Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-13
TAFT REPLIES TO CRITICISM
Explains Case of Manila Editors Ar
rest and Major Gardeners
Report.

Report.
49,
CINCINNATI, April 1.-THE Times-Star
today publishes the following: Governor
General Taft OF the Philippines was today
shown a copy Of the letter written by Rev.
David Philipson, published this morning.
After reading DR.. Philipson's letter Gov
ernor Taft said:
"His communication relates to two mat
tiers:
First, as to the arrest Of the editor Of
the Manila daily newspaper, the Freedom.
DR.. Philipson assumes that the prosecution
Of the editor Of the Freedom lie based on a
criticism Of the policy adopted by the COM
mission. In this / know that he is entirely
in error. The prosecution Of the Freedom.
as may perhaps be gathered from the dis
patches, and as / know from previous his
tory, is for charging that the members of
the commission. or some OF them, without
naming anyone, enjoy what il vulgarly
known as a graft That is, that they are
corruptly receiving money for their action
as commissioners. Prosecution has been
begun, 1t is said, under the sedition law
against the editor Of the Freedom, In which
he will have a full opportunity to show as
a defense that such corruption exists. II It
does exist.
THE action IL begun under the sedition
law because 1t could not be prosecuted Sue
cessfully under the libel aw.
THE question presented simply is
whether a newspaper shall be permitted
day after day to charge that the highest
governmental body in the islands Is COM
posed Of men who are corruptly using their
power to make money, without any oppor-
tunity to any member of the body. or to
the body as a whole, to take action by a
suit before 4 court regularly constituted.
to punish such malicious ml~sstatements. IL
they are malicious, or to give the person
making them the opportunity of showing
that they are true.
"The animus Of the charge is manifest
The Freedom is a newspaper which had
devoted Its columns to the denunciation OF
the Fflipinos. It attacks the commission
daily for appointing FllIpinos to ONCE, for
legislating In the interest of the Filipinos.
for not looking to the interest of Amer
leans in the island. 1t seeks to stir up
American prejudices against the Filipnos
and has a tendency to destroy the conf
dence of Filipinos in the friendly interest
of Americans.
1.-THE Freedom has now made general
charges Of corruption without any specihca-
ton that some members of the commission.
without mentioning names, are getting
what Is called a graft The question is
whether the freedom Of the press requires
that persons making such charges should
be immune from prosecution. It seems to
me not.
1.-THE second circumstance referred to by
DR.. Philipson is the Tayabas report Of
Major Gardener as civil governor Of that
province. DR.. Philipson says that the re-
port was suppressed by the governmental
authorities.
How suppressed The facts are that in
testifying before the committee / volun-
teered, without suggestion from the COM
mlttee, to present to It certain reports to
rebut the charge that there was no tran
quillity in provinces said to. be pacihed, and
were admitted to be in a state OF insurrec-
ton. There was no obligation on my part,
therefore, to present any report in regard
to the Tayabas, for l was not asked to do
so. Before the time when represented the
reports I had submitted the Tayabas report
to the secretary Of war for Investigation
The Tayabas report needs Investigation
before II shall be accepted. l advised the
secretary Of war that there had been great
friction between Colonel Gardener and the
military authorities in Tayabas and in the
islands. Before a report thus written
should be given to the public 1t was. / sub
mt cubtAcly thiI ina hCb as governor,
should be called upon to make specinca-
tions, and that those charged with the seri-
ous Oftenses should be given an opportunity
TO reply, ~ >
at seems to me, therefore, that DR.. Phil
ipson, in his justihable zeal for securins
proper methods OF government in the Phil
ippines, should not use the expression char
acterizing the action Of the secretary OF
war or myself as a suppression Of the re-
port"
DR.. David Philipson, to whose letter in
the Commercial Tribune today Governor
Taft replies, is rabbi of the Mound Street
temple in Cincinnati and professor Of the
Hebrew Union college OF this city.
MANILA, April IA number OF promi-
nent business men at a meeting here to-
day decided to petition the commission "a
drop the proceedings against Freedom, the
local paper, the editor of which Is charged
with ~sedition. but the editor objected, say
ing he would prove every statement made
The merchants hope the case will not be
} tried. as they believe the matter may have
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