Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-03-23
Is There n Ccnsorship2

9 ENATOR MEDILL MCCORMICK, OF ILL
~ nois, declares that the censorship on
news from America TO France and Great
Britain is crime" He says that the peo-
pie of those countries are being kept in ig-
norance of the fact that thrtynine American
Senators have pledged themselves to defeat
the league of nations. This charge is a
repetition of what had been bitterly COM
planned of by other bold signers of the round
robin. The only difference is that the Nc
Cormick statement was characterized by Il
little more courage than that of his asso-
ciatcs. He came out in good, plain fashion
with his grievance. His colleagues had only
intimated what they dared not declare.
What right has Senator Mccormick or any
OF his crowd to say that there is a censor
ship American news going out of the
country for England and France? Upon
what ground does he charge the present ad-
minstraton with outrageous a breach Of
faith? What is the evidence OF censorship
about which these statesmen have been la
mentng for weeks? Who is censorng the
news? Where is it being censored?. Under
what authority is it being censored? Neither
Mr.. Mccormick nor any one Of his group has
ever enlightened the country upon a single
of these points.
President Wilson. on the other hand has
ordered all censorship upon newspaper mat
ter going out or coming into this country,
which does not deal with military secrets,
lifted. The Committee on Public Informa-
ton has been dissolved. The President has
gone further; he has personally called upon
the governments OF France and Great Britain
to remove all censorship upon political dis
patches sent by American correspondents
abroad to their papers in this country He
not only did this, but upon finding that the
British and French continued to impose GER
tain restrictions after assuring him that the
ban had been lifted he made peremptory
demand that American journalists be allowed
to send what they pleased to this country.
Senator Mccormick is 4 newspaper man.
He is part owner, and once editor Of
the Chicago Tribune. He knows, from the
inside to what lengths the President went in
his determination that the French and British
should not color or in any sense censor the
news OF the peace conference as reported by
the Americans. He knows that the President
had to fight for this privilege or if he does
not the Senator should know it. Every one
OF the Tribune men in Paris and in Chicago
knows it to be true.
1t is inconceivable, therefore, that the
President, who might have stood aside and
allowed the British and French to doctor all
| American peace conference news should de-
liberately set out to withhold from Europe
any account OF the domestic opposition to
| hio PcdCe pioBIdm. IN OrueT 10 90 this, lie
| he would have to place an embargo upon
| the use Of the cables the wireless and the
mails, and there is no possible way OF keep
ing all that secret. There would be a storm
OF protest from French and British journals,
and no doubt complaint from their gov
ernmens as well.
But not one complaint has been made from
Europe of an American censorship Not one
journal has objected, and not one single case
OF censored dispatch from America has
been cited by any Senator. The truth prob
ably Is that there is no censorship, and has
not been since the signing of the armistice