Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-22

~ Ew YORK.-We war. Therefore we shall
N likely have government censor Thanks to
the experimenting done by France and Eng
land. may have an intelligent censorship, not
that boggles at hairs and swallows chain cables
do print the the departure of any
ship" request Secretary Daniels has made
to the newspapers
All right But why in the issue in which
this request appeared, did this story carry top
heads?
Contracts for the construction of twentyeght sub
marines will be let IN few days"
Old Mr.. Hohenzollern presumptively will certainly
be more interested in information to the quality
and quantity OF Uncle Sans preparations for than
in the movements of the Louis. German papers
discuss Zeppelins occasionally, they do not tell
how many have been built to be built. France
built sun-"size forty. please"-which outholds
in range and wSllOD the German AZ But France did
tell about 1T in advance Britain got tired
OF having her arplanes brought down by the German
FokKer So she constructed Sopwith and the Fokkers
began go of print. waited until her
plane built to tell about 1t. Even then she gave
figures
How the censorship be improved7" 1 asked
in Salonica
by getting supermen It," said he.
He was mostly right. The theory Of a censorship
In wartime Is right The theory falls down in practice
because the censors human. The first hundred
thousand British hammered pieces at Mons,
England did know the truth until Lord North
cffe defied the censors and told it, Then enlistment
figures began to rush up-scae The British army was
getting the right shells enough Of them
regulations damaged. Immediately aferward the
army began get shells censors had had their
way that story would have been printed.
No censorship is perfect 1t cannot be- But the
European censorshps have improved tremendously
since the beginning OF the Often hnds
sors who were once newspaper mon They know some
thing about the business before they start They
know. other things. newspaper editors and
reporters quite honoest and patriotic other
They need guidance their effort to print
much possible without doing tho
car harm Tha retira rr1VO f6c has
in Europe the worst possible Deep in his heart
rs earnest wish that all newspapers could be
pressed He does not understand that conservative
a modified statement Of unfortunate fact
vents the circulation of wild-eyed
The British today do not attempt prevent
proper criticism of the government of individuals
Free speech is only interfered with when it becomes
free to threaten to impair the confidence of the
ton. Civilian experts military matters occasion
ally suffer from the soft pedal Outbound letters
very carefully examined. and newspapers and maya
zines only be mailed out into the United King
dom the various military direct from the Of
Ace of publication Photographs must be submitted to
the before mailing well before publica-
ton. strictly this rule enforced that friend
Gently found himself obliged submit portrait of
Mrs Asquith to the censors office before mailing
United States
French censors somewhat severe on crit
les Of governmental policy. NJ Georges Clemenceaus
leading article in his Paris is often represented
only by signature the foot of two columns OF
blank space 1t be doubted whether the
wins in the end Cemenceau has unholy faculty
Of running tunnel Of unpleasant thought through two
thousand words of brilliant Jest Gustave Herve used
decorate the white spaces his newspaper by
portrait of a socialist whose whskers surrounded an
expression of painted surprise Politics
complicated and hectic. No doubt there a
reason for the censorial
European censors longer have that horror OF
which marked their operations in the days
OF the too accurate forecast of operations
forbidden, and statements which entirely harm
less to the writer's but might give alert enemy a
valuable hint expunged. Photographs taken in
and Of bridges and harbors rigidly
ned, wide latitude is permitted. Private
examined closely at times than newspaper
espondence. The newspaper men known and
numbered The merest suspicion of their honor would
their expulsion arrest burt the civilian letter
may In France nowadays all advertise
must be vised by the police authorities before
they be accepted by the lest they
vey news enemy by q code.