The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-05-05
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER

WASHINGTON, ID. T., April 18th.
Mr.. EDIToR:-Washing has been
treated to a sensation during the past
week, sensation of such proportions
that it will curtail the Presidents trip
and bring him back to the Capital week
earlier than he had expected to return.
Herbert W. Bowen, United States Minis
ter to Venezuela, and Francis B. Loomis,
Assistant Secretary of State, are the chief
figures in the affair which promises to end
in the dismissal from the public service
of at least one of these officials, possibly
although improbably, both.
1t appears that some time ago Minister
Bowen filed, officially, charges against
Secretary Loomis, who has at one time
been Minister to Venezuela. In brief,
these charges are to the effect that as
Minister, Mr.. LOOMS accepted $4,000
from the Bermudez Asphalt Company in
CONDENSATION for his services in their be-
half; that Mr.. Loomis purchased claim
of 1000 against the Venezuela govern
men and used his influence to collect j.;
and, that Mr.. LOOMS undertook to collect
a claim for Mr.. Myers for a commission
of one seventh of 81, 10000 Mr.. Bowen
forwards these charges to Secretary Taft,
over his own signature, and Secretary
Taft forwarded the communication to the
President who was already in the west.
Not content, however, with having done
this, Mr.. Bowen grew impatient at hear
ing no echo of the serious charges he had
preferred and he furnished the details Of
the charges to certain newspaper CORE
spon dent in Caracas. The whole story
was then mailed to this country and ap-
peared in large type on the front page Of
the New York dailies. Even were the
charges true, Minister Bowen was guilty
of grave indiscretion and violation of
courtesy in making them public in ad-
vance of some reply to his communica-
ton to Secretary Taft and only unnar-
donably bad judgment or ungovernable
spleen against his superior officer could
account for this course.
When the charges were first made pub
lie Mr.. LOOMS was absent from Washing
ton but Immediately on his return he
furnished to the newspapers = categorical
denial of each and all of the charges. He
explained that he had had one financial
transaction with the New York Hand
Bermudez Asphalt Company, but only to
the extent of exchanging his check on a
Venezuelan bank for the Company's
check on a New York bank when he left
Caracas at the conclusion of his service
as Minister, this being not unusual among
American Ministers in Caracas and else
where, where the rate of exchange is high
and sometimes exchange cannot be Sc
cured at any price. OF course the trans
action was unimportant and could not
place either party under material obliga-
ton to the other and may have been a
mutual accommodation. Every other
transaction undertaken by Mr.. LOOMS as
Minister to Venezuela, he declares he un-
| dertook only as result of explicit in
struction from the Secretary of State.
| Beyond this denial, Mr.. LOOMS has
declined to discuss the charges.
| That an official statement from one of
Secretary LOOMS superiors will be ulti-
mately made is generally assumed and it
is regarded as probable that the necessity
of issuing such a statement has played an
important part in determining the Presi-
dent to curtail his limiting trip.