Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-19
Newspapers and the War.

Very gently. but very firmly. Every
Evening desires to take issue with Captain
W H. Stayton. L. 5. n, retired. who
addressed members of the Chamber of
Commerce, yesterday. concerning the
United States Merchant Marine In peace
and war During his remarks, Captain
Stayton expressed the opinion, with a
little heat it seemed TO some who heard
1T, that the newspapers Of the country
have not been keeping their readers prop
erlv informed about the war, conveying
more or less OF an impression that he
thought them wilfully misleading or voc
fully ignorant, or both.
He illustrated his point by saying that
be had noticed much more space given to a
little affair of outpOsts, IN which Amer
cans had taken few German prisoners.
than to the Austrian drive against Italy,
a desperate and mcnaceful effort Of
desperate foc Still illustrating. he said in
effect that the newspapers improperly
belittled the U-boat operations of the
coast, which operations he considered
highly serious, and pointed out that the
Hun undersea craft had been at work
eleven days before the public was informed
Of the fact by the papers
From man who showed rs much com
mon sense and vision in other matters,
such opinions arc remarkable. to say the
least In the first place. they are utterly
Al hat ,N+h her
sons for their extraordinary character
really do not amount TO much
Captain Stayton seems to forget that
the newspapers Of the United States arc
censorship, both with regard to news from
TIE battIefronts and from within our own
boundaries He forgets that correspond
ents with the armies arc not permitted to
send what pleascs them, but what pleascs
the army authorities. and that what
pieascs the one docs not often please the
other Wherefore, the meagrcncss Of
reports concerning large and important
battles or movements until after more
complete accounts are Al hand will do no
harm by giving information 10 the enemy
through his Sples Tie forgctS also. that
the | nltcd states government repeatedly
has asked the newspapers To print nothing
likely 10 prove 81 benefit or use TO the
enemy such as the movement OF troops,
ships, etc, salngs Of missions or dignl-
tarics and to ref ram from alarming the
people unnecessarily
On their part, the newspapers have
scrIpulously conceded to every request
made, have even imposed q censorship Of
their own out OF the purest patriotic
motives. have uncomplalningly endured
lean dispatches from the front when they
have longed TO print columns and columns
OF minute detail; have patiently delved
time and again into all sorts OF things no
American newspapers ever encountered
before for the sole purpose of giving IN
formative matter to their readers; have
devoted miles OF spxre to government
aims and objects and benefits, and gen
orally conducted themselves as honest.
intelligent and patriotic public prints,
not the Ignorant Captain Stayton seems
TO think. And as to the charge that they
did not print the tact that U-boats were
operating of the coast until ten or eleven
days after those operations were begun
well, they printed It as soon as they found
II out, and any concealment OF the facts
must not be laid at their doors, but at the
doors OF the naval authorities.
We might dehcately shell Captain
otayton from one or two other angles OF
ire, but beyond the further suggestion
that he owes the press Of the country an
apology, We viii let the matter drop NTH
what we have said