El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-30
is THERE DANGER IN AMERICA
FROM A MILITARY DESPOTISM?

BECAUSE the e. Paso Herald viii not divuIge the name
= an army officer who gave to a reporter for The Her
aid information regarding the smuggling Of booze from
Mexico soldiers guarding the international bridge
bgader general of the army says the people can't
any more news of HIS army.
In order TO ascertain the responsibility for the petty
spite order issued district military headquarters in El
Paso bzcksting The Herald Gen J. J. Hornbrook district
commander, asked he cOgnizant of the order
and If it had his approval He said be had approved the
ordsr-admttsd his attempt to exercise military dicta
tOrship American newspaper regardless of the
constitution Of the United States which guarantees free
press.
Probably the incident given as the reason for blacklist
ing The Herald is not the sole There has not been
any undue show of cordaty towards The Herald at mill
tary headquarters since The Herald allowed the
employees Of FL Paso eating places to show that such
insulting conditnos being imposed here being
imposed anywhere else IN Texas by military authorities
Here the military Authorities have ordered that al women
employees Of these places must submit TO the most often
sve and cruel ordeal Of physical examinations for oah
disease If their employers TO receive the patron
city Of FL PasOs class has been treated The Herald
printed this fact last week Perhaps that had something
to do with the present order.
Gen. Hornbrooks order IN way impairs the
service of The Herald As matter of fact
Of importance ont of district military head
quarters. In practically every where colonel
general has been promoted here The Herald has furnished
him the first The only direct clash prior to this
which The Herald has had with the Intelligence" de-
iron its San Antonio cOrTespondentthe that off
would receive Communication Of quarters for their fam
lies where the government did not furnish quarters An
intelligence" officer made elaborate crossexamnation
Of the editor Of The Herald ascertain the Of the
Observation-Disclosures it had not yet been received at dis
triet headquarters. He appeared TO think public
enemy had given out the news
So, the order does The Herald harm; but the prin
ps Of the thing leads The Herald to give it publicity. It
indicates drft among few army officers toward that
autocacy which permitted the rulers Of Germany to plunge
the world into the boodest Of history 1t is the prec
sdent set by such act which The Herald opposes If
Gen Hornbrook may say to The Herald; You have
from the headquarters because you refuse to bow to
ny command"f he may say this when he chooses, why
may be not carry It further? Why may other mill
tary official not carry It further? Why may military
official If such pressure is to be permitted, not say to
newspaper: "You must publish this for ne; you must
carry this propaganda for me you must suppress this
this editorial sentiment because say The
people must not know it." The principle is dangerous
Throughout the The Herald has cooperated IN every
possible way with the military officials Il has acceded to
did not wish to be placed in the light before the Off
themselves Of doing anything that any officer might
say hindranee Gen. Howe publicly stated he
leaving FL Paso at the dinner given him In the Uni
Versity club that but for the hearty cooperation Of the
Of Fl Paso, he would have found his task much
harder he stated that he asked anything that
granted Gen Hornbrook and 200 FL Pasoans heard
him make this statement FL Pasoans therefore know that
newspapers have done their duty and have done it well
and that the military has had complaint. There
any censorship during the except voluntary
assumed by the newspapers. The military assumed
authority the papers, but the papers adhered gdy
requests from the military In everything pertaining to
the winning Of the The Herald glad go further
than the government asked along this line but It protests
against military detation its comments the
Of the day. and refuses TO be coerced into suppressng
the truth OF violating journalistic condolences.
When Gen HOrnbrook has reflected little believe