Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1917-05-04
Qicbfnedltianer im Sentldlen lleidls.
WHAT THE CENSORSHIP HAS AL
READY DONE TO INJURE ENG
LAND AND AMERICA.


both houses of Congress the NEW
YORK AMERICAN, in its issue Of
May 3, says:
Now, listen to plain statement of
facts.
We have told you the same things
before, but it will do you no hurt to
hear them again And we want them
fresh in your mind while we proceed
to show what censorship does.
We are pretty sure that in a gen
eral way your impression is that
1 Germany is struggling against defeat
that may be delayed. but cannot be
avoided; that the allies have been
pounding and demoralizing the Ger
man forces in France--not entirely
crushing them as yet, but still pun
ishing them and driving them out of
their defenses in a series of daily
victories.
That is the general impression,
isn't it-that Germany cannot win
and is slowly being beaten and
starved into defeat?
Well, the facts are these: The
allied offensives in France have been
horribly bloody failures; the French
people are in a fury of indignation
over the fatal blunders of Nivelle and
are loudly demanding that the
officers responsible for the frightful
slaughter of these past three weeks
and more be condignly punished; the
British offensive has been stopped
dead in its tracks with the most
dreadful slaughter of the whole war;
Won Hindenburg switch-trenches and
machine gun nests have proved
Perfect defense against the British
artillery preparation and infantry
mass assaults; huge masses of re-
serves being hurried from the East,
where Russia is no longer a menace,
have given the Germans a prepon-
derance Of numbers and of material;
and the French Government knows
and the British Government knows
and our Government ought to know
that the military situation has de-
veloped wholly in favor Of Won Hin
denburg and that the Allies have not
one chance in ten of victory and
hardly one chance in three of staving
off complete defeat-unless America
can perform the twin miracles of
rescuing England from the sub
marines and of putting enough troops
in France to beat off the offensive
which the Germans are now be-
ginning to develop.
Now, what has all that to do with
censorship?
Well. it has this to do with it:
II censorship had not Quilted
Ananias and all the other liars that
ever were in the whole world, you
people and the people of England
would not have been going about
oomplacently waiting for Germany's
inevitable defeat, and wholly believr
ing that the allies were surely
winning the war.
And if the English people and the
American people had not been so
wholly and absolutely deceived into
careless state of mind. England
would have been prepared to stand
the submarine siege and the allied
armies would have been equipped to
stand the wastage of war until our
own strength and preparation could
have been VIGOROUSLY developed.
We tell you plainly that in a mill
itary, naval and economic way the
Germans have the allies whipped,
and that without our Intervention
there was not a doubt that Germany
would have victoriously dictated
peace before this year was gone
ard you may depend upon it that
this condition of affairs, both on the
continent and in England, is due to
the deadly havoc wrought by the
submarines against England's water
line Of communication is
the vital factor of Italy's and
Frances military strength, even
more than it is the vital factor in
keeping England's population fed
Weeks and months ago, over and
over again. we tried to make you see
the situation which was clearly de-
yeloping, so that you would all real
ize the URGENT NECESSITY of our
own preparation for war.
No newspaper ever did or ever will
give more sane counsel utter more
wise warning. try to perform more
patriotic service
We failed through no fault Of our
own to impress the truth upon the
Government and upon you people.
You simply would not believe the
truth. heed our URGENT warnings,
OF take one single step toward form
ing the army or organizing the re-
sources. or building the ships or
cultivating The idle farms, all of
which you and the Government are
now trying to do in such desperate
haste.
And why would you not believe
the truth? Why was every warning
jeered at and disregarded?
Why are we now so utterly un-
prepared, either to make war on our
own account or to help England and
France and italy to staye off the
menace of starvation and defeat?
Why, because you were deceived
and deluded by the living censorship
because you believed the prepos-
ferrous and almost self-evident lies
of this clumsy and stupid and fatally
disastrous censorship
You people ought to listen to what
we say about this matter with con-
viction. You yourselves know that
had you listened to us and believed
us when we We're absolutely alone
telling you the truth while this Lon