The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-17
$2o,ooo,ooo FOR SECRETS.
A Luxury Which, 1t Is Said, Britain
INDUCES in Too Sparingly.
London Mail.

London Mail. ;.
One of the most unpleasant duties of Par
lament is the voting every year OF a sum
of money for secret service. Every one
knows that 1t is to be used to bride traitors
and reward spies, and there is nothing an
Englishman so much detests as a traitor or
spy even when he is working for our own
government.
Consequently our secret service fund is
probably the smallest In the world. Last
year it amounted to only e13.0oO and not
very much bribery can be effected with
that. But some years ago it was three or
four times that sum, and some authorities
appear to hold the opinion that the inter-
ests of the state would be better served If
1t amounted to 100000 instead of G13,000
The spending of this money is one of
those few secrets which is really kept. Par
lament votes the money. 1t is paid into
the treasury. Then permission is given to
the secretary for foreign affairs, the sec
rotary for the colonies, the home secretary
and the Irish secretary to draw on it as
they require 1t, each being allowed a GER
tain fixed fraction of the whole amount
Suppose our ambassador in Russia sus-
poets that certain preparations are being
made to seize a Persian or Chinese port,
and he wants to get some secret informa-
ton, he draws whatever sum is necessary
to pay to spy. but no one except himself
knows to whom he pays it.
Many M. P.'s have objected to the public
money being spent in this way. and year
after year they try to obtain information
as to whom 1t is paid. But, of course, to
make the names public would render the
fund perfectly useless.
But the most suspicious taxpayer may be
assured that the money is properly spent.
AS a matter of fact not much more than
half of the money Is ever expended, the
balance being returned to the exchequer.
Moreover, the secretaries OF state are under
oath to spend the money honestly. When a
secretary of State is allotted his share he
has to take the following oath before a
commissioner:
II swear that the money paid to me for
foreign secret service, or for detecting, pre-
venting, and defeating conspiracies against
the state, has been bona fide applied to the
said purpose and no other
The reason this oath has to be taken Is
that at one time 1t was suspected that the
secret service money was being used for
electioneering purposes, ana Tor pension
ing government favoriteS.
At present most of the money is spent by
our ambassadors in foreign countries. In
order to know what kind of foe she may
have to meet Great Britain must be made
acquainted with the details of foreign
armies, the power and range or their guns,
their new inventions in powder. shells, tor
pedoes, submarine boats, and the like The
country must also know what are the IN
tentions of other countries towards her.
and if antagonistic, endeavor to thwart
them.
Very valuable information of this kind
can only be obtained by bribing an official
of a foreign nation, and the amount which
one country will spend 10 get such 1nfor-
nation may be gathered - from TO the fact
of the treaty of Tilsit between France
and Russia.
Foreign countries spend enormous sums
on secret service. France, Germany and
Russia have their agents everywhere and
there are very few secrets of any nation
which they do not know. for il is, unfor-
tunately. the case that in the employment
OF all governments there are men willing
to betray their country-for a considera-
ton.
The sum spent by Russia on secret serv-
ice does not fall short OF three-quarters
of a million annually. Germany and
France each spends close on half million.
Italy nearly a quarter of a million and
Austria about the same.
The expenditure under this head OF
smaller States, such as Belgium. Holland
land. Spain and Portugal. Is greater than
that of England. the average sum for each
being about 100000. Lord Salisbury, the
other day. said that the Transvaal spends
$500. 900 a year for secret service This
estimate is about one-sixth OF the total
revenue of that country.
The whole amount spent In Europe, Asia,
Africa and America on secret service can
not fall very far short OF f5.ooo.ooo annu-
ally. and II IL not pleasant reflection
for the honest taxpayer that much OF
his earnings is expended In trying to make
traitors OF men.