The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-13
LESE MAJESTE
is HIS 0FFENSE
Taft Explains Why an American
Editor Has Been imprisoned.
SAID THEY WERE "GRAFTERS"
PROSECUTORS TIRED OF SUIT
AND WILLING TO QUIT.


= the con1nissl,n TO drop the pro =
= ceedIngs against Freedom, the To- =
= cal paper, the editor of which is ,
= charged with seditiOn, but the ed =
= itor objected, saying he would ,
= prove every statement made. The =
3 merchants hope the case viii not =
= be tried, es they believe the matter :
= may have bad effect on Philip y
= pine legislation.
= INCINNATL o., April 12.-Gover-
nor Taft of the Philippines today
was shown the copy Of the letter
written by Rev. David Phnipson. pub
lished this morning. After reading DIT.
PhiiipsOn's letter Governor Taft said:
Il have no desire nor intention Of
entering upon a newspaper controversy
in respect 10 matters as to which I
may haze had an official duty TO per-
forl.l. but the communication from DR..
Plilipson makes me feel that, in my
home. where I hope / have many
friends, J ought to say something to
disabuse the mind of a disinterested
and public spirited man like Dr.. Phil
ipson Of certain erroneous Impressions
J think he he'd gathered from sources
OF information which he seems 10
adopt as authoritive.
His communication relates To two
matters, FIRST. as to the arrest Of the
editor of the Manila daily newspaper.
the Freedom. DIT Philipson assumes
that the prosecution Of the editor of
the Freedom is based on a criticism
OF the policy adopted by the commits
sion. IN this, I know that he is en-
trely in error. The prosecution Of the
Freedom, as may perhaps be e thered
from the dispatch, and as I know. is
Tor charging that the members Of the
commission. CT some of them, without
naming any - them, enjoy what is
vulSa,ly known as graft that is.
that they are corrupty receiving mon
ey for their action as commissioners.
Prosecution mas been begun. il is said.
and the sedition law, against the editor
Of the Freedom, in Wlich he viii have
Fl fun oppor' unity to show, as q de
Tense. that such corruption exists, il
1t does exist.
Under the Ssdition Law.
''rhe action was begun under the Sc
dillon law because il could not be
prosecuted successfully under the libel
law. Under law Of libel a charge
that public body or that a member of
e public BODY is guilty of corruption
Is not charge upon which a suit by
any particulay member, not named, Of
that body, can be founded. Under the
sediti0n law a charge of that kind
against a governmental body can be
prosecuted and the defendant given an
opportunity 10 show that It is true
It does not aid the discussion. nor is
it material whether il be called sedi-
pros sCution lese majestic.
The question presented is simply
whether a newspaper shall be permit
ted day after day to charge
that the highest governmental
body IN the islands is COM
posed of men who ara corruptly
using their power to make money
without any opportunity TO any mem
her Of the body, or to body as a whole,
10 take action by q suit. before a court
regularly constituted. to punish such
malicious misstatements, if they are
malicious, or to give the person max
ing them the opportunity of showing
shat they are true.
How They Have Been Doing.
Under the military government
which existed prior to the adoption Of
the civil government, and under the
sent to urisOn or depOrted and the
pap.I suppressed. The animUs Of the
charges is manifest The Freedom is a
newspaper which has devoted its col
umns 10 the denunciatiOn of the Fill
ipinos 20 holding them up to the scorn
OF the Americans, advocates with in
teusity the turning over Of the gov
eminent from the civil to the military
and advocates the utmost severity or
measures against the Filipinos. IT at
lacks the commission daily for APP
pointing Filipinos to Office, for legis-
lating i'm the interest Of The Filipinos,
and for not looking 20 the interest Of
Americans IN thc islands. It seeks to
stir up American prejudices against
the Filipinos ana, on the other hand,
its unjust attacks upon FilipIuos has q
tendency 20 destroy the confidence of
Filipiuos in the friendly interest Of
Americans. The Daily American.
which is another newspaper OF Ma
Mia, and takes much the same view in
respec- 10 the necessity FOR severity Of
measures against all Filipinos and a
distrust of them, and advocates a re-
turn 10 the military government Of the
islands, at one time published an arti-
Gle charging that some member Of the
commission, not mentioning his name.
was interested in an enterprise in the
islands.
Wrote to the Editor.
AS president of the commission,
wrote 80 the editor of the American
and demanded that he make specific
charge against some member OF the
commission so that member might take
steps 10 defend his reputation, or that
he withdrew the charge, that a
charge against a commission which
was a charge against no particular
person. and yet was charge against
all. was coWardly. I thereupon made
inquiry and found, as I had always
supposed the case to be, that not q
member Of the commission had z dol
lars interest in any enterprise In the
PhiHppiees and the charge which vas
said to have been based on clippings
from some newspaper ia the Cmteo
States was then formally withdrawn.
The Freedom has now made gen
eral charges Of corruption without any
specification, that some members or
the commission. without mentioning
names. are getting what is called a
graft The question IS Whetner ihe
freedom of the press requires ira per
sons making such charges should be
immune from prosecution! ia seems %
me not. Under the circumstance, ano
in such a matter. the personal INJURY
TO the commissioners who are mallgned
is comparatively of small importance.
"The injury done is in dstroying the
usefulness of the commission by im-
pea ing its disintef estednesS.
"It Is Of the highest Importance to
induce the Filipino people 20 believe
that IL is possible. under American
government that offices shall be ad-
ministered II the public interest, and
not for private or illegal interests, and
that there IS not to be q return 20 con-