Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-18
OF Correspondents Causes
Much Gossip
IN THE OFFICIAL CIRCLES
General Otis Has Not Sent a Report
By Mail For a Number of Months
Censorship of Press Dispatches
Is Not Approved.

New York, July 1S-A special to the
Tribune from Washington says: What
every army officer in Washington mas
long feared, but for obvious reasons de-
clined to discuss in public, and what civ
ilians were beginning, unwillingly in
most instances, to believe, is precisely
confirmed by the remarkable cable dis
patch from Hong Kong, which will take
rank as war paper with the celebrated
Santiago "round robin of last summer
In the war department for more than
month the feeling existing among the
higher officials that General Otis was
misplaced in command at Manila is grow
ing irrepressible. His consecutive official
reports were seen to be non-corroborated,
and even the president was no longer un-
aware of the distrustful sentiment affect
ing soldiers in Manila or on duty here
passing through Washington to join
commands elsewhere.
The government was compelled to de-
pend for later news of the Philippine situ-
alton wholly on the brief cabled reports
from the general, it having been notice.
able that the press dispatches, which had
been so full and satisfactory to the au-
thorities earlier in the campaign, had
practically ceased to arrive in June Anx-
iety was increased by the apparent re-
luctance of General Otis to give desired
information, his grudging replies to quer-
les about the men he would need in the
fall, and his stubborn reiteration that 3O,-
600 men would be enough for all purposes.
That was his estimate six months ago,
yet for the succeeding four months his
force aggregated over 10000 and hardly
an inch of ground was gained from the
insurgents after May 1.
For four months official kilograms had
come from General Otis, testifying to his
belief that the rebellion was over, and
only now it is beginning to be openly ad-
mitted that General Otis has not known
what was going on in the country under
his control, and that he has failed to form
any adequate idea Of Filipino character.
At last it is beginning to be realized
among the civil authorities, as it had al
ready become profound conviction
among military men experienced in In
dian control in the west, that the war in
Luzon might not have begun, and in any
event would have been quickly ended,
had General Merriam remained in COM
mand or had General Otis come home last
summer.
There is no disposition in the army to
declare unqualifiedly that General Otis is
incapable of doing some things in Ma
Mia better than many ether officers near
the top of the army list. His ability as
an administrator is widely recognized
He is unusually systematic about his Of
flee affairs, and has enjoyed an enviable
reputation for discretion, particularly in
his dealings with transgressors of civil
and military law. He has been an au-
thority on drill regulations, and his in
terest in the efficiency in the army organ
ization was shown in his establishment of
the cavalry school, But since the civil
war his field service was never notice.
able. and his friends are reticent about it.
For that reason, Generals Lawton,
Young, Wheeler and Schwan. as well as
others, have been sent to him, as express
ly stated by the war department, "in or
der that General Otis might be relieved
of much of the responsibility in the actual
to devote more time in admin
istering affairs in the rest Of the islands"
The revelations now made about the ,
censorship astound the officials here. /
When complaints We're recently made |
about the way dispatches We're being
stopped and mangled at Manila, the war
department was satisfied with an expla-
ma ton of General Otis that great liberty
was being allowed, with only such re-
strictions as to prevent in advance in
of military operations from be-
coming known to the enemy. The presi-
dent has frequently remarked to visitors
who broached the subject that he was
anxious to have the fullest knowledge of
Philippine affairs disseminated and that
ne was disposed to have the widest lati-
ude commensurate with military neces-
;ity given to the American correspond
,nts throughout the islands. When the
attest disclosures regarding the petty
correspondents have met are
substantiated, as in all proba-
,ility they speedily will be, orders from
will undoubtedly cause their
lbatelaent 1t is the impression that the
,ist, if not the entire subject matter of !
he correspondents complaint, will be
ent by cable to General Otis by the war
department., and that he will be asked
or his version Of the specifications they ;