The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1914-11-28
TOO MUCH SECRECY.

nigh officials of the government a
Washington has created a disagree
able impression and stirred consid
cradle protest in this country. Jus
what the object III concealment coul,
have been is by no means clear
There was no desire for an engage
ment at war with the Turk and Ger
tainB there was 40 danger Of pas
sionate outburst against his unman
nerDness that would have come from
plain statement Of the facts con
corning the firing on launch CT the
cruiser Tennessee. There was a
natural curiosity to know what was
going forward in the remote harboi
where an American warsbip was
looking after American interests. and
there was distinct effort made to
suppress the actual facts, innocuous
81 statement Ct them would have
oeem The report OF Capt Decker
that the firing on his launch was mot
hostile but unfriendly," was at first
deliberately syncopatcd at the navy
department, and the Illuminating ex
preston was made 10 give a wholly
incorrect impression of the situation
The statement that the Turks act
was "unirlendly, was cut out Of the
Department. statement, and the first
Impression given to the public was
that the firing was without any flavor
Of olfense to the United States. The
excuse made for the suppression is
tnat the captains statement was
ambiguous, which ii was not, but
even II it had been, the department
version was very much worse than
mat. II would have Leon better ii
no statement at all had been made
than that an incorrect one should
have been published. The distortion
OF the report and it's subsequent eX
position have had the effect Of stimu-
iating instead of alaying suspicion,
and Il might have been known that
thi8 would be- Certainty no good
could possibly be expected to come
from this sort of thing, and it is l.
be hoped there viii be no more of
It.
There Is not the remotest Likelihood
Of cur getting miw,d up with the
turk, unless our officials are as fool
tsh as the decrepit and misled lag
gard on Tho Bosphorus, who Is drag
grng to an inevitable end through
the fires Of great war. Bad manners
ana impudence we shall have in full
measure, no doubt, but we can bear
a good deal e that without hecom
ing fulfilled, as long as our rights are
not infringed and we need not put
our rights at hazard. There is not
the slightest danger OF anybody III
the United States becoming excited
about wat the Turk does, but, I'M
more frank with The public than
them have shown 4 disposition TO
lie in this affair there is likely TO
grow suspicion that something more
Is geing forward than appears prob
able, and the handling OF the matter
nv the administration viii probably
como into very sharp question. The
Mexican Intervention, from which we
nave just got away by siding out,
was undertaken On a declaration OF
AfR' ttRAA thNt bhA hNh NV thAfA 49,
niiod and seems 10 have been for
gotten, aud Just what the real object
OF this serious enterprise was, that
Cost the country twenty lives and
ten million dollars, is not yet appar.
cnt II the impression is made that
there is something hidden about the
turkish business, there viii lie nat
utal and disturbing speculation as TO
Just wha; is likely 70 break ut an
untoward moment. In the case OF the
lurk THIS may not be in any way
serious but the uncertainty may lead
to even wider concern OF our foreign
relations, without The slightest JUS
t,heation in tho facts Tor any dis
anctdue