The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-06-01
SPIES AND CENSORSHIP

II is announced by the navy de-
par5ment that four days before the
American destroyer feet arrived
abroad the German government knew
that the ships were on their way: it
knew the British port to which they
were going, and it washable to mine
the entrance to the port the day be-
fore their arrival.
How this information reached Ber
lin nobody knows; but if the oppon-
ents Of a sane censorship, in congress
and out Of congress, are to have their
way, all such information may be put
openly in the hands of every German
spy in the United States. All German
and pro-German newspapers, all Ger
man and pro-German news agencies
are to be privileged to spread it
broadcast in order that no German
agent shall be kept in ignorance. No
matter how fragrant such publication,
no matter what disasters may befall
the country in consequence of it, it is
all to be justified as manifestation
Of the freedom of the press
In the opinion of our neighbor the
Tribune, the only object that the
president could have in seeking to
protect st.ch military secrets as the
sailing of the destroyer feet would
be to bring about a suppression of
the newspapers in order that he may
hereafter dictate public policies with
out peril of domestic crictism' In
the opinion of the amiable and be-
nevolent Hiram Johnson, United
States senator from California, it is
vicious thing that the president
should have power to define the char
acter of military information that
would be useful to the enemy. Evil
IDENTIFY that is a matter which can be
safely left to the German spies in the
United States. They at least will
know what information is likely to be
useful. and all the agencies of pub
licity which wish to cooperate with
them would have license and full i'm
munity if Senator Johnson's views
were to prevail.
Such views will not prevail, how
ever, no matter what the fate of the
censorship bill may be. Unless the
government is authorized to employ
moderate methods of safeguarding its
military secrets it will inevitably re-
sort to drastic methods under its war
powers, and those war powers, if
used to their fullest extent, are the
most devastating weapon that can
be turned against free press. Why
invite its use? Why insist upon its
use? Why leave the newspapers ex-
posed to the penalties of treason.
however innocent their error may be?
Why leave them at the mercy of army
commanders as they were in the civil
war? If that is freedom of the
press" then the World knows little
about freedom of the press.
So far as the World is concerned,
it is for the kind of freedom of the
press that protects all the legitimate
rights of the newspapers and the
people, but it is not for the kind of
freedom of the press that furthers
the work of every German spy and
aids him in obtaining military infor-
nation that can be used against the
American people. 1t is for a sane
censorship, and against a condition
of news chaos which will inevitably
drive the government to processes of
law that place the patriotic newspa-
per in the same class with every trea-
sonable sheet that may be printed for
the benefit of the enemies of the
United States.-World.