The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-27
SECRETS OF STATE.
How Certain Imp0rtnnt Government Mat.
ters are Kept from, the PubIlc.

HOW Certain Imp0rtnnt Government Mat.
ters Kept from the Pnbilc.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 2G-When President Hnr-
rison' recent message WAS published Il weight
Of anxiety was lifted from the minds Of the
Public Printer and his foreman. The annual
addresses OF Tho Chief Executive to Congress
are always Nightmares TO the Government
Printing Office. and. until they arc formally
received by Congress. there ia no sound sleep
for the officials. Once. and only once. was a
message stolen. and tho incident has passed
into history. Sixteen picked composItors set
up tho latest message They were chosen for
their trustworthiness. So secret was their
task that il one OF them had said when tho Job
was done. Il have been working on tho Pres
ident's message to-day" 1t would have caused
his discharge. Four hours were required
for putting the document into type. and during
that time tho selected mon were held under
tho watchful eye Of the foreman. The copy.
received in typoscrpt from the White House.
was cut up into "takes" 80 small that no indi-
vidual could make head or tail OF his own. No
one was allowed to sec any proof OF other takes
than those which he handled. and all the i'm
perfect proofs taken were gathered into bag
cs carefully as II they had been SO much gold
aud burned In the furnace. Not u scrap was
permitted to escape. The galleys full OF type.
as fast as they wero made up. We're placed on
shelves in an iron room built like safe.
Whenever one was taken out receipt was
given for 1t. which was torn up when it was
put back. Not less than two men were per-
mitted to move galley. Two final proofs were
taken OF the completed message--one for tho
Office and the other on flne paper for the Presi-
dent. The Office proof was read by Arthur II.
Brown. Dictionary Brown" he is called. be-
80 ii; pI,o I'd ur
gestcd several emendatons in tho message.
and they were adopted by the President
When Mr. Arthur was President. Public
Printer Rounds was so anxious about tho Sc
crecy OF the message that he took one OF the
cases. under orders from the foreman. Tho
manuscript came into the office in scraps from
Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. With
kindly consideration for the printers. the
President provided them. while they We're en-
gagged. with what they described as elegant
grub" sending his own steward from the
Executive Mansion to servo 1t.
The message which was stolen was tho last
one written by II. D. Hayes. 1t was not OBJ
tanned from the Government Printing ONCE.
For the sake OF extra precaution II was set up in
the branch office OF the Treasury Department.
Rumors that 1t would be obtainable In advance
lions were formed to purchase It. On the III
ternoon Of the Saturday before the Monday on
Eands offered tor sale and
was purchased. OF course there was tremen,:,
was proposed to prosecute the newspaper cor
respondents concerned. as access9rles after
the theft. but that fell through. skilled detee-
VII" took " the proofs Of tho messase Was the
deness against him. . and although he Was dis
charged he WAS subsequently reinstated.
Several Of the departments have printing
Printing ONCE Tho biggest Of them Is at
tached to the Treasury: employing eighty pen
snS 9ssri ws
ment OF State has the smallest OF al, with
about dozen employees. It does much i'm
Tor a great many documents which are kept
strictly from the view q the public.
pcs hs q tim Of sass so tie a
It does and knows many thi, gs which arc. not
communicated To- tho people. not even to Con-
had made arrangements for arbitration in the
Behring Sea dispute many months before the
I'll T S the
absolute Ignorance. Obviously theirs arc M.
inStanfss where Mnd ts pbeaon ."
tons were SCI, on FOOT ior, tho purchase Of
W woi h ress af IKE to re
Gortchakofrs confidential reply to Mr.. Sew
ards preliiD mary OyurtureS. That might hive
spoiled the whole affair. Pending treaty nut
ters even the ScEato is not permitted to have
knowledge Of them.
Ono function OF tho Department OF Ctate is to
maintain the peace o: nations. With u Wow to
this end, Il usuely preserves. silence respect
ing breaches OF diploiaRli c .aitl May slime.
when the Unitpd states has been treat cd with
want OF courtesy and even dishonesty by
foreign Governments, al Knowledge Of the In
Jury done has been kept from tho public. The
printing of tho facts IN such cascs would
merely have aroused popular indignation nnd
inspired m unhealthy sentiment of hostility.
On the other hand! tnnle sam Inns moyn thnn
once treated other nations with unfn!rnoss.
and they have said nothing: Hc really pur-
chased the Island OF st. Thomas FROM Don
marx n,d fey years ear aGo md tho resi-
il. Nevertheless. Denmark took 1t quiet.
ly and made no fuss whatever. WHAT
over has been written or printed on such sub
iects remains buried In tile secret archives OF
the state Department The question whether
thore could occur a. case where the Secretary
Of State would feel Obliged to refuse informs
tion demanded by Congress has heen dis
puted. Probably he would be able to escape
tho dilemma by diplomatic evasion.
A rather imDortant part OF the State Depart
mtnt's printing Is tho Consular Reports. II is
not realized generally that this branch OF the
Goyernment employ, on 4; stat the biggest
scattered over all parts Of tho globo. and being
constantly In Communication by telegraph
with tho Office at Washington. they arc ready
alta moments notice 70 give Information on
any conceivable subject. $3.50,