the message, not quoting it directly of
course, but describing it in such a
manner that it is evident that the man
who wrote the article must have had
the message before him when he did
lit. We are told of the length of the
message, Of the features which are dis.
cussed, of those that are not touched
on, and to all intents and purposes the
paper might as well have given its
readers the message entire. This has
been done in the one paper named,
and If 1t has not been done in others
1t will be done, ad bfore the. end of
the week there will have been sent on
all over the country in one form ,r
other quite accurate and complete des.
crlptolns of this very confidential doc.
ument.
Either the injunction of secrecy
should be lifted, md the whole thing
be thrown open, or the big papers
would he compelled to quit the prac-
tice which they follow in connection
with every advance document of any
Importance, of publishing the news be-
fore it Is ripe.-Grand Forks Times.
OUR NATIONAL FALSE PRIDE
Henry Watterson SAYS the AVERAGE