New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-28
Prussianizing the Press

At last the Administration has lald us
hand on the table in the press censorship
fight. II is done with ambiguity and COM
promise. II aims at a press dictatorship
which will have teeth and claws, which
will be Prussan in its completeness and
harshness.
Under pressure from the White House
the conferrees on the espionage bill have
ceased TO be free agents. They are no
longer trying in good faith to reconcile
differences Of opinion between the two
houses of Congress. They have surren-
dered to the President, and by a misuse of
their functions are helping him to force
his will on Congress and the country.
The Senate struck out Of the espionage
bill the rabid press muzzling section pre-
pared by Attorney General Gregory and
all attempted notifications of Mr. Greg
ory's ukase. The House Of Representa-
tives voted by large majority against
censorship Of any sort. 1t was afterward
induced to accept the relatively moderate
Gard amendment. If the conferrees had
respected the limitations put on their
powers by the votes of the two houses
they would either have dropped the cen
sorship scheme, in accordance with the
Senate's view, or have reported the Gard
amendment unchanged, in accordance with
the Houses view. or have compromised by
softening the Gard amendment still
further.
They did none of these things. ~
please the President they have agreed on
rev censorship provision. which is more
extreme than any Of the mueller schemes
hitherto suggested. This is a breach of
faith which Congress must sharply rebuke
If it wishes to maintain its self-respect and
its sense of legislative independence.
The draft of press gag law for which
the conference committee assumes respon-
sibility is the most outrageous which has
yet come TO light. 1t suspends the freedom
of the press for the duration of the war.
1t prohibits the publication of any war
news permission to publish which has not
been given In advance by the President
IL eliminates all questions of intent or JUS
LITIGATION on the part of persons publishing
news. 1t leaves the publisher no oppor-
tunity to discuss before any tribunal the
question whether the information which
he published was actually Of use to the
enemy. 1t even forbids discussion or criti-
cism of the acts and policies of the Ad-
minstration or of its agents, if such COM
ment or criticism is based on information
the publication of which has not already
been authorized by the President.
If this provision should become law alb
solute control Of the press for the duration
of the war would be. put into the hands
of the President The United States
would pass under a despotic censorship as
ruthless as that which obtains to-day in
Prussia or obtained until recently in Rus
STA. All news of military character or
Indirectly affecting the conduct of the war
would be withheld until the censorship
bureau at Washington saw fit to release it,
and no comment could be made based on
any other information than that which had
bcen released.
Under a system like this Lord North
life could never have exposed the failure
If the British War Office to furnish the
army in France with high explosive shells.
Public opinion in Great Britain could
never have been aroused TO the point of
facing changes in British military policy
or in the personnel of the British govern
ment. All blunders could have been con-
cealed. lncompetency would have been
sheltered and the development Of Britain's
military strength would have been held
hack at a time when such delay might
cave been fatal 10 the Entente Allies.
What the new censorship provision aims
at is press dictatorship pure and simple
and in the political rather than the
military field. The military value Of a
censorship is practically negligible under
present conditions. The German War Of
lice is not depending on the newspapers
Of this country for the information which
ii desires. Vice-Admiral Sims has re-
ported that Berlin knew of the dispatch of
American destroyers across the Atlantic
and even knew the British port to which
they were destined. But the persons who
sent that information didn't get it out Of
The newspapers. The newspapers didn't
publish it. II came from other sources,
much closer to the governments secrets.
American newspapers cannot reach Ger
many to-day without passing the Allied
censors on the other side. They can easily
DC held up by censors on our own border, if
that Is thought necessary. All cable and
wireless dispatches and all mail must pass
through the hands Of government agents
perc rs well as of government agents
abroad. The way 10 prevent military in
formation going TO Germany is TO close
up all the avenues Of exit, and there is
only one dangerous avenue now left open
--thet over the Mexican border When