Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-29

;hc American press than all the press
oi Europe or Canada, with the result
that m American paper going into
these countrics-whcthcr by mail, or
sent by hand of fricrds-was ruthless
" "scissorcd" before being admitted.
From 1916, to get the facts, readers
had TO take n paper OF one political
st.ipc in the morning and another
political stripe in the evening and then
strike an average in their own minds
concerning the truth. This was up to
1917. From the time of the United
States going into the war the same
hcavy hand of foolish and false censor
shin was laid on the freedom of the
American press. Rcsuits--thc people
did not know what to believe. Senti-
menl was divided, and instead Of wait
ing lines of eager volunteers at the re-
cruitin:. stations as in the Spanish
war, We had to have the draft, which
was = polite name for conscription.
The Facts On the lusitania.
Hundreds of examples of this could
be given. Take the case Of the Lusi-
tania.
The Lusitania was sunk in May. by
Thanksgiving OF the same year, every
fact OF the sinking of the Lusitania,
who sent the message, how the wire
less operators were deceived through
the enemy getting the secret Admiral
ty Code. how the ship on her previous
voyage had been pursued by subma-
rines and only escaped them by Supe-
rior speed and how she was finally
lured between two submarines wait
ing for her in broad daylight oil the
charted route, whore British convoy
waited to pick her up-was known to
the British government Why these
facts were not published is one of the
stupidities of the war yet unexplained.
Probably because it would have led to
a tracing of who betrayed the secret
Admiralty Code, which was immedi-
ately changed all over .he world. Any
way, the facts were sent to Canada
and the United States. The British
officer, who gave these facts to an
American writer, concluded his eXhib-
il of proofs with these words: Now
in the name of God, don't let anyone
know I showed you these cables! If
it is traced back to me, III have to lie
out Of it, and leave you unsupported
to defend yourself. We can't do any
thing that has the remotest resemb-
lance 10 forcing the United Statos's
hand in the game. You can get the
facts confirmed by So and So and So
The facts were confirmed; Tor
though wireless operators an snip or
licers and the secret service set to
watch them are bound to inviolate 81
lcnce, even operators and secret SER
vice men and ship officers have wives
and brothers and sisters; and secrets
sometimes talk in their sleep. Dates
and names were easily dovetailed into
a fabric without weakness in its
proof. Yet the facts were never pub
Iished in a single paper either in Eng
land or the United States. Why? The
editors said frankly they were not
looking for trouble, or disbarment from
the mails. Later, when the real; cul-
pit guilty Of the Lusitania plot and
execution of it was sent back by the
British government on another charge
10 the United States, he was tried and
sentenced on the lighter charge. Then
his sentence was remitted and he was
shipped back 70 Germany. Not whis-
per of the awful infamy Of the Lusita-
mia was uttered in the court, or in the
Drcss, or on his release from Atlanta
prison. Each of the two big govern
ments passed "the buck" of response
bility; and the press was muzzled.
Practically the same story could be
told Of the sinking Of the Ancona in
the Mediterranean, or of two other
ships off the west coast or lrcland
The American people were told to be
patient-patient as the proverbial ass
to wait for proofs that these ships
had not struck a mine; and commits
sions were appointed to investigate,
which have not TO this day reported.
Yet | personally helped to decode ca
Elcs. which proved in two of these
cases merchant ships had come on the
scene few hours after the sinldngs,
caught the submarines, shot the Sub"
officers and bundled them down the
ladder OF their own death trap, which
was at once disabled and sunk. Yet