Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-18
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Foreign Affairs Shrouded in Mystery by
the Department
The American POIicy-Thc Public Not
Informed of Important
Matters.
BEHIND

resented Secretary Gresham as condemning
as diplomatic Improperly certain COM
mentS of Consul General Williams at Ha-
vana on Cuban affairs. Undoubtedly Sec
retary Gresham was perfectly sincere in
what he said, and his solicitude that United
States representatives abroad should not
subject themselves to merited criticism was
altogether natural. But careful reading
of what Mr.. Williams said discloses really
no material enlargement of the latitude
usually accorded to men occupying dip1o-
matte positions, and sentiment in diplo-
matte circles here attaches no particular
significance to Mr.. Williams utterances in
the premises. Possibly, of course, the Mad
rid government, which. according to common
rurncr. had previously for some reason
taken umbrage at Mr.. Williams, may seek
to attach more or less significance to the
occurrence, but this will not alter the
position of the case. In this connection II
Is pertinent and interesting to note that OF
late years, under democratic as Well as
republican administrations in this country
the custom of shrouding in almost impene-
trable mystery the discussion of all dues-
tions concerning foreign affairs seems 10
be steadily growing. When Gen. Grant
was President there were constantly arls-
tions.
With the exception at times of reserva-
tions which no one could disapprove, full
information On all. these subjects was al
ways attainable, both at the White House
and the Department of State. There never
was any tr ,uble about interviewing
President Grant, and frequent personal
state ments from him n public matters ap-
peared in the public prints. Neither the
President, the government nor the country
suffered by this.
Change Since Grants Time.
Since his time all this has changed. No
President who succeeded him has followed
his example, except where there was some
particular private object to be gained, and
the Egyptian sphinx was not parallel to
the equivocal replies received at the De-
partment of State to interrogatories bear
ing questions of public concern. All
this is SO different from the habit and the
practice of other governments. In the for
eign offices of European capitals the most
liberal construction prevails as to the pro-
priety of providing Information of public
interest, with the restriction to which no
exception can be taken, of sound judge
ment and common sense.
1t thus happens, and these occurrences
are SO frequent as to attract widespread
comment, that the people of the United
States often gain the first information or
what their own government is doing from
the cable dispatches. In the last few years
there have been many occasions where
the open discussions in the house of COM
mons had disclosed important circum-
stances connected with the negotiations
with Great Britain, of which, nps 70 that
time, we had been in dense ignofAnee.
The government of Great Britain recOg
nizes the right of its citizens to hear how
1t is acting for them, and 1t Is seldom in
deed that any official of that government
declines to give straight answer to the
pointed questions constantly put as to
what is going on. 1t is common exper-
ience for those who gather news in this
city to obtain what they are seeking from
members of the diplomatic corps, after
failing with our own officials. The United
States stands singular in its foreign policy.
1t has no dark or sinister designs upon
other powers, and what is the use of con-
cealing what there can be no possible in
jury in communicating?
Dumb ns an Oyster.
The State Department has been dumb as
an oyster on nearly every point connected
with the Allfanca affair. while the Spanish
slightest reserve. The other night when
Secretary Greshams dispatch to our min
lister to Madrid was cabled he refused to
give out one word of it to his own coun-
trymen, and even declined to admit that
But the very instant it was laid be-
fore the Spanish minister for foreign
affairs its contents were disclosed to the
people of Spain, and the American news
papers were subjected to the great expense
of having 1t cabled across the ocean for
them. No ministry in Europe would think
of acting in this manner or dare to occupy
a position indicating that the public had
no business to learn about its own con-
Germs. We see the force of example in the
action of the District Commissioners i'm
itating the "closed doors" business of
superior officials