The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-01-14
CENSORSHIP UPHELD.
Enemies Clean Valuable Information
From Press Reports.

have been thought impossible to I'M
pose such a strict censorship of the
press as that exercised at the pres
ent moment, declares Answers. Yet
that imposed by the Japanese was
latitude itself in comparison.
Even so long ago as the Napol-
comic wars, when news travelled
slowly, items of intelligence in the
press helped our enemies. Yelling
ton complained about it again and
again, once remarking that, if the
public chose to have such news, they
ought to know the price they paid
for it.
He pointed out that the French
knew exactly what he was going to
do from the English papers, and OBJ
tanned the information of his forces
and his positions. A French general,
writing to another then fighting We'll
lington, stated that Napoleon read
the English papers and was, there
fore, much better informed of the
plans and movements of the British
army in Spain than he was, although
he was actually opposing it.
There are letters written by Ma
.poleon showing the immense value
the news in the home papers was to
the French army. In one he sends
a journal to a general and asks him
to copy the important items and send
them on to others.
1t was the same in the Boer war
The Dutch agents bought our pa
pers and sent information to South
Africa, in one case a regretable incl
dent being brought about, thanks to
a letter from a soldier at the front
published in a local paper by a too
jealous editor.
Whether it is true or not, it has
been said that certain information
concerning the Boer position which
appeared in a French journal gave
our army an idea which was put into
practice during the fight which re-
lieved Ladysmith.
We know that even our friend, the
Mad Mullah, profits by reading the
English and Indian newspapers, and
recently particulars concerning our
operations to keep him in check were
refused for that very reason.
Perhaps, it might even be said that
French and English journals had
some result on the issue of the last
Franco-Prussian war. At one time
the Germans were rather hazy about
the French plans, and when they
saw their own ideas were not in ac-
cord with those family shadowed in
London papers they began to doubt.
When the same news appeared in
.sundry French newspapers they
thought they had better see if such
a plan were being put into execution.
Acting on these lines, they soon
found their own ideas had been
wrong, but the information obtain
ed allowed them to alter their dis
position before resuming operations.
1t was the same in the civil war in
America. Each side found the OPP
posing press to be of the greatest
use. ...
Tactics were altered, new schemes
planned, of advances countermand-
ed. The news of Sherman's march
published in the Confederate press
enabled Grant to follow his route,
and provide supplies for him when
he reached the coast.
Again, it was the newspapers
which enabled Russia to make such
prolonged stand at Sevastopol in
the Crimean war The Russian gen.
eral did not think the allies would
make an attempt to capture it, all
things considered; but, after seeing
what was written, he thought it best
to prepare and so defences were
greatly strengthened.
An interview with a Russian gen.
eral gave the Japanese the compost
ton of a force they had been trying
to obtain in vain by the ordinary
methods of war. Anxious to attack,
they had not attempted to do so be-
cause they were doubtful of the
strength of the opposing troops.
Many other examples might be
given, but those above show how
very necessary it is to publish moth
ing that will help the enemy. What
to the ordinary man is a matter OF
no value at all may be of the utmost
importance to the general trained to
arms.
Capt. Smith, 18th Lancers, means
little to the general public, but 1t
may tell an enemy's intelligence de-
partment that the 18th Lancers are