The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-19
All On the Dead Quiet.

II MEXICAN public opinion forced
I the Mckinley administration to
abandon its offending censor
ship at Manila. The pressure became
so strong that officialdom simply
couldn't stand it and had to let up
Orders to that effect, it transpires,
were sent to General Otis several
weeks ago.
The noteworthy feature Of the case
is'the cowardly manner in which, In
this instance, the administration adj
justed itself to public opinion. Every
body knew that the people had not
been getting, through official channels,
the truth about the condition of affairs
in the Philippines. The press CORES
pondents stationed there, knowing that
Otis would blue-pencil the essential
truth out of their dispatches, gave up
the idea of getting the real facts I'M
der the eye of this country's reading
public. Military conditions prevailed;
Otis could handle the dispatches as
suited his purpose; the life was cut out
of them: the correspondents made
their complaints; these reached the
United States; the government at
| Washington declared that it would
stand by Otis in the matter; and there
| the case rested.
Weeks afterward, representatives of
one of the country's greatest news
| agencies called on those in authority
at Washington. They stated their case
| against the censorship. In return, the
state department laughed in these Wis
itors' faces and then produced official
documents to show that, by virtue Of
instructions sent many days prior to
this conference, the censorship had, in
fact, been stopped. The ate-depart-
ment people thought that this was
good joke. They had ended the cen
sorship-at least, they declared they
had-and during whole month this
country's news agencies didn't even
know it, the newspapers didn't know it,
the correspondents at Manila didn't
know 1.-THE Mckineyites were so sly
about it, you see, and, as they fiat
tered themselves, so uncommonly
clever!
OF course, during these weeks of
ignorance as to what had been done
about the censorship. no particularly
sensational tidings came from Manila,
no intma ton was given 10 the cores
pond.nts that they were free to wire
the truth as they apprehended it or the
facts as they were constantly coming
up. If the administrators play was
to surprise the country's news service,
the play succeeded; but that does not
alter the fact that the sneaking meth
cd to which of1icialdom resorted, when
forced by public opinion, was dsrepu-
table and beneath contempt
Even now, the prevailing belief is
that the profession of the withdrawal
of the censorship is not in good faith.
The recent meager news from Manila
is to the effect that Otis has been rush
ing out in pursuit of the Filipinos only
to rush back to cover again, and that
the campaign after the rainy season.
has opened with a series of fiascos. If
that proves to be true, we may be sure
that Otis will start up his censor fac
tory again-We are getting, by slow
stages, nearer and nearer to the con-
not afford to let bad war news reach
the public, and it is a good prophecy
that, just about the time when Ohio is
prepared to go to the polls, next month,
therell be reports of smashing Amer
lcan victory in the vicinity of Manila.