The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-24
WHAT BLAINE DOES.
Unprecedented Rush of Work
at the White House.
THE SCIENCE OF TRIPLES.
Diplomatic Communication With All
Parts of the worid-Nations Read
Each Others Private Letters.

Alaska seals, lynchings in Italian secret
society circles. fugitive Chilean vessels
and other excitements, the department OF
state is burdened just now with very
unusual amount of diplomatic correspond
ence. Secretary Blaine is kept busy COM
posing dispatches, and the special wire
which places him in communication,
through the Western Union company,
with all parts of the world is crowded
from morning till night. Until recent
years such messages had to be sent by
ship. using up much time and rendering
the settlement of international complica-
tons laboriously slow; but today the
telegraph makes il possible for the prime
minister of the United States TO converse
at moments notice with his agents in all
the countries of the world, who are as
Immediately under his orders and con-
troll as if they occupied so many
desks in the great office building at the
corner of Seventeenth street and Pennsyl-
yania avenue. Conversations of this sort
are not conducted in any ordinary Ian
guage, however; for, if they were, secrecy
would be out of the question. Nations
have no honorable prejudice against read
ing each others letters, and no official tel
egram in English could reach represent
alive of Uncle Sam anywhere abroad with
out having been already perused and
copied by the government to which the
recipient was accredited. The telegraphs
of Europe are either owned by the govern
ments or are under their influence and
patronage, and, while private affairs are
held sacred, the seal covering them is con-
sidered not applicable to matters which
concern diplomacy. If Minister Por-
ter in Rome should cable to Mr..
Blaine in Washington, in ordinary
words, the Marquis di Rudini would
read the dispatch before it was sent off;
similarity, Mr.. Blaines reply of instruc-
tons to Porter would be inspected by
Di Rudini before it was delivered. To
avoid the inconvenience of thus giving
away secret information, ciphers are al
ways employed by the powers in corre-
spondence of Importance with their own
ENJOYS; but even thus it is understood
that many foreign governments, particu-
larly on the continent of Europe, support
regular bureaux for the purpose of trans
lating the cipher codes of other nations,
and rendering into the vernacular the
most esoteric communications. Honor
may be found among thieves, but it is
hardly discoverable in recognizable guam
titles among Kingdoms. The most accom-
plished cheat is the best diplomat.
Diplomacy is the science of tribes. Ever
since the department of state was first
organized it has been the regulation that
all it's letters should be written on the
same kind OF paper--a fine, blue-white
linen about the size of foolscap. Before
beginning to write, the left-hapd edge
of each sheet must be folded over for one
inch and a half, and the lines must not be
permitted to encroach upon this margin,
in order that press-copies may be taken to
greater advantage. In the British Foreign
Office the style of handwriting employed
is required to be just the same always, and
the particular afiectation assumed in this
matter is a series of dashy curliqueues
with each pair of letters separated from
their immediate neighbors. 1t would be
interesting to know what individual, CEN
turtles ago, very likely, originated this pecu-
liar hand for perpetuation ever after
No such uniformity is aimed at here in
Washington City. the only object sought
being the execution of the neatest and
cleverest script attainable. Before the
days of the telegraph it was customary to
make each dispatch for the sake of con-
densation, include as many topics as were
10 NC communicated ABOUT. OUT now the
invarIable rule is to give to each subject a
separate letter. In old times, when war
ragged and vessels were liable to search
and capture on the high seas by one party
to the conflict or another, all such docu-
ments were sent in triplicate, COPY on
each OF three ships, so that one
might be sure to reach its des-
ments having done away with these
perils. No more than a single copy is ever
transmitted. The old rule was that a
minister addressing note to the govern
ment to which he was accredited must
never under any circumstances write more
than four lines of the body of the letter on
the first page, the rest of the space being
taken up exclusively with titles and
etcetera marks; but this has become ohso-
lete Even diplomacy progresses, and the
time may yet arrive when the typewriter
viii be put into requisition for such pur-
poses.
The popular notion that French is the
diplomatic language exclusively is a
mistake. A minister may always address
the government 10 which he is accredited
in his own tongue, unless he is a Greek. a
Turk, a Persian a Chinese or Russian in
any OF which eases he must use either
French or the speech of the country
written to. Communications made by the
department of state here TO foreign nations
are always in English. Italy, Holland.
Belgium and Russia employ French
Germany uses German; Spain, Spanish. as
do also the republics of South America.
except Brazil, which like Portugal. OF
which It was a colony, uses Portuguese.
1t should be understood that an envov
sends to his own government 4 dis
patch" which the latter replies TO with
instructions. To the foreign govern
ment ne sends mote" and response is
made by mote" and not otherwise.
These points are all of technical import
ance. The very wording of the notes has
been reduced 10 an exact science. For in
stance, Mr.. Blaine Is never addressed din
lomatically as Sir" or Dear Sir" but as
'Mr. Secretary" or. Monsieur lie Secre-
tarie Etat, or, ''Senor Secretario,' as
the case may he.
Much Of this diplomatic method borders
on childishness. In any communication
addressed To q foreign government the
writer's own country is always mentioned
frst, careful avoidance being had OF admit
ting even in the smallest matter that any
other nation or representative has right
TO go ahead. When a treaty is signed. if
the name of a country or Its envoy were
mentioned in the paper before the desgna-
nations OF the other country engaging in
the bargain and its agent. il would be con-
sldered that an indignity had been iniict-
ed. Therefore, in negotiating an affair of
that sort, you see that in the COPY of the
document belonging to your government
the United States of America and Yourself
are referred 10 nrst, while IN the copy kept
oy the other power its name and envoy
are referred to at the beginning. Thus
honors are easy and dignity is
maintained. You can realize how
much weight such things are
considered 10 have when Won read in his
tory how, on certain tremendous occas-
ion. Tallyrand and Metternieh walked