The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-06
Spirit of the Press.
TRUTH ABOUT THE FOOLISH
OTIS.

New York Verdict.
Gen. Otis is bigger fool than known
His enemies say that; his friends odmit
it. 1T is conceded that what he las
done of nTisdirection and wholesale foIsi-
fcation of the military situation WIS
directly ordered from the White Honsa
But in the doing of the presidential li~ty
work, the weak mind of the vain Otis
has been unduly inflated, and the ,lIratt
result is the prevailing lack of disain,ina
the jealousy which honeycombs the ,r,,v
of occupation. So much for Otis. Raj
the President of the United States has
more to answer for. The imagination
of the most perfervid anti-expansionIst
has not eqrIalled in its charges aga,nsr
the Executive the scope displayed bv taa
suppressed truths from Manila. When
Otis, as the general i'm command of tine
army Of occupation, deliberately misrep-
resented conditions, he was acting under
orders from the President. When he pre-.
vented facts from being caIbled and com
PEELED the substitution of falsehoods. H.,
was acting on Instructions from tue
White House. When for months he
Systematically wrought and wove
mesh of lying misrepresentation to keep
the people at nome in THE dark, ne was
only an instrument in the hands Of thn
T5xecutive and the spoils conspirators
comprising the coterie in control. When
he let the dry season slip away from him
with only desultory engagements with
insurgents to make its passage, he was
under orders from Washington to Keep
the war going until told to do otherwise
When, in the open defiance of every
known opinion from the Philippines,
Otis maintained the absurd contention
that 10000 men would be enough to end
the war; he was lying because the Adj
ministration directed him to do So When
he magnified every passing brush with
scattered groups of Aguinaldo's runners
into a splendid victory for the American
troops, he was under orders to feed this
sort of rubbish to the people of the Uni
ted States, to prevent them growing
clamorous for the truth. When ne re-
fused cable privileges to all matter not
wholly i'm accord with the standard Of
distortion ordered from the War be
partment, he was within his instructions
from the President Major-G General OTIS
stands accused of having pandered 10
the Presidents political aims to such
an extent that he has made no sincere
effort to end the war, waiting until such
time as the Administration deemed most
opportune to serve its selfish personal
ends. He stands accused of preventing
any general under him from doing more
than routine work, in order to prevent
any individual ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or too
rapid advancement to close of war oD-
erations He stands accused of plotting
against Admiral George Dewey; of aim
ing to procure the downfall of Professor
Schum-man, civilian head Of the harmless
Philippine Commission. And, from first
to last, each accusation has been fGlly
proved by the sensational Developments
which followed the first break in the
worse than Weyler censorship establish
ed by Otis ait White House behest near
ly year ago. In spite of systematic
classifying, the Truth is coming out. III
the face of White House assertions, these
Developments from Manila emphasize
i'm convincing way the fact that the
Second Term Syndicate, bargain owners
of the White House, are wholly unseril-
pulous and devoid of patriotism. They
have used the war against the filipinos
for base purposes. and to perIpetuate ~
power the men under their control
Harsh as this may sound, it Is more
than justified by recent Developments.