The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-06-13

comment about the Philippine situation,
in which the following appears:
The sooner the war department per-
mits the full publication of the news
from the Philippines the better. That
b there has been systematic holding
back of most Important facts since the
4 beginning of the war there can not be
. the slightest doubt: that Is has been
gone that the American people should
< be Kept In ignorance, and not from mil
y 1tarS necessity. as was the case In the
spanish war. Is also apparent. In the
: matter Of our actual losses in killed and
\ wounded, the truth has probably not
haif been told, while as to he ravages
& or disease among our soldiers we are
IN complete ignorance, except as to what
can DC surmlSed from occasional reports
/. OF the effective strength of certain vol
unteer regiments.
rms Is simply a repetition of a state
ment that Is being made by the enemies
OF the administration and a partisan
press FOR the purpose of prejudiclng the
pubic against the administration. The
purpose is obvious. and the almost daily
publication Of General Otis's dispatches
reporting the casualties among our
troops in the Phillppines-kIlled, wound
ed and sick, is sufficient denial of the
story. There is no complete ignor-
ance" Of these matters on the part Of
the people of this country. There is.
however. on the part Of the malicious
so-called contemporaries" press dis
position to prejudice the minds Of the
public against the government. which Is
entirely unworthy of the self-styled pa
triots.
The Register. like others Of its class,
concluded with the stereotyped express
sion that some Of these days news will
leak through by some channel which
will dIsspate the roseate glow thrown
over the Philippine war. through the
persistent use of the censor's blue pen
ell. and when this happen7 there will be
q demand from one end Of the country
to the other that the confic- shall cease.
and woe to the administration IL the de-
mand be not Needed"
This admission on the part of the
Register that 1t knows nothing of what
1t is talking about, Is hardly consistent
with its allegation In the paragraph
above quoted. In one paragraph bold
and unjustifable assertion Is made, and
in another 1t Is admitted that some
day the truth may leak out. If the
truth cannot be known until Some
day" where did the Register obtain its
exclusive information? II there are
dispatches from General Otis that are
not given to the public at once, 1t is no
more than likely and is often n neces-
slty.
II the Register and other malicious
critics OF the administration do not
know it, they should know that, in al!
wars and military and naval operations,
there are matters In otiica! reports from
the front pertaining to the campaign
that contain suggestions and informa-
tion regarding plans of campaign and
intended movements that II would be
4unwise to publish. Results are always
Hiuue KNOWN. II Is MOI hiWiLys Wise LOT
information of the nature mentioned to
be given out In advance to the public to
be advertised to the enemy by the enc
my's sympnthIzers and agents.
If the Register Will consult military
history or any veteran soldier 1t will
. get this eternal truth Into Its head. It
Is this fact that has given rise to such
absurd assertions as our contemporary
makes. Some Of these days" 1t may
leak out" that the Register IS entitled
to be clnssed among those who would
prefer to see their country disgraced
before the world to seeing 1t fulfill the
obligations to which 1t Is honorably
pledged.