Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-02-27

eO. 1nerG are newspaper nSA III
| Washington who know a great deal
about the present condition of the army
and of the navy and something OF the
plans which have been formulated TO
put both to effective service in case
war shall come. These correspondents
have, so far as is known. refrained
from saying anything which might be
Of service to a possible enemy.
Talks with army and navy officers
who, however, will have no hand in the
laying down of censorship rules, for
that duty is imposed on a special
board, prove that in the main the men
of the two services are convinced that
the British methods of censorship have
been not only too drastic but also I'M
intelligent.
In England when the war was about
eight months old it was possible t.
send through the mails to America
anything which one chose to write, and
the chance was only one to ten that
| the letter would be opened and read
for approval or disapproval. The re-
suit was that mass of stuff was sent
to America which eventually found It's
way back to Germany.
Then the system of censorship in
England changed and all letters were
opened. The unintelligence Of the Off
GERS in charge of the work was shown
by the fact that they frequently cut
out stories of things concerning which
the British government had already
made public announcement, and on the
other hand, they allowed things to go
through which were pronouncedly Inn
proper for publication in time of
war.
What the Correspondents Want.
What the newspaper men here will
probably ask of the war department
is that set of rules plainly expressed
be issued as a guide to writing, and
more than this, that the censors shall
be men who have had experience in
journalism. There are many such men
in the army whose service can be Sc
cured.
More than anything else the CORE
spondents will ask that their dis
patches and their letters be passed up
on as quickly as possible. The ordi-
nary government official has no more
conception of the value of quick dis
patch of a news article than he has
of the comparative qualities of beets
as sugar producers, and there are few
army officers who have had expert
ence as farmers.
In France the censorship works well.
The French do things quickly and
moreover the army censors save work
by explaining individually to the cor
respondents the nature of the things
which must not be touched upon in
their writings.
To Buy Famous Battlefield.
Representative Charles G. Carlin
Of Virginia, acting as spokesman for
veterans Of both armies of the
war between the states, has introduced
bill into congress for the purchase of
the battlefield of Bull Run, where the
first pitched fight of the war of the
sixties took place.
On the fiftieth anniversary OF the
Battle of Bull Run the boys In blue
and gray shook hands in friendship.
1t seems hardly possible that the bill
which Mr.. Carlin has prepared can
pass at this session, but generally
where the veteran soldiers of nation
have been whole-heartedly sentimental
congress pays heed to their wishes.
The bill, as drafted, provides for the
carrying out of the recommendations
made by the special board of army
officers appointed in 1913 that the Sec
rotary of war be authorized to pur-
chase for the United States the battle
fields of the first and the second Bull
Run, at cost not to exceed $4,000.
The measure would authorize the sec
rotary of war to protect the two orig
inal monuments erected by the United
States troops in 1865 and to assume
the care of the other monuments and
markers on the historic battlefields,
which were erected without expense to |
the government. 1t would also give
the official power to improve the lands
to be purchased, to provide convenient
approaches from the public roads for
visitors and to mark the lines of bat
tie and the location Of troops during
the military operations from 1861 to
1865.
Kept Up by Henry and His Heirs.
Those who are working for the pass
age of the bill by congress point out
that Henry hill is location of the first
monument erected ON any battlefield
- ha 81 IN
lected by the veterans themselves
from all possible sites. They point
out also that Mr.. Henry up to 1898,
and his heirs since his death, have
performed the duties which fairly and
legitimately devolved upon the gov
eminent. With regard to the memorial
stones on the battlefelds, the attoS-
ney for the Henry heirs said:
"There is no law, state or national,
which would have prevented the own
ers of the farm from removing the
memorial stones. The government
which had placed them in position had
been to all appearances utterly indif-
ferent to their care and preservation.
Whatever credit is due for handing
down this monument to the present
or future generations is due to the
owners of the property. When the
fence with which the United States
army inclosed it fell into decay, they
built another one, which they have re-
newed at their own expense from time
to time They have kept the grass cut,
the weeds cut out, the trees planted
by the soldiers trimmed. and under
their shade they have permitted the |
veterans to gather In reunions from
time to time, even though they were |
obliged temporarily to surrender the |
privacy Of their home. And American |
citizens and foreign tourists alike have |