In the course of Thursday's debate there was a good
deal of criticism by Mr. Long and others of the Censorship. With the essentials of that criticism we are entirely in agree- ment. We must point out, however, that it is most unjust to attack the Censor as if he were the culprit. As a matter of fact, the Censor is nothing but an internment. The great Departments of State—the Foreign Office, the War Office, the Admiralty, and, we presume, also the Home Office—give him instructions as to what is to be censored, and he has to carry out those instructions whether he approves of theta or not. The blame must fall, not upon the Censor and bin colleagues, but upon the Government Sir Stanley Beek- master and those who work under him have, in our opinion, discharged a most (MBank and most thankless task with the strongest desire to do what is right sad fair. To blame them is like blaming the police and the Judges who have to carry out a bad Act of Parliament,