New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-24
NO TRUST In MAILS.
Special Couriers Employed for the
Transmission of Dispatches.

Ambassador Meyers action in sending his most
Important dispatches by special courier or
ger instead Of conhding them to the general most
once at St Petersburg for transmission in the or
binary way seems to have excited an amount ne
attention which Is in no sense warranted bv the
facts OF the case To Judge from the tone of the
Geographic dispatches about the matter one vo,,Ia
be disposed to believe that the Cars mails are
the only ones that are made the subject Of this
manifestation Of suspicion on the part Of foreign
governments.
The fact OF the matter is, however that there "a
rot single foreign power that does not have re-
course 10 these precautions, and I have known Of
quite number OF instances IN which confidential
communications destined for the various embassies
ana legations at Washington have reached the lat
ter by means OF messengers sent an the 1vav across
the Atlantic owing to absence of ADEQUATE conf
denoe in the integrity OF officers in charge oF fbe
mall bags on board the ship, and fear lest there
might be any tampering with letters between New
York snd Washington. Not that 7 would for ono
moment believe that such thing would he nos
s5le in the case OF the United States mails. bnt
unfortunately, foreign governments are ant to
judge the other powers by themselves and since
the so-called Black Cabinet exists everywhere
abroad, save in England il is only patura1 4bo+
they should be unwilling 10 grant to the American
postal department confidence which they are
saTe is withheld with good reason from their own
mail service. Wv"
Nationalist members of Parliament, especially, in
the days when the Home Rule party was still under
Inc abe ana never-to- e-forgotten leadership of
Psrnen were wont to insist that all their letters
especially Shose from America, We're tempered with
b. the authorities at the English General Postofce
al 81 Aarnh le Grand And while this charge was
never substaniated yet the fact remains that large
numbers OF people, especially in Ireland gave Gre
dence 10 the accusation. Each foreign government
with the exception OF the United States keeps a
permanent staff of men, most of them retired army
end navy otncers all Of them OF birth, breeding
Of absolutely unexceptionable antecedents for no
other purpose than that of carrying confidential
dispatches to and from its embassies abroad. In
England they are known by the name of Kings
messengers receive a salary of 5000 a year, be-
SIDES an allowance OF IS day, in addition
penses, when travelling. Their adventures in pro-
tectng their dispatches from theft or destruction
have furnished the theme Of a boundless number
OF magazine articles and Of romances, some true
Rnd others not, and when it is recalled mind
how ehe dispatches in connection with the Drey
fus affair. sent by the German Embassy at Paris
10 Berlin by an imperial messenger. were surrep-
titousy opened and their contents photographed
during the trip from Paris the German frontier,
Il win be realized that the career Of a bearer of
government dispatches is even in these prosaic days
without element of excitement.
The Kings messengers rank as members Of the
English diplomatic service and have always been
welcome guests at the table Of the Ambassadors 10
whom they have carried not merely confidential dis
patches in sealed bags but likewise all the latest
gossip Of Mayfair and of the capitals at which they
have stopped of en- route. They are supposed to
always travel in species Of sei-rnilftary uniform,
with a badge Of Office. consisting of a silver grey
hound. surnounted by imperial crown, pendent
from a ribbon around their neck But, owing TO the
attention which this uniform attracts and the
mark which it makes Of the royal messengers for
designing people, 1t is seldom used. excepting in
war time, and then only within the frontiers of
one or another Of the belligerentA
There has been on several occasions talk Of
abolishing these King messengers. on the alleged
ground that their services have become virtually
superhuous with the development Of telegraphio
communications and cipLsr codes. But this argu-
nlent will not hold, for there is secret ciphor
code Used by any power Of which the other gov
erRments do not possess the key in fact secret
code has yet been invented which cannot lie de-
dphered by experts, by men who devote their entire
existence to this particular branch Of research
This conpels governments to avoid the wires in the
case CT communications where secrecy is matter
OF vital Importance. and, I have pointed out
above the mails equally unreliable-even more
so-the OF opening and closing letters without
leaving any trace having been carried to an almost
phenomenal perfection From this It will be seen
that foreign service messengers Will continue TO
remain Indispensable long there is any ne
cessity for the transmission Of dispatches OF SO
confidential character that the disclosure Of the
secrets which they contain might bring about not
merely rupture Of friendly relations. but even
w&k.