The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-09-26
CENSORSHIP IS
MOST UNFAIR TO
GERMAN CAUSE
ROY w. HOWARD.
Head of Great News Association
Warns Americans Against
Hasty Judgment
IMPOSSIBLE TO GET
ACCURATE REPORTS
Any and All German Statements
Suppressed in London and
Paris, He Says

NEW YORK, Sept. 25.-"Until the
present British censorship Is altered
It will be impossible for Americans to
form an unbiased opinion or Judge
fairly from cable reports Of the day
by-day developments In the present
war" said Roy w. Howard, presi-
dent OF the United Press, who arriy-
ed on the Mauretania from Europe
today. Howard has spent several
weeks In England, Germany, France.
Belgium and Holland working on
problems presented to American news
agencies by interrupted cables and
foreign press censors.
eliminating consideration of inter
national questions involved In the
war, the fact remains" said How
ard, that the press censorship In
London Is at variance with all British
ideas of fair playa fact apparently
appreciated and deplored by all Eng
lishmen save those few on the cen.
sorship desk.
Every cablegram for America
must pass a British or an allied cen
sor. The French censorship Is ad.
mittedly dominated by the English
No one can question the right or the
British to maintain vigorous news
censorship. but the present organiza.
ton does not censor news. It sim
ply suppresses ut.
This suppression OF any and all
German news Is now being extended
TO the mails In London. Having
learned that the United Press was
sending German news from The
Hague to London for resembling to
New York, the British censor now
opens every letter before delivering
II to our London once. Some of the
censored letters are delivered and
some are not. Other American agen-
cies have had the same experience,
with the result that the best German
news reaching America aside from
the limited wireless dispatches) Is
matter sent by courier via the Hol-
land-American ships.
In consequence. despite the best
efforts and the most ingenious
schemes OF American newspapermen
the cable news reaching America Is
filtering through anti-German chan
nels. 1t requires no partisan bias to
force one to the conclusion that Ger
many's side Of such matters as the
reported atrocities In Belgium, must
be heard. before fair Judgment can
be reached by neutral Americans.
Even though one may have doubts
of Germany's ability to explain away
some OF the charges lodged against
her armies, nothing more 10 required
han a spirit OF fair play to prompt
a protest against. condemnation un-
der the lynch law being practiced by
the British censorship which would
permit the world to hear only the I'm.
dictment without word Of defense
from Germany.
bad as the situation has been
and Is. from the standpoint Of neutral
and disinterested news gatherers
there is nothing to indicate that the
attitude of the censorship Is support
ed by the British public. The dim
Guilty has been due primarily to Eng
lands unfamiliarity with the handling
of a censorship and TO unfortunate
choice of men for the work. Their
Is every reason to believe that ;
withholding OF favorable public opln
ion by Americans (the favorable opir
ion which both sides are so openl.
courting) until the present condition
Is remedied, will do more to correc
the trouble quickly than any othe
single thing"