New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-22
The Terrorist


Secretary McAdoo assails The Tribune
violently because it recently ventured to
criticise his handling of the Liberty Loan.
His attack is of little consequence in so far
as if concerns our somewhat unabashed
opinion of his financial methods and his
own much more complacent opinion about
them.
But his outburst is of vast Importance in
so far as it reveals the deep aversion to
public criticism which most Of President
Wilson's Cabinet advisers feel and, under
the prick of temporary irritation, frankly
manifest. Mr.. McAdoo's statement throws
a fashlight on the stubborn and desperate
fight which Attorney General Gregory,
seconded by Mr.. Lansing and Mr.. Daniels,
made for a press censorship law. They
are impatient to muzzle any and every eX-
preston of opinion which may annoy them,
and in their extreme desire for personal
protection they are eager to set up in this
country press dictatorship after the most
approved Hohenzollern and Romanoff
models.
What Mr.. McAdoo says Eliminates
more than hours of debate in Congress sue
ceeded in illuminating them-the impa-
thence of criticism, the longing for an in
strument which will stife it, the arrogant
demand for freedom from accountability
before the public, which lay behind the
Administrations luckless campaign for a
censorship act. Because we tried to exc
plain why the Liberty Loan had had "hard
shedding" under his methods of promotion
Mr.. McAdoo now charges US with giving
comfort to the enemy" 1t was the pur-
nose of Mr.. Wilson's Cabinet advisers to
obtain such authority from Congress as
would enable them to bring an indictment
under an espionage law against any news
paper publisher who said anything which
might suggest incompetency or even in
ferior judgment on their part. Under a
caliphate Of that sort we have no doubt
that our modest skepticism as to Mr.. Nc
Adoo's advertising methods would have
subjected US to trial for espionage.
1t is to laugh The day before Mr.. Nc
Adoo attacked US for limiting that the
Liberty Loan fotation was not handled
with the highest possible dexterity the
chief publicity man in the Liberty cam
paign. Mr.. Robert W. Woolley, was re
ported as saying before the National AID
vertising Board in this city that insult
fcient use had been made of the monthly
magazines and of the rural weeklies in ad
vertising the loan, and as admitting that
the issue had had relatively small sale
outside the banking centres. Here is an.
other sad case of ENTHUSIASTICALLY
gung." viii Mr.. McAdoo take note of it,
N The fact is that the newspapers, the pub.
lie and even the Administrations own sup
porters are not yet educated up to the Nc.
Adoo theory of official infallibility and i'm
munity from uncomplimentary comment
Wait until you get Creel-Gregory cen.
sorship law through, Mr.. Secretary, be
fore you crack your whip again. Giving
pain 10 you and giving comfort TO the en-.
envy are not yet synonymous here, either
in law or in common sense. Until Con.
gress DEGREES otherwise The Tribune will
certainly continue TO exercise its liberty
10 tell the truth about what it considers
avoidable blunders or oversights in Fed
oral administration.