The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-12
Washington Authorities Suppress
Ing AtkilS0n'S Work.
THREE PAMPHLETS ARE NAMED
The Noted Writer Alleged to Pc
Guilty OF Sedition-Books Can
not Be Sent to Manila.

WASHINGTON, May 2-Postmast-
er General Smith has barred the pam
phlets of the Anti-Imperialistic League
from the mails going to the Philip
pines. His action was reported to the
President and Cabinet at the meeting
this morning and was warmly APP
proved. Attorney General Griggs was
of the opinion that Edward Atkinson
and his associates were guilty Of sedi-
ton in distributing screeds calculated
TO breed mutiny among the American
troops and to encourage the F'ilipinos
in their insurrection, but the Cabinet
concluded that it would not be good
policy to make martyrs of the offend
erS.
Mr. Smith explained that he had in
structed the postal officials at San
Francisco to examine the mails close
ly and throw out all of Atkinson's
pamphlets directed to points in the
philippines. He called special atten-
ton to the three publications entitled
THE He'll of War;" Criminal Aggres-
sion" and The Cost of a National
Crime" There was some discussion
| at the Cabinet meeting as to the adj
visibility of excluding these treason
able pamphlets from the mails alto
gether, but it was decided that they
| would do no real harm within the
| States.
Instead Of prosecuting Mr.. Atkinson
and his associates, it was agreed that
| the wiser policy would be to ignore
| them as much as possible and not to
magnify their Importance.
The Postmaster General consulted
the Attorney General before making
his order, and that official is confident
that Mr. Atkinson and his associates
have f1agrantly violated section 1894
of the United States Statutes relating
to Grimes against the existence Of the
Government"
This section is as follows:
amy person who incites, sets on
| foot, assists or engages in any rebellion
| or instruction against the authority
| of the United States or the laws there
| of, or gives aid or comfort thereto,
shall be punished by imprisonment of
not more than ten years, or by fine
| of not more than $4,000, or by both OF
| such punishments, and shall moreover
| be incapable of holding any office
under the United States"
This matter was brought to the. at
| tention of the postal officials by the
| War Department, whose authorities
were greatly exercised and urged that
some action be taken. 1t is thought
that there is little possibility of any OF
these publications getting past the San
Francisco office. but if a few should
the military authorities in the Philip
pines will promptly suppress them.
| While the Administration has no
plan for the punishment of Mr.. Atkin-
son and others of his kind, these men
may proceed to lengths which will ul-
timately lead to their prosecution. II
they undertake to sneak their seditiOus
pamphlets into the Philippines after
the plain warning of the Government
the Administration will not hesitate to
take radical steps to stop them.
| Mr.. Atkinson admits that his league
has already distributed about 10000 OF
its tracts, many of them in distant
| Islands. 1t is thought they have had
something to do with the discomfort OF
the volunteers. The troops had pre-
viously given Gen. Otis to understand
that they wanted to stay in the SER
vice until the fighting was over, but
the Boston tracts gave them the i'm
preston that their services were not
appreciated in the United States. These
pamphlets were also intended to en-
courage the Fflipinos to continue their
resistance, and the anti-imperialists
may be directly responsible for the
loss of many American lives and the
expenditure of much treasure.
|