The San Francisco call., 1899-07-18
WAR CORRESPONDENTS
NOW SCORE OTIS
Continued from First Page.

order the correspondents away, some
think, appointing new military COM
mander to take charge OF the neld op-
erations, leaving Otis to perform the
work of Governor General and pursu-
ing a less strict censorship over the
press dispatches. The extreme mill
tary view which is held by at least two
members Of the Cabinet is that the
correspondents should be deported.
/ have good authority for saying the
President has given serious thought to
the appointment of a new commanding
general for the military forces in the
Philippines when active operations are
resumed in the autumn. He feels that
there is too much for one man to do.
The fact that General Otis underesti-
mates the number of men required to
cope with the situation has demon
strated that he has not had time to
consider properly the real demands of
the situation. When Major General
Lawton was sent to Manila 1T was the
understanding that he would have con-
troll of the military operations under
General Otis, while the latter should
attend to the duties of Governor Cen
eral. Apparently General Lawton has
not been given the authority intended.
In applying such a strict censorship
to the press dispatches, it can be safely
asserted that General Otis has not
acted under instructions from Wash
ington. The President has never been
.n favor Of rigid censorship. He wants
the truth to be known. Some time ago
a newspaper complained to the Presi-
dent that it's dispatches were being CEN
sored too strictly. and the President
directed the relief of the censor, and
another officer was assigned to duty in
his place.
Secretary Hay, in speaking Of the
"round robin" thought 1t not possible
to believe that all the officers and per-
sons who have returned from the Phil
ippines, and have written to him. are in
q conspiracy to lie in support of Cen
eraI Otis. Secretary Long said he knew
of no dispatches being suppressed, ex-
cept those dealing with the plans OF
campaigns.
In military circles some officials de-
clare If they were in Otis place they
would Immediately deport the corre-
Lieutenant Colonel Thompson, chief
signal officer at Manila, recently wrote
to a friend In Washington, deploring
the strict censorship he was compelled
to maintain, and explaining that corre-
spondentS were compelled to work IN
cessantly to obtain facts concerning the
movements of troops. etc, yet. under
his orders, he was compelled to cut their
dispatches.
With respect to- the alleged minimiza-
ton Of naval operations. private letters
received here indicate that the corre-
spondents have had much difficulty in
getting reports Of naval operations by
the censor, and as Colonel Thompson
disavows responsibility for this 1t is
presumed that General Otis directed
that some of the statements concerning
warships be stricken out.
Officials of the War Department say
that, with the exception of plans of
the campaign, every dispatch received
from Manila has been made public.
They fear now, however, that the
round robin" will give the impression
to the country that Washington has
concealed facts which the people should
know. This impression may be made
use of by anti-imperialists, who have
repeatedly declared that the United
States has not made much headway in
the Philippines, and unless the insur-
rection is crushed by the time Congress
reassembles 1t is likely to be used to
keep up the agitation of hope of bring
ing about a withdrawal Of the Amer