The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-20
ENGLISH REPORTERS
FRET IN VAIN UNDER
K|TCHENER'S THUMB
Scores, After Obtaining
Permission to Go to Front,
Are Held in London
rs FAR DIFFERENT
WITH THE GERMANS
Correspondents There Are Made
Welcome-One Man Is Seeking to
Arouse British Cabinet to Reali-
z>tion of What 1t Is Doing
BY w. oRroN rExxsnN

zation of What 1t Is Doing
BY W. ORTON TEMsON
London, December 2.-(SpeciaI) 1.-THE
engaging frankness. the simple sincerity
of almost all members of the British gov
ernment-from cabinent ministers down.
Is perhaps more astonishing to the
stranger than the almost insurmountable
difficulties placed between government
members and the stranger. 1t may easily
: take month for an accredited newspa-
Per man finally to obtain an interview
with even an under secretary but il
doesn't take two minutes with the man
to discover that willingness to talk freely
and honestly is as spontaneous and in
genuous as is the average American poll
tician's propensity to emulate the clam
This general fact was borne in on me to-
day with overwhelming force when had
the privilege of being present at a con-
versation between a former cabinet min
lister and still one of Englands leading
statesmen, and one of the score of war
correspondents who have been cooling
their heels at the war office for three
front
The war correspondent, one of the most
able and best known figures in the news
paper world, with a record of active serv.
Ice in a half dozen great wars, came to
London at the outbreak of the war at the
invitation of the British government to
represent several hundred newspaper OF
neutral country. The fact that OFT OF
dozens of capable men he obtained the
post proves he was acceptable to the wal
onice. But three months and more have
gone by and as yet this war correspond
ent, like all the others, has no reason
even to hope he will be allowed to ac-
complish what he came for.
Welcome in Germany
Finally, two weeks ago. despairing OF
seeing actual lighting from behind the
allied lines of war, the correspondent
made a "trip to Germany From the mo.
ment of his arrival in that country he
met with unexampled courtesy and founo
that his calling made him persona grata
everywhere. In week he had seen eN cry.
thing so far as the German army is con.
cerned that an experienced war CORE.
spondent could wish to see And he saw
these things from the vantage point of q
high powered, luxurious motor car in
which he sped from point to point with
the freedom of a staff officer.
Returning to London the correspondent,
hoped to be able to turn his experience ii
Germany to some use-in convincing, tn,
powers that be that their policy of oagins
newspaper men is all wrong. To this enc
he was Systematically approaching mer
of power in the government and in tn,
opposition and laying before them tn,
salient facts in the case.
The Germans, SIR he declared at one
point, TASK for publicity; they help yol
to get the information you seek in every
way possible. They provide for CORE
spondents creature comforts and provide
him with. unasked for assistance in min.
utest details. From a personally con
Quoted tour of an army corps to tooth.
brush beside your cot when you awake in
a tent, there is nothing the German army
rails to do for newspaper man who
wants to do this war;
Il can quite believe you," replied the
statesman gravely. I'm the matter of or
ganization the German army is as nearl,
perfect thing I suppose the world has
ever SEEM
The admission was made simply, sin
cerely. 1t was the utterance of a mar
at the same time keenly appreciative ant
duly awake to his own country's in
feriority in this respect. But the GORE
spondent was not to be swerved from hi:
purpose by disarming guile.
Admitting perfect organization" h,
went on, the point is the spirit that ami
mates them In their treatment of wa,
correspondents in the same spirit that ami
mates the proprietor of any enterrriss
that needs, to be successful publicity And
in Germany, as in America, the discover,
has been made that no enterprise from
circus to "a war can be conducted sue
cessfully If the proprietors in either oast
are hostile to contemptuous of the
press"
1T is surely Grass ignorance that ad.
mi ~ 4t4
where newspapers are concerned
agreed the statesman. smilingly. =
What is the spirit that animates
your government in this war;" said
the correspondent. ia
II assure you," replied tho states
man earnestly. you are quite misin-
formed" xF
Putting Blame on French
IF am" said the correspondent
can you tell me why I am invited by
this government to come here to Join
the correspondents who are to cover
the war from the British Isles-and
then kept waiting for three months
without SO much as word of ex-
cuse?"
II understand" replied the states.
man. that 1t is the French army au-
thorities who object to the presence
of war correspondent at the front
and l understand also that so long az
the nght1ng is being waged on French
soil 1t is the French and not the British
who have the say in these matters.
I'VE have an expression in the coun
try I come from that fits that state
ment," replied the correspondent eve
call 1t passing the buck? The fact i,
that 1t is not the French but the Brit
ish who are bottling us all up here
Your own war office admits that thi.
is So" -~
, THAT would seem to put the re
sponsibi1ity on Lord Kitchener" sug.
gested the statesman, little doubt.
fully.
There is no question about that. Il
fs Lord Kitchener" said the correspon.
dent But the responsibility rests or
the British government not on any on.
man."
quite So" assented the statesman
s.but so far as l am concerned, and
think / may say SO far as virtually al
the members of the government and Of
the opposition are concerned, there IL
much to deplore in this refusal to have
trained journalists at the front. To ask
a soldier to write is quite as absurd M
asking a journalist to do soldiers
work"
But the fact remains more thar