Washington sentinel., 1899-05-13
VIII they MuzzIe our Soldiers AlsO9


The Administration lrankl,
bases it's justification for excluding
from the mails to Manila Mr.. Ed
ward AtkInson's pamphlets on tn
Philippine war upon the ground o
their tendency TO discourage re
enlistments and to encourage dis
content among our volunteer
whose terms have expired, anC
who are compelled to stay in this
tropics against their will. Proba
bly, Mr.. Atkinson would not him.
self deny that his pamphlets were
written with that view. though il
does not appear that any copies
so far, have reached the hands oi
our soldiers. The six copies seized
by the postmaster at San Francisco
by order OF the Postmaster General
were addressed to Admiral Dewey,
General Ohs. President Schurman,
Prof Dean Worcester, and one or
two other persons, including cor
respondent oil a New York illus
trated paper, presumably HayPer'S
Weekly. Mr.. Atkinson, however,
made no secret of his intention to
send other copies to officers and
privates serving in the Philippines.
He apprised the Secretary OF War
of the TACT and incIosed to that
official copies of the pamphlets
which he desired to send, and
asked to be advised how he might
send them. This letter OF Mr..
Atkinson, being referred by the
Secretary to the Postmaster Gen
eral, was made the immediate
basis of the latter's action. The
titles OF the pamphlets speak for
themselves: "The Cost Of Ma
tional Crime," The He'll OF War
and its Penalties" and Criminal
Aggression; by Whom Commit
ted"
1t may be admitted that the
effect OF these pamphlets would
likely be such as Mr.. Atkinson
desired and intended, as he is a
vigorous writer, who expresses
himself with the strength as we'll
as the courage Of his convictions.
But the action Of the Administra-
ton raises another very serious
question and suggests a difficulty
which, perhaps, neither the Sec
Tetary Of War nor the Postmaster
General, nor even the Attorney
General, have sufficiently consid-
cred. There are mails which come
from the Philippines as well as
those which are despatched
thither. With the arrival OF every
steamer come scores, or rather
hundreds, perhaps thousands, OF
letters from our officers and men
serving in the Philippines, which
are being published daily in the
newspapers throughout the conn-
try, and particularly in the far
Western States, TO which those
officers and men belong, addressed
to their fathers, brothers, mothers,
sisters and wives, which are TO the
full as much calculated to discour
age enlistments as anything in
Atkinson's pamphlets. What does
the Administration propose to do
about this? Does it propose to
prevent our soldiers from writing
to their families at home or from
saying just what they think and
teel1 Does it propose to subject
the private correspondence be-
tween husband and wife, mother
and-son, to system OF espionage
and military censorship such as
has already been established over
all communications by cable7 Thus
Senator Hoar's speech on the floor
OF the Senate in which he opposed
the conquest Of the Philippines
was denied telegraph; communi-
cation to Manila, and only the
other day, when a woman's meet
ing, a society or convention Of
mothers and wives, at Omaha,
Neb., telegraphed a request to
their sons and husbands not to re-
enlist, but to come home when
their terms had expired, the secre-
tarV OF the society was iniorme ed
that the message was duly received
at Manila, but had been suppressed
by the military authorities.
Then, what does the Admins
tration propose to do with our own
brave soldiers who return whether
inValided or not, from the Philip
pines. who may not write or pub
lIsh pamphlets. but do not hesitate,
in conversation and through the
press, to give utterance to state
ments and views which are calcu-
lated to have a most discouraging
effect upon enlistments1 What
steps would the Attorney. General