Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-09-15

should go also. A committee was
chosen-Davis, McCutcheon, Bass and
T. When we were ushered into Otis y
room he said with anger: ~
"Gentlemen, you have served an e.
traordinary paper upon me. You ac-
cuse me of falsehood. This constitutes
conspiracy against the government.
| will have you tried by general court
martial, and let you choose the Judges"
We knew from experience with threats
to "put you off the island" that there
was nothing to be frightened about, and
also knew that all officers who would be
on court tmartial would know we told
the truth. Three hours of exceedingly
plain talk followed.
Dealing with the specifications, we
said that the hospital doctors refused to
give us any information as to the number
of sick, on the ground that he had in
structed them to Withhold such facts.
His reply was that the hospitals were full
of perfectly well men who were shirking,
and should be turned out. To send
home figures of the numbers in hospitals
would be entirely misleading.
In the matter of prejudice against the
navy, it was stated on the part of the
correspondents that all were compelled
to change their accounts of the taking of
Iloilo to make it appear that the army
had done the work with the Immediate
assistance from war ships and that only a
few houses were burned. The un-
questioned facts told in the original
stories were that the soldiers did not
land until three hours after the marines
had raised the flag and chased the in
surgents out.
Gen. Otis explained that the navy was
so anxious for glory that it disobeyed in
structions by landing before the proper
time, etc, although the correspondents
could not have been permitted to send
that explanation had they known 1t, and
were forced to give in false account.
Davis said: "When | returned to Ma
Mia | asked what | would be permitted
to send, and you told me all facts, news
about military operations not helpful to
the enemy, and my opinions as opinions"
Gen. Bates was present throughout the
interview. AT the close Gen. Otis turned
to him and asked:
"What would you do with these
gentlemen, general?"
Bates promptly replied: II would
do what | said"
Court martial them?" Otis asked.
mo, let them send what you promised
Bates said.
The next morning Otis sent for Davis
and tried to talk him over. The commit
tee threshed over the same ground, and
the result was statement In effect that
we might send anything which in his
opinion was mot prejudlcial to the inter.
ests of the United States"
There were two or three days of i'm
prOvement and greater liberality in the
censorship, and then it dropped into the
old rut. The position of the newspaper
correspondents here is, as it has been
from the beginning, most difficult Otis
has closed to us every possible source of
information. Only yesterday, when l
attempted to send report of the
bombardmeut of Paete, the truthfulness
of which was unquestioned, he i'm
mediately sent for Tawton and demand
ed to know how it had been made
public, and told Lawton to Jump on to
the members of his staff.
Recently / filed what l thought most
inotfensive statement that the business
men who had appeared before the COM
mission had advocated the retention of
the existing silver system of currency.
The censor said:
81 ought not to let that go. That
would be lift for Bryan. My instruc-
tions are to shut of everything that could
hurt McKinley's administration. That is
free silver"
Iexplained that the silver system here
was not l6 to |, and with seeming reluc-
tance he SO. I'd" the item.
The charge that we had cared for no.
thing but to make sensations for our pa.
pers is most unjust, for doubt if ever a
body of newspaper men were more con.
servative in the presence of unlimited
provOcation for sensatonalism. There
has been according to Otis himself, and
the personal knowledge of every one
here, a perfect Orgie of loOtng and
wanton destruction of property. and
most outrageous blackmailng of the
natives and Cinnamon in Manila, ant
various incidents like the shooting dOwr
of several FilipinOs for attempting to rur
from arrest at cock fight, not tC
mention court martials of officers fol
COW ardice and the dismissal of Gen
- for getting hopelessly drunk OF
the eve of two important battles-all o
which the correspondents have left un
touched by common consent. Also
there are the usual number of army
scandals and intrigues, which we have
not aired, foremost among them the fac
(it is universally considered fact in tn,
army that Otis is deeply prejudiceC
against and jealous of Lawton. and ha
done everything in his power to kee
LawtOn in the background and proven
him from making reputation.
The secret of the whole trouble here
that the government has left small ma
to deal with the most delicate problems
requiring broad craftsmanship. Ever
one agrees that Otis is honest, and tina
counts for much in position atfordin
such chance for dishonesty, but ever
one agrees also with most remarkabl
unanimity that he has bungled affair
from the beginning. l wish the etiquett
of ofilcialdom might permit Dewey an
, Schurman to speak to Mckinley and tn
! public concerning Otis as freely as the
have to newspaper men. Those two ar
the only men of the calibre of states
] men the government has sent here an
Schurman has the college professor
weakness of believing that all other mel
including Malays, were as sincere