The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-18

from the houeeseps. II IL, In fact. the clos
ess corporation IN the vide world.
It's deliberations are secret. nc record ss
kept Of sts resolutions and they are never
reported 70 anybody. No secretary r. pres
ens al the meetings. Nobcdy may enter
the room except a member ~ the cabinet
The Junior minister receives important
messages ar the door, ard proceedings ire
suspended Until the deer IS closed again.
IL is even considered a breach - minister
la confidence 10 keep private record OF
what has passed in the cabinet lest he
notes should pass into unauthorized hands
There are people who try 10 infer cahi-
net decisions from the ruien and express
sion Of the ministers as they leave. They
argue peace from BaifaGr's ssssiie, or war
from Chamaeriains frcwn. They might "a
well examine the doorstep or interrogate
the porter. Ministers are Ike the rest Of
human kind. They don't talk business IN
the msdst of a crowd. Probably they don't
even think ii. Mr. Ba,fcur stroiis across
from Downing stree; with his hands in
his pockets looking as IL the problem is
one TO be faced at and not at 7:eo. When
he comes away still with his hands n his
pockets he has apparently forgotten all
about II.
Nor can much De gathered from Mr.
Chamberlain. Now that he has a corridor
srem the colonial Office 10 the cabinet room
he is not often seen by the crowd. As TO
Lord Salisbury he would be bold man
who would infer anything from the Cecil
expression.
There is still a chance for the ingenious
person who wants TO infer the cabinets
decision from signs and portenss. 1t IS
remote and would require q Sherlock
Holmes. Here 1t Is: According TO mod
ern usage" says the encyclopedia. only
one kind of public document is signed by
a. h. - Is b.. b sx,~% -.
councillors. and that Is t,le order fer gen
eral reprisals, which constitutes a deciara-
ton Of war Such AN order was issued
against Russia in 1854 and was signed by
all the members OF Lord Aberdeen's cab
met"
All that Sherlock Holmes has to do,
therefore, Is to lie in wait and carefully
examine the right hands Of all the minis
ters they leave the foreign Office. IL
there are traces that the ministers have
been using pens within the last hour Or
so-why. there you are, and let the Beers
look out.
When the cardinals were in conclave the
Roman populace used to stand outside the
building and watch the chimney TO learn
whether il pope had been elected by the
smoke Of The burning Of the ballot papers.
That was an elementary species Of reason
Ing by deduction. and the man who first
aiVtiSSA IL hAd1 Df HOT nave DEtu tiihiS
chief OF the detective force OF Rome The
man who dedaees war from Mr.. BaIfour's
fingers ought to be quite sure Of a place at
Scotland yard.
IL Is said that q journalist once learned
an important cabinet decision by the sim
pie process OF asking AIR. Bright as he
walked down the steps. That would not
happen very often. Her matestys min
listers do not encourage public interviews.
There is an understanding indeed, that
they shall never grant interviews 10 jour
naiists. But there are several bridges
across the Thames. When the cabinet
comes 10 decision of first Importance,
the public are not long Ia ignorance of H.
During the present crisis Mr.. Chamber
iain's dispatches Were made public as soon
as decency had been observed by allowing
the Transvaai government to receive them
first.
When the cabinet last met, somebody
asked when the Prince Of Wales was COM
Ing. The crowd laughed. Yet there was a
tine when royal personages went to the
cabinet. King William and Queen Anne
always presided at weekly cabinet coun-
ellis. but the Hanoverian princes. having
very little English. generally stayed away,
and since the time OF George H. no mon
arch has attended the cabinet meetings,
ana probably none ever Will again.