Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-09-04
THEY HIDE THE FACTS
Government Officials Do Not In.
form the Public.
STATISTICS OF PHILIPPINE WAR.

/ Newspapers Are OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
/ Tiers and Mothers Who Want News
of Their Boys Are "Traitors."
Washington dispatches of a strongly
administration type express great dis
pleasure with certain newspapers at
the north for writing articles wherein
the army department is charged with
the crime Of keeping back information
from the public with regard to the
vital statistics of the United States SOL
diers in the Philippines. says the New
Orleans Times Democrat.
The offending newspapers are, it ap.
pears from the dispatches in question,
very unpatriotic and have devoted
themselves for many months to the
task of encouraging the Philippine re-
volt.
This charge of encouraging the Fill
pinOs in revolt was very common
one during the last presidential cam
paign, at the same time that all people
who did not agree with the Mckinley
policy of foreign conquest were dubbed
TRAITORS" and "enemies" Of their coun-
try. This reckless talk was set down,
| however, to account of the excite
election was over nothing, or at any
rate very little, more was heard of 1t.
Those who had used the unworthy Ian
guage respecting their fellow citizens
were probably ashamed of themselves
when the passion of the campaign had
passed, while those who had been ma
ligned were not disposed to rake up
the disagreeable past.
But this charge of encouraging the
Filipino revolt which has recently been
invented in Washington and sent out
into the country is very distinct echo
OF those campaign accusations that
the Democrats were TRAITORS and "en-
| emies" Of their country, and it is to be
observed that 1t comes from the same
class Of persons from whom those pre-
viOus accusations came - viz, from
those intense administrationists who
would allow nobody to hold an opin-
ion on foreign policy different from the
opinion Of the administration. These
claQueurS Of the administration evil
IDENTIFY want to gag the public press,
so that it shall not find fault with
any Of the actions or arrangements of
the administration. They appear to
hold that divinity does hedge about
the administration, so that no one must
think Of calling it's doings in question
or dare to ask for more information
about public matters than it the ad-
ministration) condescends to give out.
When Oliver Twist asked for more
workhouse soup, he was not more Sc
verely frowned upon by Mr.. Bundle
than are these inquisitive newspapers
by the administrations claqueurs when
they ask for more information about
the health of the United States SOL
diers in the Philippines.
Here Is a specimen Of the charge
from Washington dispatch in the
New York Tribune. "Under the cap
ton Informing the Public" says the
dispatch, Certain newspapers which
have long devoted themselves to en-
couraging the Filipino revolt are pass.
ing along a fabrication which histor.
ically compares the frankness with
which the British authorities take the
public into their confidence by issuing
exhaustive vital statistics regarding
the South African campaign with the
alleged suppression by the war depart
ment Of all official information about
the casualties in the Philippines"
And the author Of the dispatch goes
on to say that the public gets the an
nual report Of the secretary Of war and
the surgeon generals annual report and
the adjutant generals annual report
and the judge advocate generals an
nual report. and then he sneers at the
idea that the public should be credited
with a yearning for information about
the health of our soldier boys beyond
what Is contained in few lines each
Of these annual reports.
1t is not a few lines in an annual re
port that the American people want to
have about the health of Uncle Sans
soldiers in the Philippines. 1t is the
regular monthly reports-if weekly re-
ports are not to be had-giving full and
detailed statements about the number
Of invalids in this and that hospital,
the wounds or diseases from which
they are suffering, their improvement
| or disimprOvement from week to week,
their chances Of recovery, etc. This IL
the sort Of information that the Amer.
lean people want to have about the sol
diers in the Philippines. for. albeit they
| are only, most Of them, common sol.
diers. those boys are near and dear tc
hundreds Of thousands Of American cit.
liens whose hearts yearn to get fuller
and more frequent information regard.
Ing them. especially when they are
down with disease. And this informa.
ton Is not forthcoming. let the
claqueurs Of the administration pu,
what face on It they please.
| The government pays at least $780,,
600 per annum to have its news cabled
to and from the Philippines. II 1t werl
to throw out $780, 900 worth Of the use
less stun which 1t cables and Hll in thu
$4,000 worth with statistics as to thu
soldiers health, 1t would mean an i'm
provement In the Manila budget which
would be greatly relished by a larg,
body Of the American public.