The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-07-22
'CORBIN DENIES THAT
WAR NEWS IS WITHHELD
Philippines Situation Not Misrepre-
sented BY Official Dispatches,
He Declares.
COMPLAINT OF CORRESPONDENTS

COMPLAINT OF CORRESPONDENTS
Their Charge That the Public Is
MtsloA by OTIS Dispatches
Causes q Stir In Wash.
ington.
Washington, July 1s.-The publica-
ton of the war correspondents formal
Indictment of General Otis manage
men of the Philippine campaign
caused a sensation in the departments
here. Secretary Hay had received adj
vices as late as yesterday from civil
as well as military sources in the Phil
ippines which led him to declare that
the situation there was certainly ina
proved materially, and that the pros
poets for the future had frightened
very much. With these advices, the
secretary said, General Otis had moth
ing to do, and they were from disin-
terested persons whose opinions must
carry weight. Generally there vas
strong disinclinatfon exhibited by the
officials to discuss the last "round
robin"
Regarding statements that cable
dispatches received in Washington and
other news had been censured con-
trary to the usual custom, Adjutant
General Corbin said:
Eyes. these complaints have been
brought to my notice; a word of expla-
nation is perhaps due to the country,
no less than the department. The
enormous amount of work the Office
has been called upon to perform has
taxed to the limit the endurance of the
clerks, who, by the way, are as compe-
tent as any that can be found any
where. Complaints were made by sew
eral of the assistants and clerks that
our clerks were being annoyed and
their time taken from legitimate work
by direct application for information
from people In no way connected with
the Office or the public service. AS II
matter of protection of the public in
terests and the administration the or
der of June % was issued.
.The censure of the so-called cen-
sored press is without just cause and
evidently made under misapprehen-
sion of facts.
"rhere has been no Information re-
CelNSu 1EOlll 1SllCld 0lio lAo AUS ~
been given to the press promptly on
the bulletin board in the hall Of this
office, and every fair minded represen-
tative Of the press will bear witness to
this statement. What would the man
ager of any one of the complaining pa
pers say if information concerning the
business of the paper was inquired for
of the printers rather than at he bust
ness Office Of the paper? This is a case
exactly in point.
1.-THE standing instructions OF the
president and secretary of war are
that the public shall be given all infor-
nation we receive. This has been done
and will continue to be done. OF
course plans of campaigns that would
be of help to Aguinaldo and other reb-
els have not and will not be promul-
gated. but all facts Of events trans
PRED have been given in fullness."
The dispatch of the newspaper men
will be taken up by the cabinet. So
far as a be learned nothing has been
done or decided on concerning the
communication. Officials are excep-
tionalE reticent on the subject, but a
prominent army officer said last night
that General Otis would probably be
left free to act as he thought best.
Nothing, he said has been heard from
General Otis on the subject.
Claim News Is Suppressed.
Manila, July II (via Hong Kong).-
The constantly increasing strictness
of the censorship of press dispatches
from Manila, which prevented the
cabling to the United States of any
thing that did not reflect the official
view of important events and con-
ditions resulted in united efforts on
the part of correspondents here to
secure an abatement of the rigor OF
the censorship. The initiative in this
direction was taken n month ago and
resulted in framing a statement which
was presented Sunday, July Q, to Otis
with request for permission to telc-
graph it to the United States. The
correspondents also asked that they
be allowed to cable their respective
papers the facts and different
phases of events MS they
transpired here. The CORE
spondents had two long interviews
with General Otis, in the course of
which they complained hat the evil
dent purpose of the censorship wns
not to keep information from the cne-
my, but to keep from the public
knowledge of the real condition of al
fairs here. 1t was asserted by the cor
respondents that newspapers printed
in Manila, which reach the enemy
quickly, are permitted to publish
statements similar to those which cor
respondents are forbidden to cable. 1t
was made clear to Otis hat the objec-
ton was to the system. not to the cen
sor. Otis finally promised greater lib-
erty, agreeing to pass all matter that
he might consider not detrimental to
the interests of the United States. Otis
appointed Captain Greene, of his staff,
censor.
Statement OF Correspondents.
The statement of the correspondents
is as follows:
"The undersigned, being all staff
correspondents of American ncwspa-
pcrs stationed in Manila, unite in the
following statement:
"We believe that owing to the Off.
cial dispatches from Manila made pub
lie in Washington, the people of the
United States have not received a cor
rect impression of the situation in the
Philippines, but that these dispatches
have presented an nltra-optimistic
view that is not shared by the general
officers in the field.
1--WE believe that the dispatches in
correctly represent the existing condi-
tons among the Philippines in respect
to d%issension and Generalization re-
sulting from the American campaign.
and to the brigand character of their
army.
a nNE NAVIGAT0Rv pIcKED lip