Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-04-26

MllAsas M %'T wisss and f' sasl"
6HE ; #; '.:: ;.::: e. .; e.
[<4..G&4. over land and IN
nm nm = 17'7771 g.: s: !: :: :: !: :: =: !: :: ::
6hAl' aud marsh up tu
the very firing line in the philippines.
and it stretches through the allied az
mics up to the walls OF Pckin. 1t radis
ates through Europe to.tile great AMER
can embassies, and il, touches the
obscure consular agency on the African
ooast.
The whole world is brought into in
slant touch with the White House
Ceaselcssly. day and night, messages
come pouring in to tell the President
what is happening wherever Ola Glory
flies. Should Il skirmish be fought Will.
the insurgents in Lnzon, should tariff
troubles with Russia arise. should there
be muttcrings of discomfort in China =
the news is flashed under the ocean and
in a moment the President is informed
of the facts. But this great network
of nerves is employed in two different
ways. Not only does it tell the hcad~Ssfe
the republic what is going on throughout
the earth, but these nerves also carry
back the orders that set the forces of
the nation to work. From the w
House the President issues orders II
army and the navy in The most ssisfafr~
parts of earth almost as quickly as ii H.
We're personally ut hand. He gives in
structions in the most minute detail L..
his diplomatic officers engaged in deaf
ing with foreign powers. The who'll
world is his checher-board.
The office through which all these
things are lone is officially known as the
telegraph and cipher bureau, but ii is
popularity called the war room. IT, at-
joins The Presidents private Office, anGl'
he can step to it at any moment OF The
day or night. During the Spanish war. j..
indeed, he spent many Il night sitting on
n big leather couch in the war room, as
he waited with Secretary Long or Gen.
Corbin for dispatches from the front.
cover the walls of the room. Ney arr.
a regiment or n ship. Wsleneyer a mes
'N ~ - CAA bItitiLS III ~ VI HIttT
change in the position of vessels or or
troops the corresponding flag is moycti.
Thus at any moment, by looking en- the
maps. the President can tell where tse
American army and navy are scattered.
Service Started in 1877.
The telegraph office mt the White
House was organized in 1877. and w:iS
planned originally as Il means of putin.
the President in quick communicative
with the various government departments
that are distributed over the city. Fairly
in President Hayes administration, how
ever, the Pittsburg riots arose. and fed
eral troops We're sent to check the mobs.
1t was necessary to keep in close touch
with the soldiers, and arrangements We're
made with the telegraph companies Tor
private wires that extended from The
White House to the scene of the trouble.
Ihat was the beginning ots>the present
system, and 1t has been dcvelNoing ever
since. When the Spanish-.Amer' Nm war
broke out it was foreseen that speGaI ia
cilities would be needed to keep thePres-
ident informed of military niaven, ents.
The war room probably did it's h,ost
brilliant work during the hostilitiesSwith
Spain. The signal corps, which is affixed /,
With the telegraph and cipher bureau.
had a force of its bravest men with Shat
ter when he landed near Santiago. They
captured the cable that links Santiago
with the United States by way of Sanny,
Domingo. and they connected it with X
flying telegraph wire of their own. As
often as the troops advanced, the daring
telegraphers would follow them mp with.
n taunpornr - u.fro ctrunr or b,,.L,,.
The courage Of the signal corps men
was the admiration OF the army. Seated
right at the firing line, with temporary
outfits on their knees, they keptlAsAx
ut work while n deadlyshail of lead rain
ed all around them. 1t is interestfnxsfo.
note that. while signal corps men are
usually classed as non-combutants, they
lost a larger percentage OF men from
wounds during the Spanish war than any
other branch of the army. 1t was by
their daring. however, that they managed
to establish their magnificent telegraph
service. They sent dispatches from the
field around Santiago that reached the
White House in five minutes after being
filed. 1t was common for the President
to receive messages from his command.
ers in fifteen or twenty minutes. In this.
way Mr.. Mckinley was constantly ad-
vised of how the campaign was progress
Ing, and by the aid of the war maps and
the moving flags, he had always before
him an immense PANORAMIC ofstaauSap-
tiago campaign that gave him ssncrs ~
curate view of'the situation than Wal -
joyed by many of the GENERALS who 6ese
personally OIL the ground. sSsTAs ssEs*i n
During the troubles in the Philippines.
the same system of rapid communications,
Is preserved, but the transmission OF mes
sages is somewhat slower. as many relays
are necessary in the long cable route.
King Edward, who. after the injury TO-
his knee, was obliged to stop bicycle rid
ing, has resumed that pastime. aglsae
taken up fencing MS being the 1870
antidotes to the increase of sedSSfSr2s
work necessitated by his new star
ties. T5#$
Italy's present national debt &&6iS
to S2,572,093.401, with q yearly q 4