The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-01-25


perfect form OF censorship. II there be
one. Our army and government tried
10 make our censorship a success by
bringing in civilians (some OF them
with newspaper experience. but the
mistake was made OF creating them
officers IN the reserve. AS such our
censors are out Of their element. They
have no real power the chief censor
| being only a reserve major. and all the
correspondents know IL perfectly. They
are only go-between from a staff that
does not understand to a press that IS
not understood. So any lieutenant col
onel or higher officer can give them
orders-and does
An American war correspondent in
France either writes about American
or French activities I am certain that
there is seldom an occasion where he
would combine the two in the same
dispatch. The first question that 7
asked OF our army on the dav that
General PershinE landed at Boulogue
was whether. when the American cen
sorship became a fact. 81 would be fnaI
on strictly American news. II is now
agreed by our allies that It is import
ant that the news OF each country be
presented without Interference with the
other But up TO the present moment
the greater part of American cable
news has double censorship. French
and American
My contention has always been that
American is great enough nation and
our aid TO Allies is OF sufficient value
for rs to insist that the approval stamp
Of the American censor shall be suffi-
cient An adjustment OF the matter
would NOT result in international COM
pleations. 1t cannot be accomplished.
however so long as the American CEN
sors work as they now do
BROTHERS IN STUPIDITY.
American censors in the field have
offices Of their own. The correspond
ents dispatches are taken to small
town telegraph office where there are
no French censors:. Then they are sent
to the central telegraph office at the
Paris Bourse, which is the general
headquarters or the French press CEN
sorship. There one finds second
batch Of American censors. who exer-
else the power 70 recensor COPY al
ready passed by superior censors at
the base. This housing Of the French
and Americans in the same room had
the most unfortunate results. The
/ American censorship law forbjds many
restrictions that the French censor
IA <es for granted and insists upon.
American kilograms, either written
az the front or handed in by the a.esi-
dent correspondents in Paris, must 60
first to the French censor. The cor
respondent labels all messages Con
trotle Americain.' No matter. thev go
first to the French censor Then the
two censors discuss TIE story and de-
eide together whether II shan pas.
Not seldom the American censor will
criticise something. from the French
point Of View, that the French censor
has passed. 7 am making all these
statements as the result OF experience
[ could give many Illustrations OF this
brotherhood IN stupidity OF the French
and American censors that 1 am sure
would convince you that they sbonld
be separated just as far as possible
have had the meaning OF my stories
distorted. have even had the meaning
o. my stories changed The American
censor told ne once he cut out certain
sentences because do not think thew.
add 70 The value OF the dispatch. I
pointed out that could not see his
right thus TO save cable tolls for me
and I tried to have the message return
ed That was impossible. because once
the message IS in the hands OF Che
censor it stays there. It Is never pos
sible to talk IT over. to find out what
has been cut out. except by telephone
Rather than send messages or mean
ingless and disjointed sentences 7 have
often been compelled to order entire
stories suppressed.
Congress has determined that thar.
shall be no American censorship on in
coming news. The only censorship IN
der American law concerns outgoing
news and news printed in the alien
press. Therefore the American censor
ship in France. and the news concern
ing the expeditionarv force. is opera
! tive only under the French law. our
General starr. by permission OF Wash
ington and BY the fact OF the French
law has imposed what II calls mil
itary censorship" What we actually
have 3 the result Of the attitude Of
our staff. the capacity Of our censors.
and the manner in which they work.
IS not only military censorship. but DO
liticsl. diplomatic. financial, personal.
and even social censorship as well
As a war correspondent ] have lived
and worked under the French compos-
ite censorship for over three years. 7
certainly believe IN a restraint upon
any news that would be OF use to the