The Washington herald., 1917-05-13
What Leading Newspapers
Say on the War Situation
The New RepubIic

muzzled every official of the State De-
partment except himself and a month
old, unauthoritative one-man Bureau
of Foreign Intelligence" Henceforth
officials who have grown up in the
diplomatic service, who have held posts
in Europe, Asia, South America are
forbidden to talk with newspapermen.
They have been denied the opportunity
to guide and direct the press, to sup
ply the necessary background and in
; depreciation on the maze Of questions
raised daily by the news from all
quarters OF the globe, out of their
own superior opportunities for knowl-
edge, in order to interest and educate
the public. From now on II will be
impossible for a man anxious to clear
up a complicated question on China to
go to the one official in the Depart
ment who knows anything about
China and secure the information.
What the American people henceforth
will read of their foreign relations will
depend on one man, a Secretary of
state who, whatever his own abilities,
has shown an utter ignorance of pub
licity The nation which has entered
this war against autocracy, which has
claimed to stand for a democratic open
diplomacy, asks its citizens to make
enormous sacrifices, to accept universal
service in a cause which apparently
cannot bear the light of publicity.
Obviously. the situation gives pause.
No part Of the government is so secre-
tive and so obstructive to news as is
the State Department. 1t is a fact
that the correspondents who went by
invitation of the department on the
trip with the French mission tele-
graphed to their offices asking to be
recalled because of the obstructions
placed in their way. 1t Is a fact that
news of the arrival of the French mis-
sion was held up one hour and a half
while an authorized official was being
sought to see II it might be published.
It is a fact that the department asked
the press not to print articles dealing
with the policy of the government
without securing the approval of the
department and then refused to make
| It possible to get that approval. And
more alarming still is Secretary Lam
sings own admission that as yet there
have not been any serious leakages of
news but that he has taken this dras-
tic step because he fears there may
be. He has repudiated in practice the
whole theory of frankly presenting his
departments claims for public support
which is supposed to underlie the re-
Gently organized publicity bureau of
the Federal government.
We"
Mr. Hoover's plea for an intelligent and
forceful program Of food regulation car
ries all the more weight because it is
not pitched in the scale of hysteria. In
stead of our having nothing to spare for
our allies, Mr.. Hoover asserts that this
country. with Canada, can give the allies
20 per cent Of the food they need, and
with wise regulation we can add another
- per cent. The problems of distribu-
tion are too complex to Justify our ac-
ceptinG every self-constituted economists
outcries against the speculator and the
middleman; but II is different when a
Hoover speaks. He has bought food.
transported II. and distributed II; he
should know as well as any man the fair
proportion of cost that should go TO the
various operations from the raising OF
the wheat to the sale OF bread over the
counter. It may be that his reported
estimate of a possible reduction OF 40
per cent in the price OF -four Is over
optimistic, but there is little room for
doubling that manipulation enters into
the present prices. The recent Federal
report on food-storage conditions and
market prices made that statement ex-
pllcitly.
Thanks to German ThOrOughneHs.
louisville CourierJournALJ
A dispatch TO the Corriere d Italia
from Zurich states that an effort was
he was driving in his automobile in Ber-
lin. Several shots were freed. Two
struck the tonneau. Others went wild.
The would-be ASSASSIN was arrested. The
police decline to make comments.
According to current stories the
Kaiser's life is guarded with the greatest
Ithoroughness. From one source comes
the tale that when Wilhelm is at the
front he resides in a bomb-proof house
resembling other houses nearby and not
dlstinguishable from other residences by
any mark which aviators or pedestrians
might find useful in advancing plans to
murder the ruler. Another enga ging mar
rative is that whenever the Emperor goes
motoring he travels in a plain and unpre-
tentious car which is preceded by a
royal car richly decorated and occupied
by a man made up to resemble the
Kaiser in military uniform. The dummy
Kaiser is selectively drafted to sit for
bomb -throwers and gunmen!
The thoroughness with which the
Kalser's life Is guarded is highly pleas
ing. It would be unfortunate indeed if.
at a moment of relaxed vigilance upon
the part OF the imperial bodyguard, an
assassin should succeed in his design.
The Emperor Of Germany Is the protag-
ontst OF a problem drama in which the
entire civilized world is interested He
should live to be the hero OF the logical
ldenouement. For him to be struck down
by the hand of a ruffian would be most
unfortunate. The tragedy Of Macbeth
would be disappointing to an audience II
the producer should allow the Thane to
slip upon a banana skin and crack his
skull on the floor of tho banquet hall.
leaving every one to wonder what would
have happened to him had he lived
longer. Hamlet's bad uncle taken off
by apoplexy, unrepentant. would be a
meaningless figure upon the stage.
It is to be hoped that Wilhelm II will
live to be pointed at by the world as the
Hohenzollern who sought to become :
great conqueror, and who was not recog-
nized by the victorious powers in the
treaty OF peace with Germany after his
defeat.
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