The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05
KEPT IN THE DARK
BY RIGID PRESS CENSORSHIP
Whole World Acquainted With News Which That Country
Is Not Officially Permitted to Knov-"Fog of War
Overspreads the Land

war, and has uot 1T its 3isopsai. like
American opinion, the information
that comes from all quarters. Take
Tor instance, the question OF atroci-
ties. one gathers from American
papers that some Americans are in
cllned to blame English people for
making too much of the atrocities
charged against the Germans The
explanation is that-eXcept in such
unpopular organs as the Labor Lend
er, the independent Labor Party'a
pa per-nc mention has been made Of
the fact that similar accusations have
peen brought against the behavior of
r. ne russian troops in East Prussia
W hing was printed here about any
- charges against Belgians, until
| Pc >uld be quoted a clipping from
No4 :" IS as evidence that some OF
them were unfOunded. But for the
American papers. one would have no
suspicion that any English soldiers on
the held had been guilty Of the least
lrresularlty. In England there is
general surprise that America has
not been moved TO diplomatic inter
Ventlon, at least, by the stories OF
German atrocities in BELGIUM. This
surprise is largely due to entire ignor-
ance 81 the fact that America is
aware Of allegations on tht. other
side.
Japanese Assistance.
Then there is the question Of
Japan. A Toxic dispatch in the
Evening Post of September II relat-
ed that Japan's participation in the
war originated with a note from the
BRUSH Governmt Mt asking what she
could do to safeguard British ship
ping in the Far East The fact has
not been published III any English
paper. (When l say any I do not.
or course, profess to have read
through every newspaper published in
the country. But I read regularly
six leading English dailies, and oc-
casionaIly look at several others, 50
that I am not likely to miss any i'm
portant item.) The general belief i'll
| England is that Japan's intervention
was quite spontaneous.
The protest of the Chinese Foreign
| Office to the Japanese and Rritisl |,
Legations at Peking against the viola.
ton Of China's neutrality involved il.
the landing at Lung-kow tEvening
Post, September 81, also was with
held from the British public. Only
again from an Associated Press dis
patch in American papers could an
Englishman lear than there was any
remonstrance in the Japanese Die,
against the limitation by England Of
Japan S area Of operations in the war
These remarkable silences are due
| presumably, to the vigilance Of the
Press Censo-. It is more likely that
the neWSpa perS themselves are to
blame for a piece of stupid blunder-
ing in connection with President Will
sons reply to the Kaiser's telegram
That reply was published in the
American papers of September It j:
appeared in the English papers o;
October 8, in the form of a TELEGRAM
from Amsterdam. giving a translation
of it as it had been published in the
Norddeutsche Ailegemeine Zeitung.
Presidents Words Garbled.
IN the course Of these migrations
the Presidents words had undergone
some wonderful changes. One pass
Iage appeared thus: L pray to God
that this war may soon be ended. a
day Of settlement will come when
ain convinced the nations of Euro Dc
will unite to end their differences
Whoever has been in the wrong will
learn the sequel, and the RESPONSE
bility will fall on the guilty. The ma
tons Of the whole world ar unaTi-
nous in thinking that the final settle.
ment must Involve complete agrc e.
1nent." Instead of such non sense as
this, what the President had really
written was: "Presentiy, / pray God
very soon, the war VIII be over. The
udE Oh accounting VIII Lncn come
when, / take it for granted. the ma
tons OF Europe will assemble to de.
terTnine a settlement. Where wrongs
have been committed their conse-
QuenceS and the relative reSpnSi bity
| involved will be assessed. The na-
tions OF the world have fortunately by
lagreeTnent made g plan for such q
reckoning and settlement What
such plan cannot compass. the
opinion OF mankind, the final arbitel