New-York tribune., 1899-07-22
OTIS DEFENDS HIMSELF.
CORRESPONDENTS CHARGES DECLARED
TO BE UNTRUE.
TIVE WAR DEPARTMENT ASKED FOR AN
EXPLANATION. NOTWITHSTANDING ITS
STATEMENT THAT THE PROTEST
WOULD BE IGNORED.
TpY rz1peRPB To THE TR1BUNE.l J

IBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNE.l
washington. July 21.-After announcing with
emphasis that the protest Of the Manila CORE
snondents would be permitted to drop" or. at
any rate Ignored" IL turns out not only that
the War Department was informed by General
otis that the protest was imminent, but also
that the Department has been in cable communi-
cation with the General since the protest ap-
neared in print and on the very subject it was
deemed unworthy of the dignity Of the Depart
ment to notice
STATEMENT PREPARED BY THE CABINET
The following statement, prepared at the
meeting OF the Cabinet to-day. posted at
the War Department this afternoon:
General Otis in disparch under date Of July
% says that the press correspondents demand
ed permission to cable that official reports sent
misrepresented conditions This was denied
srhey then demanded the privilege TO send with
out reservation facts found by them and their
opnion This WIS granted if public interests
we're not impered. The answer was not sat-
isfactory. and they therefore sent by mail TO
Hong Kong
General Otis says he is not conscious Of send
ing Misrepresentation but thinks that his dis
patches at times have been too conservatives
The press affair appeared TO he a threat. When
The correspondents were asked to be Informed
wherein General Otis's dispatches were mislead-
ing they offered nothing tangible except that
his conclusions were unwarranted When told
they were OlSreEdrQlnE Nlltdry duNlo4lts
A was apparent that they cOurted martyrdOm,
which II was unwise TO give them
n a later dispatch General Otis says that the
charges made by the press correspondents are
untrue He adds that the most harmonious re-
jations exist between the Army and the Navy
He gives the following extract from letter
tust received from a leading Filipino at Iarlac,
which is the headquarters of the main lnsur-
gent army: 49,,
Tor some days have been trying TO leave this
hand of thieves watched so closely impossible
A ma 0f hn
for American troops TO advance, for every one
IS desperate with so much savagery committed
BY Aguinaldos army"
Captain Barker, of the Navy, who succeeded
Admiral Dewey IN command Of the fleet. in
sending the report of the commander or the
Yorktown 70 the Navy Department makes ms
indorsement: Il am pleased TO note the cordlal
cooperation Of Army and Navy
AS bearing upon the statement that the opera
tions of the Navy had been minmlzed' IL may
be stated that General Otis has repeatedly rec
ognized the work OF the Navy, as for example
IN his dispatch Of June ID last. in which ne
SAYS The Navy aided greatly on shore or pay.
landing forces occasionally" And again. under
date Of July 9: The Army and Navy are IN
hearty accord. and the best Of feeling prevails
RELATIONS OF ARMY AND NAVY.
The charges against General Otis were pub
lshed last Monday. and he was promptly asked
for his version Of the specifications. His re-
ply. dated July 20. received yesterday was
not wholly satisfactory to himself as evidenced
bv the later dispatch" dated July 21 and re-
ceived to-day In the latter dispatch he dis
misses all the charges with the simple declara-
tion that they are untrue" supplementing this
assertion with the announcement that the rela-
tions between the Army and Navy are most
harmonious" apparently without deeming it
good taste TO mention any corroboratve incl
dent but quoting the words Of leading Fill
pino at Tarlao which have not the remotest
connection with the subject.
In the Cabinet meeting however an attempt
was made to supply something substantial to
refute the charge of "systematic intimidation
Of naval operations" by quoting Captain Bark
ers Endorsement on Commander SpeITy's report
regarding the work of the gunboat Albay at
Iloilo early in May, which recently reached the
Navy Department by mail General Otis him
self having failed to regard the achievements
Of the little gunboat worthy of mention. Ihe
Cabinet was probably unable to discover any
Endorsement by General Otis Of like tenor and
SO chose an incident that was calculated 10
heap Goals of fire on the head Of the defendant
The reference TO General Otis's dispatch Of June
II is regarded as particularly unfortunate lor
General Otiss apologizers. as well as directly
misleading The mildly patronizing manner IN
which he referred to the aid given by the Navy
and others who knew the facts, and it moreover
emphaticaIly minimized the naval operation re-
terred TO exactly as asserted in the round robin
WHAT OFFICIAL DISPATCHES SHOW.
These facts are shown in unexpurgated Of
fcial dispatches as follows:
Manila, June 13
Secretary Navy, Washington: .,,oa
The Insurgents fired at navy yard' hasheu
.t.tn Of war
trsncbments The Helena and the Monadhock
landed forces to assist in MAINTAINING .ne .o, poS,,
ton until reinforced by the Army ne mo saiN
successful. Enemy was iON pnpKrp
ties in the Navy
Manila. June IA
Secretary Navy, washington: ,o ,o.ou os
peoarSir1 enlargement of June IL. detail OF
officers for special service nu' ot the NAVY.
which shall acknowledge with pieasgWrEe ot-
Aeially, Lawton. -
Manila, June IA
h.utant General washington. , ond oven
Lswtons troops under o,sn WneS ~ Bacoor; have
secuted westward and some distance o.,,
on line Zapote River and bacoor iO1u har6oninS
appears to have retired on ilius nsterSaw severe:
hay country The fighting yesteIuay yesS 80 ,oritv
cur loss ten killed and forty wounoeu, ne'r 80,
all crossing Zapote River; enemy ot,uen r,ets 70
heavy and we'll constructed inatr loss several
which they held tenaciousy; their ioss rntne srnt
hundred Of whom fifty buried TINS mo-, t.,' ,.s,
WIN not propaoiy HIN. Hs OTIS.
stand in southern provinces.
Manila June 10.
Alutant General. Washington. ,.1 prov,nce
Success Lawton's troops Ca'ne nm
reater than reported yesterday & ENEMY, y,d,na- mu,
bring over four thousand. lost In kieu,
e and captured more than ne-third reinairu. I
much scattered nave retreated south TO in,us, n.ns
their arsenal Of FIVE pieces OF artillery 'ia hay
aptured Navy aided greatly on .s snorr &c sbst
\kndng forces occasionally. lnhap aioonoa with
H1n,< AoIi