El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-28
WASHINGTON


Minister WI and His Automobile
That Cipher Messdge.-The Ad-
minlstration' s plans In China
All Sorts OF Ideas On the Chin
csc Situatlon.-W d h n 9 on
Magnificent Street Car System.
special correspondence 20 the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, July 21.-Yesterday
morning l saw the Chinese minister
racing down Connecticut avenue in his
mobile-eccentric combination
thst-with q semi-circular smile bisect-
lag his gingerbread colored face. The
auto was going at q hair-raisiDg veloci'
ty and lodged with a prudence am
still congratulating myself on; there
are times when 'cyole of Csthay is
too swift for me. But it wasn't too
rapid for Mr. WI: quite the other way
from the symptoms 1 noticed as he
buzzed past me. He WAS leaning for
ward-''pushinR on the dashboard"-
and apparently exhorting his motor
neer to shove that controller around
TO the highest notch and squeeze every
inch of speed oct of it If he had to
break the machine, the records. and
the police regulations doing 1t.
Later on 1 understood-when the
extras came out. WI was bearing the
message from Conger and l can testify
that he was doing it at q rate and in a
way that ought to make the ''messsge-
TO- G arcia" man feel like Dsgo propel-
ling q banana cart. And at the state
de partment they tell me WI left rs
inch crack in the atmosphere between
the front door and Secretary Hays
room. And pleased: why, he was a
radiant, ooruscating, perspiring beam
of Chinese sunshine as he handed the
paper over and stood for q moment to
receive congratulations and fan the
dewdrops off his forehead, before retir-
ing to give the secretary and his code
Whether the message is all right or
not. and after the first glow of grateful
surprise we began to have clammy
doubts, 1t Is thought that WI took it
and takes it in good faith Also the
state department people proclaim their
belief in it and If they do not know
their own cipher messages when they
see them, who does? Our diplomatic
code is fearful and wonderful thing
and while it is likely we'll enough an
derstood by some of the European d.
plomats who are forever rubber
ing" it is not probable the Chinese,
even if they seized Mr.. Conger's
code book, could build a dispatch in it
which would not chow palpable errors
to our cipher clerks. A for the idea
that the message received Ia leftover
fshed out of his waste bas-
ket by Sheng of Shanghai, officials
here pooh-pooh it, saying that there
are 'cue words" in every message, In
geniously concealed in some manner,
which call for responsive cues and
these cue words were contained both
in the message sent Conger and the
one received. just the same they are
going to experiment again.
The administration is doing its best
to accelerate the allied forces at Tien
Tsin, but 1t Is an uphill job. The
Russians don't want and won't have an
or jap in supreme COM
mand; ditto the Germans; the English
and Japs cordially reciprocate; the
French won't hear of a German for
and all hands are uralter-
ably opposed to the ranking French
Dodds, because he is . negro
-mulatto, rather. Serene in their
Intention to do exactly as they see fit,
ID American forces are not worrying
nuoh about the leadership, but they
.an nos take the initiativeti till the matter
8 settled. Meanwhile Conger is wait
ng-at least we hope 30.
Public men here have awaited
Bryan views on the Chinese situation
With natural interest since if he choof
10 to be ''pernickety" he can hamper
he government in dealing with the
AS matters stand now he
8 practically the popodem party (deriv-
ID from "pop" and "oedema'. q swell
ng) and whatever he chooses to say his
,dherents will adhere to. Wherefore |
he school boy platitudes he gave to
he press this morning have received
more attention than they
deserved In the hotel corridors to-day. |
Forgetful of Mother CHASSIS cook
'ook and it's Injunction to "drst catch
our hAreD IIncla Sam and the