PIJBLICUBRAR
5~342~      r686'9t
ASTOS, LFNOX AND
TILDEN FOUJNDATION&
i900
Unoensored           Manila -News-.
[From letter to the, Hartford P08t.]
It seems to me thlat the action of our Government in keepinfg up a censorship- over the news sent from Manila is_ve~ry
bad: policy. However needful it might be- in the war- agaist
-Spain, and with the battle-field close, to our own shorep,' It ca'n
hardly, be. called a military necessity in the case of ant~aostsU
like tb6-  lp~os1,000 miles away. and not lik*ly_`t.receiv~e
yellow joilnialal the next morning after their issue. It'illus
trates hoW naturally war, even in a free count try, carries with
it the methods of despotismn. The news which comestlirogh
the csod,-hanids,is very evidentlydoctored on its:;
Look at te' vast n4umberts of the foe it represents as *1'
beenkile lM -ivery 'battle.  Either like Mlilton's-'devils.*os~
of them must have- come to life again as -It as slaini, oir" 4P
the reports arc true, no army, by this time would have beea -
left. -Such thing-s sound too much like the a-ccounts.of t1II —
awu -lughter of&pnerican troops that the -Spanisl~anb
were treated to in -the,-,Cubn war. Surely, gu.ciZteno are
intelligent and-jwell- balmacd euegyow            their
Government~ aft~he, claimosalike offriend and-foe'andget,
at the- troth for,them~Iiiv~es, the same -here as on all'othe;.
subjects.                                      gaday
In spite, of censorship, however, some facts aregrdal
coming to light through private letters, if not from the. Filipi-:"
nos, 'yet from fairl-minded 'Americans on the spot, which —help,
explain'the situation verydifferen-tly from thepubliedespatches,
and it is extracts from. some of -these I would: lke the~ Post to
plint.,The first of-,thqm- is from a letter of Mrs. Beeves,, th  if eI
of -General- Reevs who is' in command of th~e~9Iiunesota




troops, a letter written the day after Aguinaldo's first proclainlation, and published in the St. Paul's 'limes.  She says
-No one wants to fight these people who ask only fqr their
liberty.  They should have it.   None Of thle ottelces or men
are ili a Iositioli to say anyvthing reo~ardina the President's
course. bult everyone knows that Aguinlaldo was furious at the
intlitegs contained in thle 1Piesident's miessage, and -that he has
isstiedl a respoiise which auiiirs ill for the main Danee of
peace here.   Oiii ncii w'ill hight the Filipinos  tlI a very
dlifferent grace thanfiith st uploxed agrainst the Spniards. althoughA theywil ot coiirse, ohbev orders, eveni though their
licarts are iiot in the auise.
'The leadlers of the insiiircrts are men of education and
ability.  Since tir  w cnt iiiO Iloilo without disorder audi
iinmie(liatel~y settled dlowe to good goveriinment and humane
caic of their prisoiers, it —looks, TO uIS here oni the scene as
thougah they were fully c ipahie of:%akinig care ot themselves.
When the p~eoplel -,f thle L difi~d States know that these
natives dlo mot aiaii 119 and that thle ariiy is very much
oppuosed to occupyhing this lplace. fit oiily for thle Indianis now,
here, we trust the Preside~lt will (decidle to let the Filipinos
take care of thieiiselves.  Out here we are not expansionists.
-We kiiow   too much about the people. the country and the
'these are the words, be it rememlbered, not of a hired eorrespl' vlent. lpaidh to reuuresent a side, or of a partisan here at
huotuti  oii th'~ — ithinents from his owii consciousness, but
of' a- woetau ii.'trit      o- of what she speaks, and to
Sl)ea.k \%iithoul -  1.ejudi-'e what etcp knows.
Another lettei — f-i al IRWriter coree~c-hed with time Nineteenthl MNinnesota Vohuinteers, ti regimnent made up Iarurfely of
students froii the State University.  Undler late  f Jamnuary
12, he says:
'The remarkable successes of the Filipinos, both as warriors and civilians, have certainly been sources of surprise to
those who have maul aii opportunity of- watching their progress
during the last six -or seveii months. 'Thiey have won many
battles over their foriier oppressors - of course, the Spani ards -and are now holding thousands of Spanish soldiers as




prisoners of war. They are preserving law and order in
every part of the country where their authority has been estab-, lished, and so far as we have been able to learn, their government has the loyal and unqualified support of the people.
Sl The capture of Iloilo and the subsequent occupation of the
5 city by the insurgents has been a most gratifying revelation to
those who wished, but dared not hope, that the Filipinos were
capable of conducting the affairs of government. According
to all reports, they entered the city in the most perfect order,
scattered tleir forces in various public buildings, policed the
streets and maintained the peace and quiet of the town in a
manuerjthat would have done credit to a most highly civilized
nation. There was no looting, no insult to men or women, no
robbery, no drunkenness or disorder.... A large proportion of the American soldiers think the Filipinos are right in
their demands for indepeldence. There are probably no other
soldiers in the world who likl, the thrill and excitement of
battle better than the Yankees: but if it comes to driving the
people of these islands out of their own country, many a son
of Columbia will enter the conflict with the conviction that he'
is fighting in a bad cause. However, every man will obey
orders; for the sentiment, even among those most warm in
their approbation of the Filipinos' position is, ' We will fight
for America, right or wrog....  iu i   class a  fhe
Filipinos is, perhaps, not much better than the Mexican
' greaser,' and an ideal democracy is not possible. There is
every reason to believe, however, that a republic of the
Philippines would be as successful as a republic in Mexico or
Brazil."
I have at hand several other testimonies of a similar character, one from a gentleman with whom I am well acquainted
personally, which I would like sometime to present, but not
to crowd your columns now, let me close with asking are not
these already given worthy of careful consideration, if not as
conclusive, yet as representing fairly one side of the case?  I:
believe the great body of the American people wish to know
simply what is right in this matter, not what will be for their'
military glory or commercial interests, or position politically
among the nations of the earth, but simply what is right, and
that. so knowing, they will rise up with overwhelming voice




and demand-that the right be done.. So pre-eminently with
our soldiers. As one among them in the civil war, I know
how badly they felt when ordered -to turn back an escaped
negro to slavery. I believe each of the above writers repreSents their feelings now. No amount of military discipline
can ever drill out of the American soldier his sympathy with
all men who are struggling for liberty; Aid what can be    ',
more abhorrent to the genuine American instinct than that he
who a year ago enlisted in this war to give Cuba self-government, should be ordered to wind it up by fighting to take the
Filipino's self-government away?
JOHN C. KIMBALL.


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