The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-07-19

HIile axes, wen Antessi1 me
although probably NANNY false state
inents have been apubiisIs eli. sittny,
feVen, with regard toStise waf. Fdr all
time.
&One Of the many reasons Misy the
censorship is useful to the Press is that
an se~ditor.aif doubtful q the accuracy
q @statemen concerning the war or
lothers national matter. mav4 snisinitgit
70 the press bureau. which Mill So in-3
form him fit knows Of can lean that
the statement is untrue. THIS service
mas been done on many occasions IA,
many newspapers and has heen of val-
uesto them.
Often the press bureau ms pre-
vented newspapers from being victim
lxed. The majority of the British grand
1ieet g been sunk by more Ii
once the tongue of gossip often has In
vented serious disasters to Sections of
The British army; but those staten slts
nave not been published by the
papers because they have not been able
70 ascertain h truth by reference. So
the censorship not only is a means OF
preventing lndiscreet revelations to- the
enemy u has proved to be q useful
adjunct Of British ewspa ma-
chinery.
fyThe press bureau also has en-
deayored to besparticularly scrupulous
IN protecting the natural sensitiyeness
Of our allies"
70 the next statement made by Sir
frank. l am glad to subscribe entilnsi-S
astlcally, as every American CORE,
spondent in London would be if hea Mad
an opportunity.
we oIten have allowed for publica-
ton in the United States" said he:
reports which could not have been
published in the United Kingdom
Without prejudice to he national or
real quarrel with an American news
serv1catlhsand no real qlarrei with an
American correspondent.
Sonietimes it has been hard FOR
American correspondents to under
stand Why DISPATCHES prepaid to them.
their correspondents in Berlin,
scandinavia or Holland, ali of course
having German origin, should no he
passed along to them in London ana
permitted free passage from London to
h States.
Making News Accurate.
But really when you think it out
they must see that we have done what
n themselves would have done In
like circumstances. When the war broke
|OdSG ~ ldSI liz liiG NOlIG s cable EiS-a
TEN centers in Great Britain placed
some measure OF control in Ii lands
Ihls being the case, we scarcely would
be expected to pass from Germany to
Il United States long MESSAGES die
tated by the German general staff the
burden OF Which vas that in spite of
every French effort the Germans would
walk into and through Verdun, or a
little later when the battle OF the SOM
me began elaborate declarations thai
not a man nor a gun would be moved
from the Verdun front in spite OF
Anglo-French efforts on the Somnae.
IN censorings such messages We
really contributed notably to the ac-
Ecuracy of the worlds news. Later
messages belittling the allied offensive
on the Sonme and telling low many
hundreds Of Years it would take the
trenches were caught and held in
transit. Does that make the british
censorship seem very dreadful to youo
o late we have had a Similar task
TO perform with regard to German dts.
patches relating to their submarine
campaign. Day after day and week
after week they have dislled up ac-
counts of the marvellous progress of
U-boat warfare. over and over
assaln making use of the Same mate
rial. Ought we to help them propa-
gate false statements?
IEa. So - ENSSi W. PGbIlSISQ e III
the British press the German press
would copy them from it without Civ
ing their German origin, and thus
would be enabled falsely to -ilearten
their W peoplefto new efforts. That
is a German trick which they continue
TO play through their wireless system
to the misinforrnatioa of their allies
and neutral peoples.
The censorship never has been used
TO magnify allied successes; it never
has been used to protect any indi-
vidual; it never has been used Is pro-
mote the interests Of any poliiica!
party. 1t would not allow an attack
upon u military or naval com
manders in the field if any one should
try to make one; that would be an Of
ems under the regulations of the de-
tense of the realm act, for it would be
lsubversive of discipline among u
armed forces. Politicians are able to
lGok after themselves, but soldiers and
sailors are lot, being intensely en-
gagged in Z he service of the common
cause. Ihey are entitled to protection.
Charaes pisproved.
"Sorle serious charges have been
brought against the press bureau but
nave been dlsproved. One was that of
an important American news1aper.
the Philadelphia Public Ledger. It
occurred when Lord Kitchener left
England to visit the eastern Mediter-
ranean command. Gossip suggested
That this was only a blind.
When the objects and limits Of the
Journey We're published officially the
Ruoilc Ledger quoted this gossip, to
the effect that Lord Kitchener had
gone to India to quell a serious revolt
there, charging the press bureau with
suppression of facts and an effort to
make the world believe that no such
revolt existed. 1t learned its error
later. The press bureau of the British
geverEment circulates no false news.
But o must not think that for
elGn correspondents are habitually
complaining against the press bureau.
AS q matter of fact sI1ch cennlaints