Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-10-07

against the censorship in Manila has
attracted considerable attention,
thought it might be well to give you
a brief story regarding the matter.
| Here are few instances of Otis CEN
| sorship:
| Collins, of the Associated Press,
submitted a telegram which stated
that the business men of Manila be-
lieved the silver basis best for the ISL
ands. Thompson, the censor. read it,
and exclaimed: Why, that's direct
boost for Bryan. My Instructions are
to let nothing 90 that will hurt the
| Mckinley administration
"One day, when asked Just what mat
ter could 90, Thompson said: Moth
ing in reference to future moves Of
the military, nothing calculated to aid
or comfort the enemy. and nothing
that will hurt the administration.
| Otis has persistently refused to
allow anything 10 90 which might
represent the insurgents as acting on
the aggressive. For instance one
night the insurgents attacked San
| Luis. fired three volleys into an abso-
lutelv unsuspecting American force,
| killed one man and then retreated.
Otis refused to let this story 90 for
two or three days. Finally he die
tated dispatch which made it appear
that the Americans had acted on the
aggressive. Otis has repeatedly cut
out the words attack and surprised,
substituting had an engagement The
words evacuation and abandonment
are not allowed to 90. They may have
got through by accident now and then,
| but we are not supposed TO use them.
Otis has added 10 dispatches the
| words insurgents severely punished,
when as a matter of fact the officers
in the field confessed that they did not
know whether a single insurgent had
| been killed. During the row between
Otis and the Schurman peace commits
| sioners all news referring to the latter
| was struck out. The peace commits
sion has no standing here, said Otis.
Matter has frequently been cut
! out of our dispatches on the ground,
to quote literally. that ii would have
the people of the United States by the
ears This has been favorite ex-
preston of Otis when he has cut
out matter that might alarm people
at home. Nothing was ever allowed
to 20 which might indicate that the
volunteers wanted to 90 home and
were Disguised at lighting the Filipi
nos. There were mum berless in
stances proving this sentiment, but
we were not allowed to use any of
them. Hospital reports sent by obs
include only the sick in the first and
second reserve hospitals and Corregi
dor. All those in field hospitals and
in quarters are not included.
headquarters has persistenlly
(until lately) refused to give out
news. making it necessary for news
paper men to pick up the news the
best WAY they could. The generals
were cautioned not TO talk to news
paper IL en-, and many other obsta-
cles were placed in our way. Because
Lawton gave out the interview re
garding the 100, 600 men to Palmer,
Bass and me, Otis called him down
severely. On another occasion he
said to Wildman. Gen. Lawton has
given me more trouble than any other
man in the army Just by his talking
to YOU newspaper men Sometimes
we would take dispatch to ThOmp-
son, who would kill it. Another cor
respondent would take the same thing
to otis, VINO would o. X. it. There
was a wocful lack of system. News
papers are private Institutions. they
have no standing here, and are only
here on sufi erance,' said OTIS. The
censor refu ed to allow the fact to 90
that the sailors from MonadnOck and
Helena came to the rescue of the SOL
diers on June 13 at Zepote. The
Manila signal book shows this signal
from the soldiers: We need sup
port Sailors were landed and found
many of the men with only five
rounds of ammunition. If the sailors
had not been landed it is possibl
that every one of the little band of
Americans on tire beach would have
been captured or killed. Nothing was
allowed TO 90 which indicated that the
navy captured I5nilo. Consequently
Miller was promoted for gallautrv in
the capture of the town, although the
marines Of the Boston had been landed
u half hour before the soldiers, had
cleared the town IF Eoilo of insur-
ents and had an American flag flying.
The following partial list will show
what our troops have done and will
reveal what a world of unnecessary
work they have had TO do:
.Pasig has been captur ed three
times and abandoned twice.
"Guadeloupe has been captured
four times and abandoned three
times.
'.Mariquina has been captured six
times ana abandoned six times.
"CaLita mas been captured twce and |
abandoned twice.
..AntiPolo has been captured once
and abandoned.
Morong has been captured twice /
and abandoned twice.
Santa Cruz has been captured once /
and abandoned.
Pagsanian has been captured once /