The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-07-20
TOO MUCHCEDS0R
Manila Correspondents Make q
Vigorous Protest to Gen.
eral Otis. s..
Claimed He Was SuppreSsing
Facts Which People Had q
Right to Know.
sas.s4As
Also Claimed the Optimistic Of
fetal Reports Were Very
Misleading. I

= =
MANILA, Jnly II, via Hong Kong.
July 1S.-The constantly increasing
strictness of the censorship of press dis,
patches from Manila, which has pre-
vented the cabling to the United States
of anything that did not reflect official
views of important events and ooiidi.
tons, resulted in united effort Oh the
part of the correspondents here to Sc
cure an abatement of the rigor of the
censorship. The initiative in this Iii
reotion was taken month ago, and has
resulted in the framing of statements
which was presented on Sunday, July
8, to Major General Otis, commanding
the military forces of the United States
in the Philippine islands, with q re-
quest for permission to telegraph it TO
the United States. The correspondents
also asked that they be allowed to cable
to their respective papers all facts and
the different phases Of events as they
transpired here. The correspondents
had two long interviews with General
Otis, in the course of which they com.
planned that the evident purpose Of the
censorship was not to keep information
from the enemy, but to keep from the
public knowledge of the real condi.
ton of 2fairs here. 1t was
also asserted by the correspon-
dents that newspapers printed in
Manila, which reach to the enemy
quickly, are permitted to publish state
ments similar to those which CORE
spondents are forbidden to cable. It
! was made clear to General Otis THAI sthe
objection was to the system and not to
| the censor.
General Otis finally promised greater
| Eberality, agreeing to pass all matter
! that he might consider not detrimental
| to the interests of the United States.
General Otis appointed Captain Green
of his staff censor.
Statement Of the Correspondents.
The statement of the correspondents
| is as follows:
The undersigned, being all staff cor
| respondents Of American newspapers,
J stationed in Manila, unite in the follow
ing statement:
We believe that, owing to the official
dispatches from Manila made public ia
Washington, the people of the UniteS
| States have not received correct iIIs.
| preston of the situation in tho Philip
| pines, bat that these dispatches have
| presented an ultra-optimistic view tha4
| is not shared by the general ctlicers in
| the field.
We believe that the dispatches incor-
rectly represent the existing conditions
among the Philippines in respect TO dls.
sension and decentralization Ieenlt2n8
from the American campaigT .aa. to
the brigand character Of their army.
We believe the dispatches err III the
| declaration that 'the situation is vel
in hand" and the assumption that the
instruction can be speedily ended
without greatly increased force.
We think the tenacity of the Filipino
| purpose has been underestimate and
| that the statements are unfounded that
| volunteers are willing to engage in
| further service.
The censorship has compelled us to
| participate in these misrepresentation
| by excising or altering uncontroverted
statements on the plea, 90 General Otis
stated, that ''they would alarm the peo-
| pie at home or have the people of the
| United States by the ears"
Specifications: Prohibition of reports:
suppression Of full reports Of field oper-
| ations in the event in failure: numbers
of heat prostrations in the field; system
| attic Illumination of naval operations
| and suppression Of complete reports OF
! the situation.
This was signed by John t. McCutch-
con and Harry Armstrong, Chicago
| Record; Oscar K. Davis, P G. Melon
nell, New York Sun; Robert NJ. Collins,
| John L. Cunning, L. Jones, the Asso-
ciated Press; John F. Bass, VIII Din
widdie, New York Herald; Ed s..
Keene, Scripps-McRae association
| Richard Little, Chicago Tribune.