The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-12

tion which he was seeking whether the
president regarded the publication of 1t as
compatible with the public interests or not.
and he wanted 1t whether the president de-
sired 1t should or should not be known.
III any amendment is to be made to the
resolution" said he. 1T ought 10 be made
to read that the information should be
transmitted to the senate II not incompati-
BILE with the presidents interests as a cam
didate for reelection. The fact is this
whole business is bound up in the presi-
dents desire again to be a candidate OF his
party for president
Complains of Censorship.
Pettigrew then devoted some time to a
discussion of the censoring Of dispatches
from the Philippine He declared that i'm
portant and significant facts had been
stricken from news dispatches from Manila
and from. commercial reports because 1t
was regarded by the powers that be as
undesirable that they should reach the
American people.
some Alleged Instances.
'As an instance Of this work." said he.
"the Sulu treaty was mangled and partly
suppressed until after the election in
Ohio"
He discussed at length the proclamation
issued by the president declaring that 1t
was in such shape that Gen. Otis recon-
mended it should be changed in order not
to provoke hostilities on the part OF the
Filipinos. Subsequently ne said 1t was al
tered materially and as altered was pub
lished to the Philippine nation. AS orig
inally drawn, 1t was to his mind fiat dec
laration of war. and when Aguinaldo and
his leaders came into possession Of the
original they so regarded it.
Charges of Duplicity.
1.-THE whole wretched business" declared
Pettigrew. vehemently was one of con-
cealment and duplicity. intended to deceive
not only the people of the United States,
but also the islanders themselves"
In substantiation of his charge that the
dispatches from the Philippines were GEN.
sored in the interest of the administration
Pettgrew quoted from letter written by
Mr.. Robert NJ. Collins, Associated Press
representative at Manila. In this letter
Mr.. Collins related the substance of an
interview upon the subject of the censor
ing dispatches which he had had with Gen.
Otis. Pettigrew read the statements Of
Mr.. Collins in which he had said It was
the evident desire of the officials to prevent
certain information from reaching the peo-
Pile of the United States. When he Col
lins) had filed a dispatch containing infor-
nation which he thought was proper to
send to the United States he had been
informed by the censor that he had been
instructed to cut out anything that might
hurt the administration. Subsequently
when he had desired to send story relat-
ing to the use of silver in the Philippines,
the censor had told him that his instruc-
tions were to allow nothing to pass him
which would be helpful to William Jen-
nings Bryan.
President Began the War.
Upon this point Pettigrew became parti-
cuIariy sarcastic and again adverted to
what he termed the presidents desire to
succeed himself as president. even though
essential information had to be suppressed
TO accomplish that end.
'If," said he, 1.-The administration had
had a spark of honor in dealing with the
Filipinos it would have told Gen. Mer-
ritt to lay the whole truth of the inten-
tions of the government before Agui-
naldo and his associates"
Had this been done. Pettigrew believed
half the trouble might have been avert
ed. That he had fired the first shot
which had precipitated hostilities nobody
denied.
Even after the fighting had begun. he
said, an effort was made by Aguinaldo
to secure a suspension of hostilities. but
he had been told by Gen. Otis that now
the fighting had been begun 1t must con-
tinue to the grim end.
What He Would Do II q Filipino.
"If," said Pettigrew, II were a Filipino
I 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 it Is wrong. We have reach
cd the turning point. We must decide
whether we are to pursue course OF
rapacity and aggression on the British