Evening star., 1897-05-19
POSTAL CONGRESS SECRECY
An Official Calls Attention to Some Crit
cisms.
The Necessity Ter Not Giving Out In
f0rnati0n-The Proposed
Western Trip.

IT was greatly pained upon reading in
The Star last evening an article regarding
the manner in which the proceedings of
the universal postal congress are con-
Quoted" said a prominent official to a Star
reporter today.
1T must be remembered that nothing
this postal congress can do is complete
until the agreed action is laid before each
country represented and ratified. The en-
tire proceedings are upon treaties.
Like the Senate.
You know. the most sacred secret work
of the Senate is upon treaties. and gener-
ally when anything of great Importance is
taken into executive session of the Senate
there Is a renewed oath for secrecy, the
idea being that If proceedings upon the
treaty are made known and commented
upon the object to be attained is frustrated
ana oiten dcfeated. In point of fact, there
Is nothing before this congress of any grea
pubic interest. If there was a public alton
Oh the proceedings the work, think, would
ue MI. Already the publication Of some OF
tne actual ana OF good deal of the ina gin
airy work of the congress has been cabled 10
europe, and Information has come back
shat SHOWS that much damage is being
Iene Ie innocentiy by the published reports.
tme work OF the congress was final and
oinoing as soon as completed there couId
NOT De much objection to a verbatim re-
Po port OF the entire work: but when it is all
must ' bn rs,,saes sne treaty stipulations and
aHust st necessarily be a long time Intervening
aIoer the adjournment of this conprass he
can care sa .ne work work is carried into effect. You
do in I s5a wnat @ TOO free publications would
the character of the work. ioi
Providing for Renort..
An arrangement was made ,,,,, -,
sembling of the congress for the g,,;n. -,
OF such information explain;ne ,ha
ceedings as would be admiss,h,a 90
proper. The first two or three d.vs ,,.. -
were Few things of interest Then ~
proceedings lapsed INTO monotonies uno,
,,1. or TOUR technical subjects. II was
~ supposed tnat these subjects contained
enough Of general Interest to make thai,
fuoucation OF value to anybody. 50 far
as a. tue american delegates are concerned
Al must DE remembered they are placed in
d peculiar situation. If there should De a
Puollcation which would frustrate tho con1
s'deration of a measure now before q oo,.,
Hittee the delegates representing tbis go,,
eminent would be charged with giving on,
-the information. They would be blanca
and any failure in the work of tho congras.
would be charged to them feei So
tnere i3 no disposition on the mart of tho
american delegates to establish a cens,r
snip over publications regarding the nro-
Seeolngs OF the congress or to prevent other
they See fit.
L noticed 1t represented in The Star tba I
the proposed trips to the Pacific coast ana
10 richmond were abandoned because of
.ne action or some of those connected with
the congress. The fact is that if any ether
Journeys are taken 1t will be because they
nave been agreed upon as more desirable.
regret the criticisms made in The Star
because IT appears to be physical impos-
siplilty for the delegates to even attempt
10 90 their duty without criticism from the
outside or censIrc from the inside"