Evening star., 1918-11-27
PEACE news WILL
NOT Be CENSORED
Vail Suggested Taking Over
CabIes-cob Not creeI,
Press Mission Head.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Publicity of the right kind used to
help Theodore Roosevelt over rough
places when he was President, just as
publicity Of the wrong kind is hurting
the administration Of President Will
son. Impressions that are based upon
erroneous inferences are permitted
by Mr.. Wilson to gain such wide cur
rency that they often are accepted as
fact, and no explanation or interpreta-
tion ever catches up with the original
distortion.
Two cases in point have just come
to light. Postmaster General Burle-
son, it was alleged, took over the At
lantic cables last week for purposes
of censorship, and at the same time
the newspapers announced that George
Creel would be the head of an official
press mission to the peace conference.
Neither is true.
Suggested by Mr.. Vail.
Yet, taken together, both things
created widespread criticism. There
is no connection between the two and
the administration could have present.
ed convincing evidence of it by taking
the public into its confidence. AS a
matter of fact, the Atlantic cables
were taken over by the government
randum submitted by Theodore N. Vail.
president of the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company, who, on be-
ing asked what was the best solution
of the congested situation of the ca
bles. advised government control and
outlined the method of operation.
If the administration had made pub
lie that fact week ago, together
with a detailed statement Of the sit
uation. an entirely different impress
sion would have been created. for Mr..
Vail is known throughout the length
and breadth Of the land as an author
ity on wires and cables.
Again. it has been widely circulated
that George Creel would handle the
news at the peace conference and
cables has been linked up with the
mission of Mr.. Creel. The truth is
that Frank Cobb, editor Of the New
York World, who secured leave Of alb
companied Col. House to Versailles
recently. will handle the publicity of
the peace conference for the Presi-
dent and there will be no censorship.
Possibly consideration for Mr.. Creers
feelings caused the omission Of Mr..
Cobb'S name.
Many of the things which Mr.. Creel
has done in foreign propaganda and
assisting the newspaper men in Wash
ington deserve praise instead Of con-
Of his recommendations which have
helped toward better publicity were
vetoed by the President himself.
Differ as to News.
Indeed, Mr.. Wilson's ideas Of what
the function of newspapers is differs
SO radically from what most of the
editors and correspondents believe the
American people want to see printed
about their government that the ad-
ministration has itself to blame for
the numerous impressions of an er-
roneouS character which go out of
Washington, because the President re-
fuses to consider the activity of the
press as representing the desire Of the
people for news. but simply the idle
curiosity of individual reporters
For instance, it may be surprising
to the public to learn that the -Presi-
dent has not received the Washington
that in the last twelve months he has
not given audience to single cor
respondent in Washington. All Of the
men who have been interpreting the
Wilson administration have, of course,
had the benefit of occasional counsel
they were so frequently uniformed
as to what the President had in his
mind that the great majority Of the
writer's who give the people a daily
impression of what the government is
doing went unguided.
In handling so far-reaching and i'm
portant thing as the settlement of a
great war feeling of genuine regret
is developing among friends of the
President on all sides that he is not
taking the people sufficiently into his
confidence even on foreign policies.