Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-26

telegraph station not under military
scrutiny.
A wire even under such advantag-
eous conditions would not be certain,
for every land now censors dispatches
to suit itself. His story at best would
be a mere driblet and a weak frag-
ment.
No foreign country knows even yet
just what happened at Mukden. Neither
the Japanese nor the Russians would
permit any writer's near the scene.
Besides that, no correspondent could
of himself possibly know what was go
ing over a territory so very many
miles in extent.
Picture a battle between Austrians
and Russians on Austrian territory.
Not line would any reporter be al
lowed to send by wire over Austrian
territory, provided the Russians won.
Nor would Russia permit any dis
patches except of the most meager
character.
Thus each country will make up its
own war news. II will send out only
what it desires the world to know. Re-
ports will be distorted TO suit one side
or the other, salient facts will not be
admitted.
The general commanding an army is
the only person in a position to write
a true report of what occurs in a bat
tie. All his subordinate officers make
constant reports to him of exactly
what occurs.
Were a correspondent permitted
each night to read these reports he
could frame up a fine story of a cam
paign. But the general will not be so
obliging.
On the contrary, he will make a re-
port to the war office and the war Of |
fee viii publish to the world just so
much of the bald, bare facts as it may |
deem advisable. No war Office will |
issue any report disadvantageous to
itself.
Thus at ST. Petersburg will come
Russian victories, from Berlin German
victories. from Vienna Austrian vic
tories. Correspondents will be kept
far to the rear. Indeed. the correspon-
dents in London, Paris. Berlin, Vienna
and st. Petersburg will be the real
war correspondents. They will get the
news and more news than anybody
Offices. but not from battlefields.
War correspondents lost their jobs
after the Spanish-American war
They then swarmed over Cuba and
they sent what they desired provided
they could get their reports carried to
Key West.
But wireless telegraphy, aeroplanes.
strict censorship over all telegraph
operations when armies move by !
rains, the fear os countries 10 have un.
pleasant untruths told about their fail
Tres in battle-tkese make It impos-
ible for anybody today 10 do what a {
lozen brilliant young men did during
'ur civil war in the way Of wiring pic I
ures of great battles. s
SO anxious were Russia and Japan q
Turing their recent war to keep all i
ecrets away from the world that they f
you'd not even permit foreign mill i
airy observers TO see what was going '
n. Japan, especially. kept the for t
ign officers far to the rear of the big II
'ork :
No American officer ever had finer Y
pportunity to see things in a foreign
'ar than General Sherman. He &C. 4
ompanied King Williams own head n
uarters through that memorable
campaign and was
nth Bismarck day and night
In his own story, Little Phil" re-
ties how Bismarck drank couple of
ottles OF brandy one night. The Ger
ian statesman was an enormous eater
nd he could swallow a quart OF beer e
single draught h
| ri
Remarriage Is more prevalent among W
idows than widowers.