Evening journal., 1919-01-21

For a year and a half a political CEN
sOrship has stood like a high board
fence between the American people and
their army in France. Behind this
screen the splendid achievements Of Of
flcers and troops and the weaknesses
and defects OF the military system alike
have been hidden from view. Although
the war is over and peace is now being
made In Paris, that censorship still con-
tinues.
Ostensibly modified on November IS.
when a new and shorter set Of censor
ship rules was issued by the army the
censorship actually Is as drastic today
as Il was six months or a year ago.
Carried Out by Army
Through the arbitrary exercise OF the
military power anything can be sup
pressed regardless Of whether Il is or
Is not in violation Of the new rules
That arbitrary power has been exer-
cised since the signing Of the armstlce.
on orders from Washington, which the
army IN France has carried out.
With a military censorship, designed
for strictly military purposes, no reas-
enable person, Of course, could flnd
fault There must be a military CEN
sorshlp, since il will be admitted by
army authorities that without a mill
tary censorship modern war would be
impossible. That ought to be quite
clear.
The reference here Is not TO the mill
tary censorship that has been main
tanned In France by our army since the
arrival Of the first American troops, the
object OF which has been TO prevent
Information of value to the enemy from
falling into the hands Of Germany. but
TO the political part OF that censorship,
the plain object Of which has been to
prevent information Of value to the
American people from falling into the
hands Of the public.
Put Gag on Pershing
This political censorship, which was
rigidly enforced year ago, at a time
when the conduct Of the war was un-
der Investigation by Congress. Success
fully prevented the state OF affairs In
the American expeditionary forces from
becoming known on this side OF the At
lantc. II put a gag into the mouth Of
General Pershlng, and kept bottled up
great deal OF information which would
have been OF lnestlmable value TO Con
gress. the publication of which would
undoubtedly have had the effect OF
speeding up the war machine. We
might have saved six months in time
and millions OF dollars, If speech and /
the printing press had not been stiiled
This censorship. / have found, has
been deplored by the ablest officers Of /
the army. Much OF lt, even the mill /
tary censorship, Is known by them to
have been uniustifable, and without
value.
German AGENTS Knew Secrets.
The people OF the United states were
prevented from obtaining information
which was well-known to the German
secret agents in Paris. For example,
nothing was permitted to become
known here, at the time, with respect
to the five batteries OF fourteen-inch
naval guns which did such splendid
execution against the boche on the
western front from midsummer TO the
ending Of the war These guns weighed
gS tons apiece, and hurled a projectile
OF the weight OF an automobile a dis
tance Of % miles. Il was determined /
TO use them against The big Bertha"
which was then shelling Paris, for they /
had a range Of about twice that OF any !
gun ever used by any allied army on |
the western front.
The guns were landed at ST. Nazaire !
in July, set up on railroad trains, and |
taken to the front via Paris. Two bat |
terics were placed In the Compeigne |
forest within range Of the big Bertha" !
the exact location OF which had been |
determined by delicate acoustic instru-
ments.
Took Big Bertha Away.
But the day the big Yankee naval |
guns arrived the boche took big |
Bertha" away to another place. The |
German spies in Paris had sent into |
the German lines not only all the in
formation about the arrival OF the |
naval guns. their caliber, and the pur- !
poses for which they were to be used, |
but they had also been able to give the |
exact position where these guns were /