The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-10-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER..


Mr.. EDITOR The Navy Department
is getting busy over the preparations for
the reception Of Prince Louis Of Batten
berg who will arrive in this countr.
about Nov 1. The announcement Of the
Princes coming was made by the British
Minister, Sir Mortimer Durand, and
everything will be done that is possible
to make his Serene Highness have good
time while be is here. The British squad
ron is now in Cana lian waters and will
be at Annapolis from about the first I'LL
the eight of November. About the sec
ond or third the Prince will come to
Washington where he will be received
bv the President. The blue jackets Of
the north Atlantic squadron are also ar
ranging in their own way to show the
British TARA good time. The American
and English fleets have met at different
times in all quarters of the globe and
sometimes the sailors have cracked bottles
with each other and sometimes they have
cracked heads. But while the English
sailors are in this country, everything
will be done to make pleasant the stay
of both officers and men. The English
squadron will sail from Annapolis to
New York about the ninth of November
and the Prince will be received by a
special committee of the municipality.
From New York the squadron will pro-
coed to Gibraltar.
An important change has been made
in the administration of the State Depart
ment by which the handling Of cipher
dispatches has been taken out of the
Chief CT erk's Office and turned over to
the Bureau of Appointments, Chas. T.
Dean. The switch was made on the ini-
tiate of acting Secretary Loomis. Mr.
Leomis alleged reason for making the
change is that there has been a serious
leakage in the departments secrets. 1t
is said however, that while it is probably
true that there has been a leakage, the
real reason back of the change is the
personal hostility of Secretary LOOMS
to Colonel Michael, the chief clerk. 1t
is known that Col. Michael inclined to
the side of Minister Bowen in the recent
Loomis-Bowen controversy and that tn:
is one way in which Mr.. LOOMS is get.
ting back. However that may be, the
action is hard blow at the chief clerk,
who has held his present post under two
administrations and is generally regard
ed as an upright and trustworthy man.
1t is also known to those on the inside
that the codes Of nearly all tho great
powers are in the hands of their rivals
50 that it is not very remarkable
it some Of tho State Departments tele-
grams have been deciphered whore they
sh ould not have been. The question OF
leakage has been raised several times be.
fore but it was found once that Secretary
Hay himself had Inadvertently let out
some news that should have been kept Sc
cret and on another occasion Secretary
Olney had done the Same thing. 1t is
possible that in view of the present dis
turbance in the usually placid current OF
State Department affairs that the govern
ment will get = new code, which it has
been thinking Of doing for some years.
There has been considerable satisfac-
ton in the War Department over the
action of the conference of army sur.
geons who recently recommended the
reest ablishment of the army canteen.
The canteen in the army was abolished
some years back, IS will be remembered,
by act Of Congress. Tho Congressman
who passed tho bill did not believe in it,
but they did not have the moral courage
to stand out against the pressure that
was brought to bear on them by great
many good but mistaken people who
were earnest advocates Of Temperance
and who did not think that the United
States had any business to sell liquor.
A bout the same time the same influence
was used to prohibit the selling of liquor
at tho House and Senate restaurants In
tho Capitol. Now both restaurants are
noninally dry. But anyone who has the
combination can get any sort of liquor
they want served in teacup With spoon
It was good deal more serious with the
army posts. They did not have con-
gressnen among their patrons, and they
abolished the sale of beer and light wines
to the enlisted men. Tho officers in
charge Of the posts know just what
would happen for they knew the peril of
THE Blue Goose. That 10 tho army
name for thelgrogseries that spring upon
the outskirts Of every army post where
there is no cantecn. The soldiers. when
they had the canteen, spent their money
for drinks there. They got pure. drinks
and there was about rs per cent profit
in it. This profit went to the "mess
fund" and the men were able to buy them
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