The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-10-15

sreat French centers OF munition
making. Their report was Of little
interest to the average reader. who
knows and cares little how guns ars
made. But somewhere In each arti-
Gle emphasis was placed upon the
spirit of the French workman.
I'VE do not strike he says. mot
We. We are In the war rs much as
those others at the front"
IL is to be assumed that the Eng
Iish workman will take the moral
to heart. Almost coincidentally vari-
GUS English writer's OF note-Kipling
and Bennett and others-were
guests OF the French army. Because
England has concentrated its atten-
ton on Its own army. for perfectly
natural reasons. IL seems probable
that feeling has grown up that
this war Is an altruihtic enterprise
on England's part. Robert Batch
ford I'm the London Sunday Dispatch
voiced this feeling the other day In
an article In which he declared
this quotation Is perhaps not YER
batim--that I'VE are lighting for
France"
Nothing OF this sentiment appears
in the writings of the men | allude
TO. There can be no doubt that this
correction Of q prevailing misconcep.
| ton will be OF value In France. AZ
well as in England. Frenchmen be.
lieye that England Is fighting quite
as much as for her own preserva-
ton as for that Of France, and the
thought voiced by Blatchiord has
created much bitterness here. None
OF these causes Of friction need have
arisen II correspondents had been
given the freedom In the past that
II appears they are 10 have In the
| future
In different way similar aud
equally legitimate use was made OF
English correspondents In Russia.
Al the outset they were barred.
There has been an agelong enmity
between England and Russia. and IL
| England were to be denied knowl-
edge Of what her eastern ally was
doing there would DE at the least
probability OF serious misunder-
standing. Lord Kitchener at frst
refused to permit newspaper men to
go to Russia. and sent instead as a
commissioner very excellent
young man who happened to be
professor oil Russian in the Liver.
pool university. Perhaps the expert
ment was not altogether successful.
| At any rate he has not been heard
from lately, and almost all the i'm
portant English papers have CORE
| spondents In Russia now. They are
permitted to take liberties In writ
| shocking to those Who know what
the Russian censorship can be on
| occasion The Russian internal
| censorship has been greatly relaxed
! for the same reason, although the
Russian mass has not demanded the
same quantity and quality OF inform
alton 4 democracy feels is its right.
From the moment the early rigid
| ity of the censorship relaxed France
| has been more liberal than any OF
the warning countries. Correspond
ents nave been given privile ges here
that are refused them elsewhere.
At no time has there been any sug.
gestion of propaganda. There are
certain restrictions as TO the use
OF the cable at times, but no effort
has ever been made to restrict the
use OF the mails. No case has arts
EN- In with correspondent is
charged with revealing military Sc
crets, and comment has been entire
ly unrestricted. In England the 9TH
or day the correspondent OF an
was sentenced to prison for CON-
ments upon England's wool trade
An incident Of that sort has never
occurred In France.
This Is not 10 say that Frances
Internal censorship is not severe
che. Publications Of sort calcu
lated TO shake the courage OF the
people are very properly forbidden.
But there are scores OF periodicals
In France In which the very freeSt
sort OF free speech appears. Now
and then an issue Is conHscated or
an entire article is excised But
nothing happens to the writer VI.
Clcmenceau and Gustave Herve and
others lambast the government lib
orally upon occasion. One member
Of the government II privately quot
ed as expressing the opinion of the
cabinet:
I'VE resent what they say" said
this man, but they have done good.
Democracies exist because of free
speech"
In Austria and Germany condl.
tons are different. Autocracies as
they are, the right Of the people TO
know something OF what is going
on Is recognized. II IL possible as
charged, that the news that comes
from the outside may be literally
doctored, but the people may read
daily OF the triumphs and suffering
Of their soldiers. There Is Great
Press Headquarters" with both the
Austrian and German armies. and
properly accredited correspondents
ere given considerable liberty in
seeing and writing. The men live
with tho arUlios which A., MT tho