The times., 1899-05-06
THE ATKINSON LITERATURE.
An Official Statement From Postmns-
ter General Smith.

ter General Smith.
Postmaster General Smith yesterday
gave out for publication the letter sent by
Edward Atkinson, of the Anti Imperialist
League, to the War Department, asking
for the addresses of officers and privates
in the American Army at Manila in order
that he might forward his seditious litera-
ture to them. The letter is accompanied
by the reason for its publication.
When received at the War Department
Secretary Alger sent the lettr and pamph-
lets to Postmaster General Smith, with no
intention OF having the request complied
with, transmitting recommendation that
the seditious circulars be barred from the
United States mail, under the law govern
ing the suppression of letters o. literature
which would have a tendency to create
mutiny or dissatisfaction If allowed to cir
culate among soldiers of the American
Army. Many paragraphs in the pamphlet
were marked by the Secretary of War as
evidence of the reasonable nature of the
circulars, and are contained in the state
ment given out by the Postmaster General,
which is as follows:
"In view of the statement of Edward
Atkinson that he sent his pamphlets only
to Admiral Dewey, General Otis. President
Schurman, and three or four others, the
letter of Mr.. Atkinson containing his ap-
plieation will be of interest. 1t is as fol-
lows:
Boston, April p, 1899.
To the Secretary of War:
Sir: I desire to send n large number of the
enclosed pamphlets on The Cost Of National
Crime 1.-The Hell of War and Its Penalties
Criminal Aggression: hy Whom C0mmtted?" TO
the officers and prvates in the Philippine Islands.
! therefore desire to know whether or not these
documents be sent directly through the War
Department or may be forwarded in due course
nj lfcr pf Hpf. ig ira1 and
there are printed lists of officers available, they
would serve me very useful purpose.
EDWARD ATKINSON.
NO answer was made to this letter, ex-
cept to send an official copy to the Post
master General. who issued instructions
to the postmaster at San Francisco to hold
the pamphlets. The spirit and design of
the pamphlets will be indicated by few
extracts In one of them Mr. Atkinson
says:
l will append question TO each reader:
How much increase of taxation are you willing
TO bear and how many of your neighbors' sons
are you ready to sacrifice by fever malaTia, and
venerea disease in order TO extend the sover-
eighty of the United States over the West Indies
and the Philippine Islands,
Again, after describing what he calls
The He'll of War and Its Penalties, Mr..
Atkinson says:
Lest others should he entrapped into enlistment
in the Regular Army or volunteer service in the
tropics. it will be only fair and honest on the
part of the recruiting officers To be put in pos
ession of these facts.
Again, Mr.. Atkinson says:
The way has already become plain for the youth
OF the land 10 avoid disease in the tropics bv
refusing to volunteer enlist in the Army or
the Navy of the United States. The way will
be found for the volunteers now held against
their will to get their release from unlawful serv-
ice in any other country than their own after
peace is declared.
Mr.. Atkinson not only speaks thus of
and to the soldiers of the United States,
but he encourages the Filipinos to insur-
rection when he says: They have the
power to enter into international relations.
and they may yet be recognized and rightly
recognized by other powers r"