Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-09-18

| 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 the Of
| fcers who would be on court martial
| would know we told IRE truth.
| Three hours of exceed;n-- lain
| talk followed. The general did not
contradict our statements InaU the
purpose OF the censorship was to kc2,
the facts from the public, but said that
what we wanted was to have the peo-
pie stirred up and make sensations for
the papers. We told him that there
had never been any subject furnishing
more good material for sensations
than this war, and that he should be
exceedingly grateful to the papers for
handling it so temporarily.
MutiIation of Dead.
In that connection we reminded
him that the stories of looting in the
soldiers letters home had been little if
any exaggeration. Davis and Bass
told him they had personally seen our
soldiers bayoneting the wounded and
reminded him that the cutting off of
the ears of two American soldiers at
Dasmarinas had been merely retalia-
ton for similar mutilations of dead
Filipinos by the Americans. (No one
could possibly tell stronger stories of
the looting and Matchmaking by our
soldiers than Otis has told, although
he charges it all to the volunteers.)
I'VE told him that we had refrained
from sending these things and others
of similar nature because we did not
wish to make sensations. We told
him that the censorship was purely for
the purpose of giving the impression
at home that everything was lovely
here, otherwise he would suppress the
local papers which print all sorts
clippings from the AmeA> IAN papers.
denouncing the administrator, and
which keep the enemy posted on the
position of every company IN our army
Ind even give advance lotlce OF in.
tended movements.
Large Number of Hospitals.
Dealing with the specifications,
we said that the hospital officers re-
fused to give us any information as to
the number of sick, on the ground that
he had instructed them to withhold
such facts from the papers; also that
he had reported to Washington a per-
centage of ~ sick when the surgeons
agreed that from 20 to 80 per cent
of the command was sick; that not
more than 10 per cent of some regi-
ments were fit for duty, and that the
hospital force was entirely inadequate,
as well as the hospital room, so that
they were compelled to discharge
hundreds of men who were really sick
to make room for more urgent cases.
mis- reply was that the hospitals
were full of perfectly well men who
were Sinking and should be turned
out. To send home figures of the
numbers in hospitals would be entire
ly misleading.
Volunteers Not Willing to Stay.
I'VE reminded him that while he had
been reporting to Washington that
the volunteers will render willing
service until relieved the same vol
unteers were sending regimental pc
titions to the governors of their states
to use every influence to secure their
recall; that some regiments had pc
titioned him to relieve them from
duty; that the members of various re-
iments had at certain stages of the
war been in frame of mind closely
resembling mutiny; that the members
of the Third Artillery, who had enlist
ed for the war with Spain, had threat
ened to stack their guns on the Fourth
of July unless discharged sooner.
In the matter of prejudice against
the navy, it was stated on the parts of
the correspondents that all were com
PEELED to change their accounts of the
taking of Iloilo, to make it appear that
the army had done the work with i'm
material assistance from the war
ships, and that only a few houses were
burned. The unquestionable 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 insurgents out.
Gen. Otis explained that the navy
was so anxious for glory that it dis
obeyed instructions by landing before |
the proper time, etc, although the |
correspondents would not have been |
permitted TO send that explanation |
had they known it, and were forced |
to give an entirely false account of |
what occurred. The fact is question
ed by no one that almost all of the |
business quarter and much of the |
other sections were burned.
Jealous of Praise of Navy.
81 reminded him that two stories by |
Dunning. describing the work of the
navy in patrolling the coasts and tax
ing prizes were killed without reas-
ON and the others agreed that the