The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-10-03
FOREIGN

Representing the Military and Naval Es-
Establishments OF European Powers at
Washington Can't Play in Our Yard Any
More-TheirG Governments Shut the Gates
When They Have Any Iretty Game
Going On, So Uncle Sam Will Retail
ate.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.-A morning
paper says: A good deal of quiet talk
has been occasioned about army and
navy headquarters because the United
States has finally decided that military
and naval officers, attaches to the le-
cation here, shall not be permitted to
see every new thing the genius and
skill of our own officers have evolved,
which foreign nations might want, In
less the business can be made recip-
rocal and the American officers at
Paris, Berlin and London be allowed
to exploit similar secrets of the engi-
neer and ordnance bureaus of those
countries.
An American naval officer was not
permitted to be present at the late
naval maneuvers of Germany a fort
night ago, though he had been per-
sonally invited by the commander of
one of the vessels taking part to be a
guest. 1t came TO the knowledge OF
Prince Henry, Emperor Williams
brother, the real head of the German
navy, that this invitation had been is
sued. He at once directed the officer
to countermand it, giving as a reason
hat certain naval experiments and
tests were to be made, thatno foreigner
must be permitted to witness, and the
American did not witness them.
Heretofore the experiments at In
dian Head, where all our heavy guns
are tested, have been of the deepest
interest to military foreigners. They
were able to report, for instance, that
the Americans were making a higher
class of ordnance; that our siX-irch
rifle, or lcO-pOunder, was higher pow
cred than any similar gun built in
Europe, and much other valuable
information was sen home. 1t has
come to the knowledge of the
nary department that an important
secret discovery relating to the torpedo
destrOyerS was IN possession of Il ..
the great continental powers. This
same power. when asked to permit the
officer representing Il of our services
at its our to be present at an impor-
tant experiment with high explosives,
fatty and rather diScuurtcOuSlv re-
fused. This matter came to the presi-
dents notice. He at once directed that
nations should not receive American
courtisies that would not extend them,
and to this rule there must be no eXccp-
ton. Hereafter foreign officers viii
not be permitted to witness delicate
experimental tests in ordnance or At
the torpedo station, or in fact see or
know anything belonging to the
United States solely in ordnance, gun
merry, ]torpedOcS and their ~dcstrOycrS
and submarine mines. Particularly
Will the gentlemen not be permitted
to know where the new rified mortarS
TO he used in defending New York har-
Dor Will be placed, nor anything
of the imprOv- ment just com letcd,
and very important, relating to the
use of dynamite in shells for heavy
guns. These are the main exceptions
to the usual rule of allowing foreign
officers to see everything, but there are
others. In some instances, the matter
of exchanging secrets will de-
pend upon military reciprocity;
in others, and especially as re-
CARDS the experimental tests relating
to the use of high explosives in projec-
tiles, no exception can bc made. Even
Russia, with whom we are upon the
most friendly terms, can not be per-
mitted to know what our experts have
discovered relative to the power, use
and capacity Of certain explosives, in
some instances discovered and perfect
ed by American experts alone.