The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-01-17
rETrlGREw ON raE PREsIDENr
Sensational Attack I'm the Senate on
McKinlcy's Philippine Policy.

over resolutions OF Inquiry. Mr.. Petit
grew OF South Dakota attacked the ad
min;stration's policy lie the PHILIPPINES
and also made some star ling Charges
against those who were supporting the
admins r tiop. He declared that q
systematic effort was being made tc
prevent accurate Information from
reaching the people OF the United
SEatn' and that it was a political
scromc to ofurther the candidacy OF Mr.
Mck'ul'y for denomination and re.
election.
At the opening the Pettigrew resolu.
tiou AID the Lodge substitute, both
, seeking from the Pi esdent all infor-
nation regarding the Philippine in.
surrection, were laid before the Senate.
MIR. Lodge suggested that both be
withdrawn and the Hoar resolution
| ADOPT d RS a substitute.
The resolution offered by Mr.. Hoar
was sweeping in it's call for nformu.
tion relating 10 the Philippine insur.
recton but Mr.. Lodge said his desire
Tor all Information concerning the In
surrection was 80 great that he pro
posed to offer an amendment extend
Ing its provisions
| Mr.. Lodge said he wanted informa-
tion especially as to the ersct of the
announcement the Filipinos received
from the United States. Mr.. Hoar
agreed with Mr.. Lodge. Mr.. Petit.
grew objected. He wanted specific in
formation, regardless Of whether the
President wanted IL known or not. He
lsunched into a sensational attack on
ths administration. He charged the
government with withholding informa-
tion for political gain. "The trouble
with the imperialists, said Mr. Petit
grew, is that they have confounded
the interests Of the people of the
United States with the political de.
sires and ambitions Of their pnny Pre-
sldent and regarded him and his sue
cess as more important than right.
iul treatment Of the Filipinos. The
TACT is, this whole business is bound
up in the Presidents desire again to
oa candidate Of bis party for Pre,i-
dent"
Mr.. Pettigrew discussed the censor.
ing OF dispatches from the Philippines.
Tie declared that important and signi
hcant facts had been stricken from
news dispatches from Manila and from
official reports.
As an instance of this work." said
he, the Sulu treaty was mangled and
partly suppressed until after the cleo
tion in Ohio" He declared the pro
clamation issued by the President was,
on the recommendation OF Gen. O:is.
altered materially by the President
before 1T was published to the Philip.
pine natives. AS originally drawn it
WAS to his mind, fl st declaration OF
war and when Aguinaldo and his
leaders came into possession OF tho
original they so regarded it.
Inc whole wretched business" de-
clared Mr.. Pe'tigrew, vehomently,
was one OF concealment aud duplicity,
intended to deceive not only the peo-
pie OF the United Statos but also tho
islanders themselves.
In substantiation of his charge that
the dispatches from the Philippines
were censored in the interests Of the
administration, Mr.. Pcttigrow quoted
from q letter written by Mr. Robert
M. Collins, Associated Press repre.
sentative at Manila. In this letter Mr..
Collins related the substance of an in
terviG% upon tie subject of censoripy
dispatches which he had had with
Gen. Otis. Mr.. Pet"igrew read the
statements OF Mr.. Collins, in which ,
had said 1t was the evident G&sire OF
the officials to prevent certain infGr.
nation from reaching the people O.
the United States. When he (Collins)
had filed dispatch cIntaining iufor.
nation which he thought was proper
to send to the United STATES he had
been informed by the censor that he
mad been instructed to cut out anything
that might hurt the administrator.
subsequently when he had desired to
send story relating to the use OF
SILVER IN the Philippines, the censor
had told him that his instructions
were to allow nothing to pass him
which would be helpful to William
Jennings Bryan in the u nited States.
Upon this point Mr.. Pcttigrew be-
cams particularly sarcastic and again
advcrtcd to what he termed the Pre-
sldents desire to succeed himself as
President, even though essential In.
formation had to he suppressed to ac-
complish that end.
Mr.. Pettigrew declared that the
President himself really began the
war and was responsible for It. "If,"|
said he, the administration had had
spark OF honor in dealing with the
Filipinos, it would have told Gen.
Merritt to lay the whole truth OF the
intentions OF the government before
Aguinaldo and his associates" He be.
lieved this would have averted half
tho trouble. The shooting by United
States sentri's OF the Filipinos
that night, OF Feb. 4,h, tho opening of
hostilities, vas, he said, a foul blow
and we were guilty of duplicity and
treachery In killing those men.
That we had fred the first shot
which bad prccipitated hostilitie3 no.
body denied"
Even after the fighting had begun.
he said, an effort was made by Agu-
nado to secure suspension OF hOsti-
lities, but he had been told by Cen O s
that now the fighting had been begun
1t must continue to tho grim end.
H." said Mr.. Pettigrew, 81 were q
Filipino would fight until | was gray
against the unholy aggression of the
United States. II this country is
wrong, this country could take no
grander position before the nations OF
| the world than to admit that 1t Ia
wrong. We have reached the turning
point. We must decide whether we
are to pursue course OF rapacity and
aggI sion on the British principle or
20 purRdc course Of Justice and right.
No nation long can pursue such q
course as the imperialists have marked
out for us-course Of wrong and
treachery to friends and hope tC
stand we'll before the nations OF the
world"
Senator McLsurin has been In
yiteQ by 81 cOmmittpe 0f officers anf