New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-27

hey, the Parliament House, the war
Ofice, buckingham Palace, the Foreign
Oslice, and so on. To probabilities OF
this sort Mr.. McKenna has remark
able power Of closing his mind. To the
awful lessons of Belgium, and espe..
oially of Brussels and Antwerp, botn
betrayed by resident Germans, many OF
them in high positions, he is dear. NOT
less unmoved was he by the action OF
the French, who have expelled SLoVo
Germans from France. They were Ger
mans; that was enough for the French
Is There n War?
As an example of the English state
of mind, | will tell you story whieh
is incredible but true. My authority
is Judge on the Bench. Al dinner
the other night he took in a lady VINO
in dress and manner seemed IN her
place in distinguished company. The
two were strangers. When she mad
pulled of her gloves she turned to the
eminent Judge with n questions:
."Do YOU take any interest In TINS
war ,"
This was in the West End Of London.
II is lust possible that the Zeppelins,
when they come, or If they come, may
convince her that she really has an in
terest in "this war" They may also
convince the million Of men who for
the moment do not think they are
wanted as recruits.
A Turkish Telephone.
1t would be interesting to know
whether we keep an Ambassador IN
Constantinople TO do the will of the
Turks. An undenied telegram TO Lon
con relating that the Turks at SMYRNA
had fired on launch from the united
States cruiser Tennessee says;
According to unofficial messages the
American Ambassador at Constantine
pie, Mr. Morgenthau, without invesu-
eating the incident, ordered the Ter
ressee from Turkish waters at the re-
quest of Turkish officials
This is the kind of incident which
leads Europeans to ask whether Euro
pean and American ideas of diplomacy,
and even of national self-respeet. are
the same. 1t was clearly Mr.. Morgen-
thau's duty to report and await orders
from Washington. He seems 10 have
chosen to make himself the telephone
of the Turkish Government
To-day comes a dispatch from WASH
ington to "The Times" saying:
at is widely ard apparently author
itatively announced that, come what
may, President Wilson does not pro-
pose to be dragged into complications
with Turkey" =.
In other words, Turkey may insult
the American flag and fire on Amer
lean warships, or perhaps massacre
American missionaries, as she has done
before now; and we are to take II
1 nrfn
not tolerate that, as we all know. But
what is Europe to think when such
statements are made?
The Revolt Against the Censor.
The patience of the English Press
under the tyranny of the Censorship
is diminishing, and seems likely to
reach the vanishing point. Io-days
"Times" presents its readers with an
elaborate editorial analysis and eX-
posure of the censorial proceedings
past and present. Giving chapter and
verse. it shows that if the Press
has misled the public, the govern
ment. and not the press, are re.
sponsible. There is no imputation OF
bad faith nor, so far as know, ground
for any. but there is the express al
legation that:
"The Government have exercised con-
troll over the Press with singular in
competence and great lack OF Judg-
mcnt." ,..
For that there is ample foundation.
and the evidence set forth is abundant
and conclusive.
Sir Stanley Buckmaster's recent dec
larations in the House have only made
matters worse. He claims the right as
Censor to suppress whatever tends to
affect the public mind untavoraDiy,
whether il be military news or criti-
cism on the Government. This is, what
General Greeley tried to do in America
during the Spanish war, and failed to
do. Sir Stanley Buckmaster will tall;;
The Press needs only to exert its real
power as an exponent and voleer
~ nublic opinion. and the ineptitudes
of the Censorship must come to an end.
"The Times" is showing the way
G.. w. s.