Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-02
Seems to Re Directed by Official of
Caprice, Inconsistency and
Inconsistency.
WORK ADMITTEDLY DIFFICULT
Apprehensions Regarding Danger Of
Enemy Gaining Information From
Published News Stories Frequently
Declared to BE Exaggerated.

with sharp pair of shears during the
second empire; she has become his
patron saint.
| The pronriety OF the name is ques-
| toned by every editor whose copy has
| been slashed. The work of Anastasie
was methodical, following n rational
plan, and executed with undoubted
taste and discrimination. while the
censor of to-day is compared by Pa
risian photographers 10 an editor with
a bilious view of life. n supreme con-
tempt for the feelings of his fellow
man and a sense OF news approaching
hysteria or nightmare. This view
grows out OF the apparent caprice, in
consistency and Inconsistency of tho CEN
sor. he cut mercilessly yesterday what
he let go through the day before. and
what no killed yesterday he approves
| to-day. He slashes the copy OF one
| editor and allows another to publish
the same thing. Parts of the same
dispatch are eliminated from the proofs
| of one paper and overlooked in another.
and so on.
The fact is, undoubtedly, that the
| censor is doing the best he can II his
work seems to be ragged to the Jour
| nalist. 1t is because he is bound by
| instructions from many different sources
that change and accumulate every day.
II 1t is not uniform 1t is because n
| large staff is required to do the work,
and the general result is bound to
reflect different personal viewpoints.
The general plan of the censorship
was defined by the law of August 5,
1914 forbtdding publication of news of
movements Of troops, composition Of
units or attachments OF the army, de-
| tails of defensive works, numbers of
! wounded, Killed or prisoners facts con-
corning ornaments, material or sup
plies, sanitary situation. promotions or
changes among general officers, and in
general any information likely to be
! or use TO the enemy or act harmfully
! upon the spirit of the army or the
population Following these general
rules special recommendations are
transmitted daily from the general
headquarters
The consequence of unccnsored ref
erences to hombarded towns was
shown in the case of a city certain
quarters of which that had been spared
were indicated in n newspaper article
| The next day the Germans directed
their fire upon the blocks of houses
Indicated in the article Another ar
ticle cited industrial establishments
texploited by the French army. not far
from the lines. Immediately the Ger
mans bombarded them and the French
were Obliged TO abandon them
a weekly periodical published n
photograph Of priest saying mass
for congregation of soldiers Mt n
village near the front. The Germans
learned from it that French troops
we're quartered in the village and
showered shells upon II.
APrREIENsIONs FREQUENTLY
MUCH EXAGGERATED
The censor's approximations are fire.
quently declared to be exaggerated
most of the news that he considers
dangerous the editor considers abso-
lutcly inoffensive. 1t is not the censor
who always decides. The real head ot
the censorship. is the comma nder-in
chief of the French armies Ills orders
are transmitted every day, and the
bureau of the press must rigidly fol-
low them. News. the publication OF
which is considered dangerous to-day
may be no longer dangerous to-mor
row. and it is often in this release OF
news, the publication of which is no
longer harmful, that brings upon the
censor tho charge of caprice
Instructions regarding naval matters
come from the Minister OF Marine.
while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
decides what diplomatic news may bo
published. News of n general political
bearing Is referred to the Premier hin,
self. Monsieur Viviani. who is the
court of last resort and whose slecp
Is troubled at all hours of the night
by telephone calls from the Bureau
de Ia Prcsse"
Newspapers complained that when
the German atrocities were fresh they
could not publish them. while later on.
after the battle OF the Marine, when
they had ceased to be news, they were
allowed to print them freely. The pub
LEGATION OF these details was prohibit ed
because that was supposed to be what
the Germans wanted. and because the
wider circulation given to them, the
more would be the chances OF intimida :
ton. After tho battle Of the Marine
these reasons disappeared
The newspapers were also astonishe ed
that the censor should order them to
cease publishing the state of the ba-
rometer. 1t hadn't occurred to them
that knowledge of the weather indica-
tons would be of great service to the
pilots OF German aeroplanes and Yep
pelins
fcople seeking in the newspapers the
sailing dates of French transatlantic
liners found them missing one morning
and few of them had the thoughtful-
ness TO connect this measure with tho
presence OF submarines In the English
channel at one time the papcrs D,Ib-
iished freely expcdients used by French
prisoners in Germany to inform their
families how they were treated in snIte
of the German censorship. This was
interesting, but the exposure of their
subtcrfuge rendered them useless for
the future. Pathetic recitals OF tho