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Show w WHY CENSORSHIP IS NECESSARY. The present censorship of Q6W8 from the war zone, which has very much angered some editors, causes a writer to dig up General Sherman's "Home Letters" on this same subject of newspaper restrictions which were under consideration during the Civil war Sherman at one time was disposed dis-posed to class as a spy any corre spondent in camp who might disclose important military preparation?, and in tho early part of 1863 he wrote his wife: "The newspapers are after me again; I published an order they must not come along on pain of being treated treat-ed as spies. 1 am now determined to test the question. Do they rule or the comandlng general0 If they rule 1 quit I have ordered the arrest of one, shall try him. and If po6sible execute him ns a spy They publish all tbe data lor our enemy, they revealed re-vealed our plan to attack Halne3 Bluff. I will never again command an army in America if we must carry along paid spies. I shall banish myself to some country first " Mrs. Sherman advised him not to bang the offending newspaper man and the general accepted her advice. Four months later he was pleased to note that General Grant was having the same troubles, and in his letter, he said: "I was really amused at a circumstance circum-stance today that may be serious. Grant has been secretly working by night to place some thirty-pound rifle guns as close up to Vicksburg as the water will permit, but today got Memphis papers giving a full and minute account of them and their location. lo-cation. Now, he knows, as we all do, that the ;'Secesh" mail leaves Memphis Mem-phis as soon as the morning papers are printed, and the telegraph carries the news to Vicksburg in a Tew minutes. min-utes. Tbe newspaper correspondents, encouraged by the political generals and even President Lincoln, having lull fcvuwg ill iuio uuu an in , itf port all news, secret and otherwise, indeed, with a gossiping world a secret sec-ret is worth more than common news. Grant was furious, and I believe he ordered the suppression of all Memphis Mem-phis papers But that won't do All persons that don't have to fiyht must be kept out of camp, else secrecy, a great element of military success, is an impossibility I may not, but you will, live to see the day, when the people of the United States will mob i be man who thinks otherwise Can you feel astonished that l Bhould grow angry at the toleration of such sul cidal weakness, that we strong, intelligent in-telligent men must bend to a jfllv proclivitv for early news that should advise our enemy in advance?" Many of the English papers, at the opening of the conflict, were disposed to rebel against the censorship, among them the London Times, but of late there have been lower com plaints. |