The evening times., 1899-09-08

public, but said that what We wanted was
to have the people stirred up and make
sensations for the papers. We told him
that there had never been any subject fur
nishing more good material for sensations
than this war, and that he should be ex-
ceedingly grateful to the papers for hand
ling 1t SO temperately.
In that connection We reminded him
that the stories OF looting in soldiers let
ters home had been little, if any, exag-
gerated. Davis and Bass told him they
had personally seen our soldiers bayonet-
ing the wounded, and l reminded him that
the cutting off of the ears of two Ameri-
can soldiers at Dasmarinas had been
merely retaliation for similar nut lations
OF dead Filipinos by the Americans.
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.
I'VE reminded him that while he had been
reporting to Washington that the volun-
teers will render will service until re-
lieved,' the same volunteers were sending
regimental petitions to the governors Of
their States to use every influence to secure
their recall.
I'm the matter of prejudice against the
navy it was stated on the parts of the cor
respondents that all were compelled TO
change their accounts Of the taking OF
Iloilo, 10 make it appear that the army had
done the work with immediate assistance
from the war ships, and that only few
houses were burned. The unquestioned
facts told in the original stories We're that
the soldiers did not land until three hours
after the marines had raised the flag and
chased the insurgents out.
General Otis explained that the navy
was so anxious for glory that il disobeyed
instructions by landing before the proper
time, etc, although the correspondents
could not have been permitted to send
that explanation had they known it, and
were forced to give in a false account of
what occurred The fact is questioned by
no one that almost all of the business
quarter and much of the other sections
were burned.
"0tis is a very hard man to argue with
or to pin down to any definite proposition,
and his explanation of the failure of Hall 5
expedition the first week in June was char-
acteristic. He said: But how could we
capture them when they were not there
They all got out the night before we
started, and there were not 1000 We found,
but only 600.'
General Bates was present throughout
the interview. At the close General Otis
turned to him and asked:
What would you do with these gentle
men, Generai?
Bates promptly replied: I would dc
what | said
" Court martial them Otis asked.
No, let them send what you promised
the facts and opinions as opinions Bates
said.
Wishing to give him chance to estab-
lish a reasonable censorship, we sent an
other committee with a written request
! that we be allowed to send all facts not
useful to the enemy and describe the diff
! ferent views of the situation when it was
| open to difference of opinion. The COM
mittee threshed over the same ground sew
eral hours, and the result was a statement
! in effect that we might send anything
which in his opinion was not prejudicia
to the interests of the United States
That did not change our positions in the
| least. because he had always construed as
! damaging TO the Government any story
! tending to carry the smallest inference tina
/ his acts and policies were not entirely sue
| cessful and endorsed by the whole army
War Department officials absolutely de.
clined to discuss the letter of the Manila
| Associated Press correspondent Not onl!
would they not talk on the subject, but thel
/ seemed angry when asked regarding il. Ad
iutant General Corbin called it a Camp,
| fire story and other such names.
That the letter has caused the official:
considerable uneasiness. however, is ap-
parent, as the first act of the Adiutan
General when coming to his Office thi:
| morning was to send for a copy of tht
! paper containing the letter. Times re-
porter visited several OF the heads of tbs
bureaus of the War Department, but wa
told that they had nothing to say regard.
ing the expose of the Otis press censor
ship.