One hardly supposes that the Brazilian Government cares much what is thought of in China, or possibly anywhere else, but the messages about the seditious outbreak in Brazil should. be pilloried for their palpable untrustworthiness. On July 5 we were told that
last night but was immediate Tepressmovement broke out here ed. The Government, armored by the bulk of the land and sea forces, controls the situation, The situation is generally not regarded"as disquieting.
Sedition is so.much a matter of course in South American publics that one wondered why this one should have been telegraphed at all, if it was really so trivial as this message would evidently have had believed; and these suspicions were fortified by the next day's news of martial law declared. Silence for two days and now:—
A state of siege has been proclaimed for 30 days.
Shells struck the Ministry of War during the fighting, killing four persons and wounding six.
The political situation is clearing. The Army and Navy have taken up. their stand by the Administration. The threat of a military coup has now disappeared.
Compare the first and last of these telegrams. One wonders when Governments will learn the fatuity of publishing what, in or men, are called by a short, very ugly word, the only effect of which is to make one disbelieve everything they say. We regret to add that Brazil is not unique in this stupidity.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.