The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-07-25
tion had simply gone from bad to worse.


But our paternal. or rather, grand
notherly, rulers at Washington had
not thought it good for the American
people to know the truth. So they
kept on with their absurd and lying
bulletins about encouraging news"
and peace being sin sight," until now
this bombshell has exploded and blown
up their whole edifce OF humbug ard
deception.
AS for General Otis, we think of him
mainly as an unlucky subordinate blum
deringly carrying out his orders There
can be ne doubt where he got his ia
spiration to secrecy aud deception.
The phrases of his which the cores
pondents quote-that certain facts
would alarm the people at home," or
would shave the people of the United
States by the ears'-show that he was
acting not as general but as poll
tician. That is, he was taking the
White House view that this is "a Re-
publican war;" and must be conducted
not so as to win battles but to win votes.
In this General Otis no doubt thought
he was just as faithfully serving his
master at Washington as he was by
telegraphing the manifest absurdity
the other day that only the encourage
ment derived from anti-imperialists in
America prevented the Filipinos from
surrendering. That there was no mil
itary reason for the censorship is
proved beyond all dispute by the cor
respondents, who show that the very
statements OF fact which General Otis
would not permit them to telegraph to
this country, lest somehow the news
get to the ears OF the Filipinos, were
printed in newspapers in Manila, which
freely circulated among the insurgents.
1t is clear enough that General Otis
was acting in all this matter of the GEN.
sorship from political motives, under
political instructions from Washing
ton. This is the main reason why the
exposure leaves him, as a mere gen.
eral, in so ridiculous position.
Now, what is to be done about it all?
The official dispatches from Washing
ton are not encouraging. The great
minds there seem to be absorbed with
the petty, technical aspect of the case
| Were the correspondents guilty of in
subordinatiou :? Should they be de-
ported? Or should Gen. Otis be re-
iieved? :? The intimation is that the ad
ministration will act in its usual mas
terly way, and do nothing. But we are
very greatly mistaken If the country i:
prepared much longer to tolerate the
governments policy of shutting and
deceit in this Philippine business. The
president had much better make 9
clean breast of it. He knows what
now everybody else knows that the
Philippine affair, since the treaty was
ratified, has simply been made a mes:
of. The blunder has been frightful
but it is not yet irretrievable. IL will
become so, however, by persisting IL
it. Let the administration take the ad
vice of General Funston, and try "les
gunpowder and more diplomacy" LIE
it recognize the rock of national ant
race sentiment against which it ha
been dashing itself iu vain in Luzon
and, instead of trying to pulverize II
build upon it. Without any heather
nonsense about revenge or dignity,
let Aguinaldo be frankly told that h
and his people are evidently the one
to rule their island, and that the Unit
ed States are ready to give him fre
hand and support. III some such offe
is at the bottom OF the "encouraginl
news" about Aguina.do's attidud
which the state department professe
to have, then we may well think it en-
couraging; but the terrible wreck G
their former policy Of blood and ire
ought to warn the president and MI
Hay that further efforts that way ar
madness and destruction.