The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-25
SECURING STATE SECRETS.
How Official Documents Sometimes
Get into the Public Print.
Methods Used by Reporters Covering
Executive SessiOns-A Presidential
Message Sold for Large Sum
Confidence Very seldom betrayed.

A Vice President of the last generation
was the gossip of Newspaper Row. Near
ly every evening he made a call on one
or more of his iavorite correspondents
and occasionally a state secret was re-
vealed in the conversation. Once in g
while the leak was inadvertent. and the
Vice President. was embarrassed by the
subsequent publication
One evening he carried with him n bun
die of papers, and after he had taken his
departure the correspondent on whom he
had called discovered that the old gentle
man had dropped a printed pamphlet. on
the top of the first page of which were
the words secret and confidential
1t is impossible to discuss the duty OF
the correspondent under these circum-
stances. There is no issue involved
There is no doubt that he should have
carried the paper, which was a proposed
treaty of the first Importance, to the
Vice President; at least, not to impose
an impossible task, he should have salts
fled himself as to the intention of the
Vice President. He might thus have
cheaply secured a balm Tor a somewhat
indurated conscience. But he published
the treaty, was roundly praised for his
beat" and fiourished in consequence of
It. The only admirable thing which he
did in the premises was to return the
paper in such a manner that the Vice
President, if Re did not really intend to
drop it out of his bundle, did not know
that he had lost it. AS ii turned out
afterward, it was well that he had his
copy, for the Senate made an enquiry,
and tie Vice President was able to prove
that mis- was not missing.
Mr.. Hayes was very free with state
secrets, and here comes an easier ques-
tion. 1t was his custom during the po-
litical session of 1879 to send for two cor
respondents, the representatives of lead
ing Republican newspapers, on the eve
of a veto message, and to tell them of
his purpose and OF the line of his rea-
soning. 1t will be recalled by those who
were on earth at that time that an extra
session was made necessary by the failure
of Congress to pass some. of the general
appropriation bills at the regular ses-
sion.
The Democrats controlled both houses,
and they added to the Army and Sundry
Civil bills riders, in one instance forbid
ding the employment of troops at the
polls. and in the other repeating the law
authorizing the employment of deputy
United States marshals to aid in enforc-
ing the Federal elections law. The politi-
cal word was in a ferment of excitement,
and was eagerly guessing at the Presi-
dents intentions. The appropriation bills
went to him, and then it became the DUTY
of the newspaper correspondents to dis
cover the Presidents purpose before he
announced it to Congress.
The fact and purport of the first mes
sage was announced by the two Repu5-
porter. who knew that the two CORE
spondents had been to the White House
that evening. and who, therefore, antici-
pated with gloomy forebodings the APP
pearance next day Of the second veto
message in Republican journals only,
awaited his doom.
He was alone on the Row, for he dared
not go home, when very drunken hang
er-on of newspaper Offices staggered in
and asked him how much he would give
for the Presidents veto message that was
to be sent to Congress the following day.
He followed up the question by exhibiting
the document The reporter paid 500 for
it. put it on the wire, and while the read
ers of the two other correspondents were
enjoying the abstracts which the President
had given to his fayorites, the readers of
the young reporters paper-the young
reporter himself doubtless smiling at the
thought of his successful turpitude-were
regaled with the message in full.
1t turned out afterward that the
Presidert had entrusted a copy of the
message to bibulcus friend, and that it
had come into the possession of the stag
gering vender through some betting
transaction over cups.
II the whole transaction had been
WITHIN the knowledge Oh tne purchaser
ms cohduet was reprehehsioie' put' De-
lore concerning MIN 100 severely We
must take into account the easy manner
in which the secret" was treated by the
President himself the person most con-
o,,,z - ~, ...-,. -. - q. - =,
49, ii- nc DieS'ei a'io" Vi II IL ha"
really ceased to De secret, ana the only
question was as to the manner in which
the yEnder had Gonna nv II Tho wanna,
renor,er did not Ipo,,, +h,+ ., 80 49,,
-, =. - ~, NJ" 'i'd' u "aS S'oie',
afiu II may ne tiat ne was 100 young ana
green to suspect il.
During the same Administration the
crime az h,ihor,, or .. ,.oo;,.;,, -.
" Vi VI ieeeisins s'"ieh
soous was dctudily perpetfated pS one or
more correspondents. A printer I'm the
employ of the Government sold TO these
oorresno,dents III, Aroof ,l,ns q, !, Er,.i
'iie p.o'i siiPs vi Fltsi-
dent Is message and the report OF the Sec
the more important of the two documents
,I-,o -, ,,,t,5 -, t,,,,, 49,. -, -. - -.
&c 30 P'i - i''iii y a. S"Iu " ne very
large, either Sl,Wo or Sl.5v0. but whether
the correspondents bribed the printer to
pernetrate the theft or hn,ebt tho goods
- -, 49, 80, 7 4, p. -
ettei my "eie Se"i'i' W io' hho"-
1t IS the only instance Within my knOwl-
edge where a newspaper correspondent
trafffcled with an underIinq for a et,to
e.."-