The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-22

now Oelng made Tor p campaign de
noyo on an imposing scale
The Philadelphia Ledger says:
"lu 80 far as this protest is directed
against censorship based upon the
fear that the truth would alarm the
people Of the United States it is
fully justified, whether il has or has
not been signed By the correspond
ents a censorship intended to pre-.
vent news Of intended movements
reaching the enemy is entirely justi.
fable; censorship intended to con.
cesl the truth from the people Of the
United States is utterly indefensible
We ought to know the truth, to be
so freely informed Of the truth that
% lies from Hongkong or Boston
could disturb our equanimity. The
protest, even though il should prove 10
be of Hongkong manufacture cOntsins
germ of truth. The Presldend should
compel the War Depa tment to take
the people into its confidence, at least
to the extent ftclling the truth about
what has slready occurred. Lincoln
did that during the War of the Rebel
lion, and frequently put an end to
alarming rumors bya simple state
ment Of fact. President Mckinley
can do the same thing now, and he
ought to do it if he can truthfully re-
fute the lnsinuations contained in
this alleged protest. General Otis
should be invited to make reply to it
line by lIDe.snd the reply should then
be published under the authority Of
he President.
The Pnllad' phia Press says: "Ac.
cordlng to a dispatch signed by news
paper correspondents in Manila, Gen
eral Otis has been exercising undue
restrictions in the way Of censorship
on cattle dispatches. AS the mails TO
HongkOng are not under any censor
ship, there cannot be much delay in
getting anything through to the
United States. At the same time any
censorship intended merely to in
huence news dispatches to the United
States is unwise. There is evidently
increasing doubt in the public mind
as to the experience and fitness of
General Otis for the responsible work
he has in hand"
The Philadelphia North American
says: "Grsnting absolute freedom
to the press would not increase OTIS
ability 10 deal with the situstion. He
has had his opportunity aud failed.
A man of brains and action is needed
in the Philippines now"
The Boston Herald says; The CEN
sorship at Manila must have become
intolerable. Nothing short of con.
dition of affairs so bad that it could
not be endured any longer would
have driven the correspondents OF
American newspapers to unite in a
"round robin" calling for an abate-
ment Of the restrictions under which
they have suffered. Their protest
tells the story of the official suppress
sions and Misrepresentation by
which the American people have
been misled in regard to the military
and political situation in the Philip
1
pines.
Ia protesting against the gag Of
the Manila censorship, the press cor
respondents have done great SER
vice to their country. We said the
other day that the American people
had right to know the truth in re
gard to the situation in the Philip
pines, and that the truth had evident
ly been kept from them.
The Boston Post says: The ex-
plosion has come at last. Just as
the infamous neglect of our troops
in Cuba produced the famous "round
robin of the general officers under
Shafter before Santiago, so the sup
preston and Justification of news
from the seat of the Filipino war has
produced the statement of the war
correspondents at Manila. ln each