The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-21

|
 of the case perfectly clear, explained to
 them confidentially how MT. Loomis record in Caracas and the influence to
 which he must consequently bend baked me in my work.
 Customary to Trust Press.
 " I felt that l could safely trust them
 In all governmental and diplomatic cir cles it is customary to trust and use the
 press In no other way can informa-
 ton be placed before the public that the public should possess. What l wanted
 our people to know was not the Loomis scandal alone but the whole situation in Venezuela I did not believe for moment
 that either MT. Dater or Mr. Riddle would quote me or attempt to reproduce from memory any paper l showed to them! and I supposed of course that they
 would present the whole case to our peo- pie and not merely the Loomis scandal In the fact they assured me that . If my name is associated with the scandal l it is only because there was a breach i of faith somewhere.
 Again in his letter of June 14 he says: |" T talked with the Herald men be- cause they said they would not betray
 ny conhdencel They did betray me and enc of them even tried to produce /om
 memory the Mercado claim which l show
 ed to him confdentlally'
 Secured Publication of Reports.
 Tn short it appears from Mir Bowens own statement as well from the state ment of Messrs Dater and Riddle and
 the letter from Wright and MT. Bowen, while minister at Caracas instigated and requested, and actually secured the pub- lcation of the attacks on Assistant Sec
 retary of State and furnished to the press copies of doc, ments believed to 1 reflect upon the Assistant Secretary of States which documents were already be- 1 tore the Secretary of State for investisa- ton. Mir Bowen's excuse for this con- duet so far as it can he made out seems to be that he expected the newspaper men to keep his connectios with the charges secret Tn other words he appar- | cntly regards his case as improved in that he s~>ured this attack uron his or fcial chief in a furtive and underhand I manner and that he id not intend that his connection with the attack should be Givulged
 "Of course such conduct is ineNcusable and shows Mir Bowens entire unfitness to remain in the diplomatic service with cut regard to whether the charges he has made against Mir. Loomis are true or false. Even if Mir. Loomfs had been guilty. MT Rowen's conduct would he unr rardonable. Inasmuch as Secretary Taft's l careful investigation of the charges show l cd them to be false. his attitude appears 1 in an even worse light. But it must be 1 Fept in mind that his unfitness for serv- I ire is clearly established by his own con- 1 duet without any reference to the ques- 1 ton of Mir I.oomis' action. The Denart- ment of State had expressly forbidden l just such conduct, In general circular issued over three years ago.
 xutkL ce.ndaI
 Tt appears from the testimony that | Caracas Is seething with scandal and that | all kinds of accusations are rife, not | merely against Mir Loomis and MT. Bow | en, but against practically every other | diplomatic representative now residing, ' or who has recently resided there. There | is no excuse whatever for repeating the | injurious and malicious gossip circulated about these various men. MT. Bowen | himself however. has not only furnished | and brought forward great deal or | such gossip about Mir Looms but has I evidently been one of the main sources | from which it originated He tried to | tamper with the cable operator through | our consul at Laguayra. MT. Goldschmlot, l in order to secure what he hoped Woui' | be discriminating telegrams against MT.
 Ioomis Mir Goldschmidts reply was; l It would be dishonorable to do what l you ask of me MT. Goldschmidt in ms
 letter of May 3. 1905. says MT Bowen l never lost an opportunity to beiittie MT 1 Ioornis character. ability. etc, when ne I spoke to me of him and seemed to De | in extraordinary anmus against ms pre- decessor. Mir Bowen asked one ol tiie
 men he himself produced as witness, 1 Senor Pastor, to enter into the employ l of n certain company for the purpose or | obtaining tin plain words of stealing) l documents which he hoped might incrim- l mate Mir I.oomis. He has eVldehtly TUT
 many months. indeed for the last two
 years. devoted himself to huntlng up
 every piece of scandal or gossip or whlcn
 he heard affecting MT. Looms uhtii It ,'.' nas | seemingly become a monomania with nm 1 and has caused him to show compete 1 dislovaltv to the service to which ne | belongs. ,,
 .'It was his duty to make known to ms l superior officers any facts renectlhs oii 1 tho honesty of MT Loomis or any DIT
 cials, but it was breach of his duty to l make any reckless charges ana espeeiahy
 to give these charges public currency l after their submission for investigation ] by the department
 Damaged Interest of Country
 l MT Bowens conduct is especially
 reprehensble because of the damage II 1 has undoubtedly done to the interests Of
  | tion toward our sister republics lyine | south of us. In all our dealings with
 these republics we should endeavor not
 merely to act courteously, justly and l generously. but to make it evident that
 we are thus acting Any corrupt deaiing any misconduct by one of our represen-
 tatives calls for the sternest punishment
 and save only corrupt dealing the worst 1 and most fragrant misconduct Of wnlcn
 one of these representatives can pc guli.s
 is to give currency to, or secure the | publication of scandalous attacks upon
 the service of which he is member or upon one of his super'ors, responsipie I head of that service; for such attachs | are certain to be circulated to the ois- | credit of our government and our people
 not only in the newspapers of our own W country. but In the newspapers or ,ne m | various Latin American republics. NV
 matter how baseless they are no matter