St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-27

would have laid them before the secre-
tary of state for his information. The
law which gives government business
precedence of press dispatches aud of
commercial messages was passed in
1864. 1t was entitled IAN act to aid in
the construction of telegraph lines and
to secure to the government the use OF
the same for postal and military pur-
poses" This act provides that mes
sages between the departments of the
government and their officers shall have
priority over all other business. At the
time of the death of President Garfield
the government took possession of the
telegraph lines at Elberon. and the cor
respondent of one of the press assocla-
tions scored a notable "beat" by
slipping past the officer who had taken
charge of the Office, muffiing the sound
er of a telegraph instrument and send
ing bulletin announcing the pr EST
| dents death. 1t reached the country
ahead of the news from any other cor
respondent, for, though they pleaded
for the opportunity to send even word
to their papers, the special correspond
ents were denied the right to send a
| message of any kind. 1t is not often
| that the government has occasion to
| take
COMPLETE POSSESSION
| of a telegraph wire; but if 1t has the
occasion, it has the authority. Under
the same act the government fixes its
| own tolls for telegraph messages, and
Postmaster General Wanamaker (for
the postmaster general has this agreea-
bic duty was in continual controversy
with the telegraph companies over the
low rates which he insisted should be
| paid for government business. The
rates which he named have been in
| creased little by his successor, but the
| government does not pay anything like
| the commercial rate for telegraph
| ing. And the method of comput-
ing the government business is differ
ent from that used in handling COM
mercial or press business. The COM
pensatiOn is based Oh the number of
miles between the capital of the state or
territory from which the message is
sent and the capital of the state or ter
ritory where 1t is received. The gov
| eminent pays a small rate for telegraph
business. but it does not pay a small
amount. When the negotiations for the
| purchase of Alaska were under way the
| state department sent
| MESSAGE BY CABLE
| which cost about $4,000. The exact
amount is a state secret. This was
probably the most expensive telegraph
message ever sent. 1t is not likely to
be duplicated;f for the rates on telegraph
business are much lower than they
were at that time.
The state department uses a cable
code, not for the sake of economy, but
for secrecy's sake. There would be too
much temptation for the telegraph
operators or clerks to sell the informa-
ton which is contained in diplomatic
communications; and though telegraph
companies employ men IN whose
honesty they have every conf
dence, there are many thousands of
operators and other employees, and some
of them might prove purchasabIe. The
representative of foreign government
at Washington would not hesitate for a
minute to pay for copy of private
telegram to the state department. if he
could get it. In fact. the state depart
ment had to change Its cable code some
years ago. because the secretary of state
believed that a member of the dipIo-
matte corps
had OBTAINED A KEY
! to it, and was using it to obtain inside
information about department business.
"All's fair in diplomacy" is the watch
word OF the foreign ministers at the
great capitals of the world.
The state department code is made IN
of combinations of figures. They can
be varied indefinitely. Otherwise, II