The National tribune., 1900-05-03
MANILA JOURNALISM.
Something About the Newspapers
of the Philippines.
Special Correspondent to THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
MANILA, z. l., March 8.

Special Correspondent e TO THE NATIONAL TRIBuSE
MANILA, ?. l., March 8.
Tuesday afternoon the Filipino boys
selling the Times on the street, when called
back by purchasers to deliver the inner
sheets, replied: "Aco ay wala," or NO
tengo,' unless they happened to speak
English, when they said, NO have got.'
On inquiry at the office l was told that the
leading editorial in the Times had been
suppressed by the Military Censor, and { s
there was no time to prepare and print new
copy, the paper was issued without the
inner pages.
The suppressed leader, which was written
it appears by the Editor-in-Chief, con-
cerned the demise of another paper here,
the Tribune, which failed to appear few
mornings ago and which had been accused
OF being the organ of the friars."
One person in position TO know assured
me that the article was very moderate in
tone, though it seems to have applied the
epthet "assassins" to the friar class. An
other person, also in position to know,
told me it was not the friar question which
caused its suppression. This seemed
probable from the fact that the next morn
ing after the Tribune failed TO appear, the
Manila Ffeod0m had an extremely Sar-
castle editorial on The Death of the Friar
Sheet" and on the second page of tn at
portion of the Times which was published
Tuesday occurred the following:
THE Tribune g example of self-eXtinctiOn
should now be followed by the other papers
which are maintained by the friars for the
purpose of inceSSant attacks on decent
people. The responsible heads of the
Church of Rome in Manila. who two Yeas
ago called the Fiipinos to arms against
the Americans. as being hcathens, saw
ages ard social CXcreSccnces Of all nations
are even now continuing their efforts to
stir up religious fanaticism. Their object
is clear enough, although in hope of hood
winking the authorities. they avoid saying
outright what they really mean"
To get at the exact truth of the matter
interviewed the Censor, Col. Fl. A. Green,
who told me that an article of the kind
had been submitted TO him. and he had
advised against its publication; but that
this was entirely unofficial, as his authority
covered only cablcgrams. But the finan-
cial hacker of the paper had probably sup
pressed the matter and attributed it to the
Censor.
CENSORSHIP OF DISPATCHES.
The most touching pIaint of the local
press against the Censor is in cases where
incoming dispatches, which have been
paid for at high rates, have been literally
clipped or entirely suppressed. FrecdOm,
when it was receiving press dispatches,
had them trimmed to the tune of many
dollars, and on one occasion the Times,
after paying $50 for u dispatch from New
York, received piece of blank paper.
Incidentally it may be said that genuine
press dispatches are rather rare here,
though one paper prints double loaded
telegrams, each morning it appears, with
the warning: disqualification prohibited"
1t recently published one of these con-
cerning the ''New American Commission"
which had been wired to the Times early
in February and about which that journal
SAYS editorialIy:
"The Manila Times goes to great trouble
and expense, and gets news days or weeks
ahead of anybody else, and then has re
publication prohibited thrown at it, by a
thing that is perhaps fit to wrap fried fish
in. 1t is amusing to think of any self
respecting paper Wishing to publish such
stale and bogus stuff. Had the item been
sent to the morning paper by cable, the
Censor (whose timpartiality is beyond all
question: would of course have dealt with
it as he did with ours. Mails not being
censored, correspondents whose dispatches
will not stand scrutiny can take advantage
of it to fill up their papers with any old
thing We have. excellent authority for
stating that the morning paper in question
receives very few real kilograms; a con-
siderable portion Of its supposed cables are
not cables, bat are ancient history dis
guised in way to misead the unwary,
and entrap the almighty dollar by trick
which, if not absolutely fraudulent, is at
any rate dishonorabie."
SUPPRESSION OF SPANISH NEWSPAPER.
The necessity for the establishment Of a
Press Censor here became apparent in 1898,
Just after the United States Army took
possession. About that time several new
journals were established, including two
Filipino organs. La IndepeRdencid and La
Rep,tbticaHd Filipina, Ell Sotdddo EspanOt,
| paper, as its name implies, in the interests
OF the Spanish soldiers, and La Restaura-
cion, CariiSt organ devoted to the inter-
ests of that aspirant for the throne: and
three satirical papers, the kOn Leche, El
COmetd and Ell Mdtin.