The evening times., 1900-09-20

S. Eugene De Rackin, who has made an
exhaustive personal study of conditions in
the Philippines, and is at present attached
to the literary staff at Democratic head
quarters has prepared for use as campaign
material discussion of what he calls THE
Philippine Imbroglio-'
The facts which he presents he says, are
known to exist in the Philippine Islands
by a!i persons who have remained there
any length of time and who have given
stuSz tU the subject. These facts, though,
are not known in tbs United States, he
says. for the reason that they have been
garbled 10 such an extent for partisan pur-
poses that they have had tendency to
deceive and confuse rather than en-
tighten.
This is further due" MIR De Rackin
says. Ito the fact that General Otis in
yariably ampelled all newspaper corre-
spondents 10 alter their dispatches to the
extent. oftJimes, OF making them glaring
falsekoods, or refuse them the use of the
cable. Early in July. 1899. the staff cor
RESPONDENTS of the leading American news
pal rs at Manila framed a round robin
and presented il TO General Otis with the
request for permission to forward it to
their newspapers. which request was re-
fused. It therefore became necessary to
send the round robin TO Hongkong from
which place it was cabIed to the United
States.
In the protest the correspondents de-
clared that the official dispatches sent 10
Washington presented an impression as to
the situation in the Philippines contrary
10 the facts: that the existing conditions
among the Filipinos in respect to internal
dissens on and Generalization resulting
from the American campaign, and the
brigand character of their army, were mis-
represented; that the dispatches err in the
declaration that the situation is we'll in
hand and the assumption that the in
surrection can be speedily ended without
greatly increased force; that the tenacity
OF the Filipino purpose has been under
estina ed. and that the statements are
unfounded that volunteers are willing TO
engage in further service; that the censor
ship has compelled the correspondents to
participate III this Misrepresentation by
altering uncontroverted statements of fact
on the plea. General Otis stated that
They would alarm the people at home
or have the people of the United States
by the ears"
This protest created a furore in the
United States and the Secretary of War
was moved thereby to announce that Gen
eral Otis had abolished the censorship,
faisehoed made for the purpose OF de-
ceiying the American people as General
Otis has never relaxed one iota in his
censorship of newspaper dispatches com
ing TO the United States | state this up
on the authority OF my own Knowledge, at
the close OF 1893
AS evidence of the unreality of General
Otis dispatches as TO conditions in the
Philippine Islands, one instance will
suffice. On February "a. 1893, he ca
bled to the Secretary of War as follows:
City quiet, confidence restored, business
progressing OTIS At the same time he
cabIed Lawton who was due TO arrive at
Colombo: Situation critical Your early
arrival necessary. Otis
'As a matter of fact, the American peo-
pie have been deceived from the time of
Dewey's victory. not only as regards the
teracity of Filipino purpose, but also in
regard TO the commercial possibilities of
the Islands Gold, silver. copper and 9th
er mineral deposits of great extent and
richness have been the theme of those
whose ideas OF national grandeur are ex-
empli1ed in d vulgar display of wealth.
rather than in a spirit of justice toward
all other people. An examination of the
chapter devoted TO the Commercial Pos
Sibilities of the Islands will Illustrate the
little truth there is in the tales OF untold
wealth which seem to have been our chief
excuse in fastening the subjugation of the
Filipino people"