New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-07
The Real Issue

partment and the newspapers the iiidli
issue raised by recent events IS rapidly
Icing lost sight of. Any action OF the
War Department in temporarily suppress
ing the publication in this country OF all
news Of the landing of an expedltionary
force until the last ship is safely IN port
would be fully defensible. The fact that
the news was prematurely published IN
London would not affect the case, because
II vonld he possible that the transmission
of this news from London to Germany
could be prevented, and the War Depart
ment would be justified in its course II 1t
had only one chance in million to es-
cape danger.
The real issue between the government
and the people of the United States-not
the newspapers-hes in the fact that 1t
totally failed to prevent the TRANSMISSION
IN Germany of the news of the sailing OF
the American expedition, with the result
that the expedition was exposed to sub
marine attack.
The newspapers of the country, how
ever irritated by the exercise of arbitrary
authority by the government in the mat
ter of press censorship, would still be with
ont the slightest cause for protest at the
course of the government had there been
exercised against enemy aliens the same
kind of drastic censorship that was totally
concentrated upon the American press.
The bitterest kind of indictment of the
failure of the government to protect the
lives of the American soldiers and sailors
in the Pershing expedition by taking ade-
ouate means to prevent the TRANSMISSION
of news to Germany seems to The Tribune
to be Just. Every man, woman and child
who had a relative in the Pershing expe-
dition has a cause for protest and anger
at the various officials responsible for their
total and inconceivable failure to protect
American lives.
Let Us not be led aside by the discussion
Of press censorship. The Tribune Will
gladly submit to the suppression OF dis
patches to it dealing with the movements OF
American troops by land or by water as
long as there is the remotest chance that
publication will endanger these troops.
Vexatious as the methods Of the War De-
partment have uniformly been, there would
be something to be said for them had they
been accompanied by the exercise of SINH
lar activity with reference to the German
news sources. But this is not the case.
Through no foresight on the part of the
government in this respect the American
expedition arrived in France safely.
Through the folly and blindness Of the
government it was exposed to deadly peril,
from which it escaped by reason Of the
skill and efficiency of the American navy.
a condition that permits the Germans TO
know when and where American troops
are sailing is an intolerable condition, de-
handing drastic remedy. By contrast it
is Of minor Importance whether the Amer
lean newspapers publish to-day or to-mor
row what has happened, and the American
newspapers have voluntarily imposed upon
themselves exactly the censorship which
the War Department exercised in recent
days, and had the War Department had
the foresight TO ask that there be no pub
LEGATION of news Of the landing until it
authorized such a publication this whole
l.. - III
n 1t is probably very pleasing for the War
Y Department to see the discussion shifted
from the failure Of the government to pre-
vent the Germans from knowing about the
sailing Of our troops to the delay in pub
LEGATION by American newspapers of their
arrival, but neither the newspapers nor
the American people should permit shift
ing of the issue. Secretary Baker and
those associated with him in this work
failed in the greatest task that has yet
been set for them. They failed completely.
A result Of their failure was the subma-
zine attack, which might have cost many
hundreds or thousands of American lives,
and 10 is only now, after their failure has
become obvious, that they are endeavoring
% take steps to prevent repetition Of the
recent affair.
What the War Department did TO the
newspapers is Of no consequence. What
the government did not do TO German
agents IL national scandal. Unless the
evil now dis5osed is remedied many thou