The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-03
POSTMASTER GENERAL DENIES
MIR. ATKINsON's RIGHT TO SEND
OUT HIS DOCUMENTS
DISCUSSES THE MATTER
ACTION OF THE ADVOCATE OF
ANTI-ExPANsION IDEAS IS PRO-
NOUNCED sEDITIOUs
VIGOROUS REPLY IS. MADE

Mr. Atkinson Questions the Right OF
the Government TO Interfere in
the Dissemination of Documents
That Are Claimed to BE Practi-
caIly OmctaI, and Made So by the
United States Senate.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-The absentees
from today's cabinet meeting were Sec
retaries Gage, Long, Alger and Wilson.
One of the subjects of discussion was cir
culars which were mailed to the troops
at Manila, criticising the Philippine poll
Icy of the government and advising vol
unteers whose term Of service is about to
expire not to re-enlist A member of the
cabinet, in speaking of the matter said
that Mr.. Edward Atkinson, OF Boston,
who is believed to have been largely in
strumental in the preparation and send
Ing out Of these circulars, was unques-
tonably guilty of assisting an insurrec-
ton against the authority Of the United
States and was subject to term Of i'm
prisonment or heavy fine, or both. The
law which it is said has been violated is
section 1894 of the Revised Statutes,
which is as follows:
Every person who incites. sets on foot.
assists or engages In any rebellion or in
surrec1on against the authorities of the
United States or the laws thereof, or
gives aid or comfort thereto shall be
punished by imprisonment for not mora
than ten years, or by fine of not moro
than $4,000, or by both of such punish
ments, and shall, moreover, be incapable
of holding any office under the United
States"
What action, If any, will be taken IN
the matter has not been determined, but
II Is said that the government Is disposed
to regard the acts of Mr. Atkinson as
those of person without any proper
conception of the gravity of the offense
committed, and the government NAV NOT
at this time take action against Mr.. At
k1nson and his assistants The post
master general stated at the cabinet
meeting that he had ordered the circulars
stopped at San Francisco. Members of ,
the administration regard Mr. Atktnson's
al!egeq action as seditious and disgrace
rul, and 1t is not improbable that If re-
peateo' prompt and energetic action will
be taken. "-A1
Parts OF the report Of the army beef
commission were read at the meeting.
ana matters relating to the AIaskan
boundary question Were briefly discussed,
THE OBJECTIONABLE PAMPHLETS
Inc three pamphlets. COPIES of which
nave Deen prohibited in the mails fnr fba
Z iuiipplnes, are those which have the fol-
1Uwihs N1n.n =, utieS: les criminal Aggression, bv
w nom The Cost of National Crime ;,
ana The He'll of War and Its Pena1ties,, >,
1heSe, unless something should deveIo,
10 necessitate further action. NAV he cf,s
cuiated through the malls within fbis
country. According to Mr. Atkinson,s own
sta.elnent, as reported, large number
OF pamhhlets have been sent ont IT,,
matter was brought to the attention oe
the postal authorities by the war denar4-
ment, whose authorities were greatly e1r-
erc1sed, with suggestion that some ec-
tion be taken 1t is thought there Is Iit-
tie posslb1l1ty OF any of these publica
tlCns getting past the San Francisco Of
flee, but If a few should. the noilitar,,
authorities In the Philippines will nromnt-
~ suppress them. Postmaster General
Emory Smith made this statement to the
Associated Press today:
These pamphlets actually incite to mn
tiny, and 1t would be uniustifahIa
to permit their circulation among tba
soldiers in the Philippines Their circnIa-
ton is a movement to induce the soldiers
10 d1sobey orders, and in effect to em
barrass and resist the government In
whose services they are engaged. Their
circuiatlon, except in the meils for the
philippines, is not interfered with hs
cause in being sent to Manila thev araf
destined for soldiers fighting our battles.
but In this country the effort to incits
TO mutiny could have no result. Not onlv
are they designed to incite to mutiny tha
American soldiers in those islands bur
also to foment and encourage insurrec-
ton on the part of the Filipinos them
selves. Such seditious literature as now
estopped might have an effect on the
forces we are now dealing with that
would be incaIculably to their advantage.
and certainly would tend to stimulate and
strengthen their already weakening on
position The law covering the case is
ample. What action might be taken
and the offense is of the gravest char
acter-is not to be discussed I do NOT
believe there is any intention to prose-
cute Mr.. Atkinson as the matter now
stands. The authority to do so, however.
is plain. He not only attacks the presi-
dent and the government, in the most
virulent language, and disputes the ma
tional policy, but also calls on the Ameri-
can troops to defy the government Ger
tainly this government is empowered to
stop or check as 1t sees fit, the circula-
ton of these seditious publications.
SAN FRANCISCO, May 2-The local
postoffice authorities have not received
any instructions regarding the seizure
Of mail sent by Atkinson to Manila and
the opinion prevails that the instruc-
tions will go to Postmaster Vaille at
Manila, as much of the mail addressed
to the islands goes by way of Vancou-
yer, B. c.