The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-10-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
President Roosevelt came to his Official
Home Saturday evening and received the
welcome that is his due as the President
of the United States who has accom-
plished the greatest feat of international
diplomacy in the history of the country.
1t was not until the United States became
, a world power that there was chance
for the President to perform such feat
as getting Russia and Japan together at
Portsmouth. But Roosevelt was the man
for the hour and he took advantage of
the situation as weaker man would not
have done and as many strong men would
have been afraid to do. He said that he
did not wish any especial welcome home,
but the bulk of Washington's population
turned out to welcome him and that he
had such an escort from the depot to the
White House as has never before been
vouchsafed to President. There was no
formal escort, no military to turn the
affair into set procession. 1t was the
people Of the city where he lives tender
ing hearty welcome to the man the
world admires. The tribute was of an
intimate and personal character and was
such as no man, least of all the present
President, could object or ignore. 1t was
for the things he has done that he is
honored and not for the things that are
hoped of him in the coming session of
Congress.
~
As was intimated in these letters some
time ago, the State Department is COM
ing round to the point Of scandal in its
administration. 1t is hoped that there
will be nothing of an unpleasant charac-
ter proven against the present chief clerk
of the Department, Col. Michael, who
has held his present position for eight
years. At the same time there is serious
internal disturbance in the big depart
ment and if the charges which Assistant
Secretary Loomis has intimated rather
than made, should be proved, there will
be decided upheaval and another house.
cleaning added to the long list that the
government already has on hand. 1t
seems that there has been trouble rec
emily over the leakage of official dis
patches, and important state kilograms
have gotten into the hands OF foreign
countries that they were not intended for
sooner almost than they have reached
the foreign Offices to which they were
addressed. On the strength of this de-
velopment. acting Secretary of State
LOOMS has taken the handling of code
dispatches out of the hands of Col.
Michael, the chief clerk of the depart
ment, and turned them over to Mr.. Chas.
Ray Dean, the chief of the appointment
division. The action was taken during
have met with the approval of the Presi-
dent. There is no question that some
State Department secrets leaked, but it Is
said that the action of the assistant Secre-
tary in changing the handling ofthe code
dispatches was as much blow at Col.
Michael personally for his attribute in
the LOOMS Bowen controversy as for any
safeguarding of the Departments secrets.
~
1t is really an open secret that almost
all of the great powers have copies of
their rivals code books. OF course all of
them were stolen and a good price paid
for the stealing. Most of the powers
change their code occasionally without
notice to the outside world, merely to
make sure that they have something that
will not be Immediately deciphered by
their rivals. The present State Depart
ment code is old and it is suspected that
it is in the hands of several foreign pow
ers, but this government has not much
that it does not give out TO the news
papers soon after it has gone over the
wires, SO that stealing of American dis
patches is almost useless task. There
has been talk for some time of changing
the State Departments code, but it is a
work of some difficulty aud expense and