The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-05
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
April 30. 1905.


a sensation of such proportions
that it will curtail the Presidents
trip and bring him back to the
Capital a week earlier than he had
expected to return. Herbert w.
Bowen, United States Minister 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. the s e
charges are to the effect that as
Minister, Mr. LOOMS accepted
$1,000 from the New York ard
Bermudez Asphalt Company il
compensation for his services in
| their behalf; that Mr.. LoOmis, pur-
chased claim of 81 900 against
the Venezuela Government and
used his Influence to collect it;
and, that Mr.. LOOMS und rtOok to
collect a claim for a Mr.. Meyers
for a com mission of one seventh of
81, 400, 900. Mr.. Bowen forwards
these charges to Secretary Taft,
over his own signature, and Secre-
tary Taft forwarded the commu-
nication to the President who was
already in the west.
Not content, however. with
having done this, Mr.. Bowen grew
impatient at hearing no echo of
the serious charges he had prof
erred and he furnished the de-
tail of the charges to certain
newspapers correspondent in Cara
cas-. The whole story was then
mailed to this country and appear
ed IN large type on the front page
of one of the New York dailies.
Even were the charges true,
Minister Bowen was guilty of IA
grave indiscretiOn and violation
OF courtesy in making them pub
lie in advance of some reply to his
communication to Secretary Taft
and only unpardOnahly bad judy
ment or ungOvernahle spleen
against his superior officer could
account for this course.
" hen the charges were first
made public Mr. Loomis was alb
seut from Washington but lmme-
diately on his return he furniS he'd
to the newspapers a catago zeal
denial Of each and all of the
charges He explained that he
had had one financial transaction
with the New York and Bermudez
Asphalt Company. but only 10 the
extent OF exchanging his check on
a Venezuelan bank tor the Com
pany's check Oh New York bank
w hen he left Caracas at the con
clusiOu OF his service a. Minister.
this being not unusual amoug
American Ministers in Caracas
and elsewhere, where the rate of
exchange is high and sometimes
exchange cannot be secured at
any price. OF cou Sc the trans
action was unlmpOrtant and could
not place either party under ma
terial obligation to the other, may
even have been a mutual accommo-
datiou. Every other transaction
undertaken by Mr.. Loomis as
Minister of Venezuela, he declares
he undertook ouly as a result of
explicit instruction from the Sec
rotary of State. Beyond this de :,
NAL, Mr.. LoOmis has declined to
discuss the charges.
That an official statement from
one of Secretary Loomis' superiors
will be ultimately made Is general
~ assumed and it is regarded as
probable that the necessity of is
suing such a statement has played
an important part in determining
the President to curtail his hunt.
ing trip. There are however,
other questions of importance
which await the attention of the
President. There are, for instance,
some questions connected with
the Panama problem which he
must consider at an early day.
One of these is the disposition
that is to be made of John Bar.
rett, now Minister to Panama.
Barrett is DESTROYS of securing pro-
motion and in any event it is un-
likely that he can retain his pre-
sent position. Another question
which will demand the Presidents
attention in the near future ia the
disposition of the engineer mem.
bers of the Panama Canal Com.
mission TO make trouble because
they regard themselves as some
what Over-slaughtered in the pres
sent organization of the Commits
sion.
Still another question which
will compel the attention of the