Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-08
SAY CENSOR STRIVES
TOBL|ND ALL ENGLAND
British Newspapers Again launch
Attack at Methods Used in
Curling News.
Withholds Facts Already in Hands
Of Enemy and Cuts Laudations Of
German Bravery, Is Charge.

LONDON. October s-"The time has
come" says the Morning Post in an
editorial today, 'for the government to
deal fairly with the country-to tell
the people the truth, to record misfor-
press only such information as may
help the enemy. II the government
persists In its policy of sugared Sc
crecy the consequences may be serious.
After fourteen months Of war SO
much has become known which has
been concealed by the authorities that
the people have become impatient"
The Daily Mail asserts that German
and Italian newspapers give the name
Of the British officer in charge Of tho
.Angio-French force landing at Salon
Xxi. although tho censor prevents tho
British public from knowing it The
Mail cites several other instances of
this nature which 1t terms "Absurdi-
ties of the censorship"
Denounces Censorship.
Claiming that probably no journal
has supported the censorship with more
loyal patience the Pail Mall Gazette
devotes its leading article to a vigor-
Gus denunciation of the manner in
which tho censorship has been applied
Evidences of abuse in the exercise
of power by that department have be-
come too glazing to be ignored" says
the Gazette. The legitimate function
of the censorship is to blind England's
enemies, not England herself. When 1t
withholds from Englishmen what the
enemy already knows. or when 1t sup
presses unpleasant news for the sake
vip0 n o. n
optimism, 1t is perpetrating combi-
nation of insult and injury which the
country has every right to resent.
THE treatment Of the news of Pre-
mier Venizelos' resignation seems a
clear instance of the reluctance to let
unpleasant facts reach the public ear.
The Intelligence was sent from Athens
in plenty of time to be published when
the people of this country were de-
priyed for many hours Of news which
was fully at the disposal of both their
allies and their enemies.
Praise of Germans Cut Out.
"The disposition to interfere with the
circulation Of news for the sake Of
the political effect seems to ind even
more deplorable modes Of expression
than such weak and senseless meas
ures of delay. The Times tells US that
the censor struck out OF one OF its
dispatches words recording tho high
ighting qualities shown by the Ger
mans against our recent advance,
while corresponding tributes to our
own troops were not tnterfered with.
This. perhaps, Is the gravest. most
shameful charge that has been brought
against those who hold the custody
of public information. 1t Is hard to
distinguish 1t from virtual falsiflca-
ton, since 1t altered the whole balance
Of the narrative and thus made for q
misleading conception Of the conditions
of the conflict. Such tampering with
evidence Is difficult to explain except
by desire to make the public believe
the problems of the war are less for
midable than they really are.
Kipling Quotation Mutilated.
When a quotation from Kipling 10
mutilated in a dispatch through being
mistaken for an item OF news It is q
sufficiently humiliating exhibition Of
Ignorance in public office. but that 10
overshadowed by indications of posi-
tive breach Of trust in the relations
between the censorship and the pub
lic"
The Tribuna OF Rome said on oc-
tober that Gen. Sir Ian Hamilton.
| had been at Saloniki to inspect ar.
rangements for the landing Of tho al.
| lied troops.