The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-21
President Declares Con-
duct of Minister Repre-
henSibl6 and DiSlOyal.
ORDERS THAT HE BE
REMOVED AT ONCE.
Assistant Secretary Of State In
discreet, But Has Been "Most
Cruelty Slandercd," Declares
Taft's Report--Bowen Sc
cured Publication Of At
tacks, President Says.
Try Associated 1,ress.,

thy Associated I,ress.)
WASHINGTON, June e.--.rhe dismissal
OF Herbert w Bowen, for some years
2 United States minister TO Venezuela, and
!, tho cxoncrntion or Assistant Secretary
OF State Francis 3. Loomis, are the re-
suits OF the Loomls-Bowen controversy,
which has attracted wide attention for
many months past. This disposition Of
il the case Is made by President Roosevelt
ina letter addressed to Secretary TAFT
made public tonight, approving Mr..
Tafts report on his findings and conclu-
4 sions in the case. s 45
52 The President scathingy arraigns MINI
lister Bowen, declaring that his conduct
q.'is especially reprehenslble;' that Mr.
a Bowen asked one OF his witnesses to enter
The employ OF a certain company for tnc
purpose. .n plain words. Of stealing
documents which he hoped might incrin!-
Y nate Mr.. Looms. and that Mr.. Bowen
q has evidently for months-indeed, for the
klst two ycars-deyoted himself to hunt
e Ing up scandal and gossip until It became
monomania and caused him TO show
complete disloyalty' to the country he
represented. The President says he had
hoped to promote Mr.. Bowen as during
much Of his service he had done good
work. but that his usefulness in the
K diplomatic servlce Is now at an end
n Tho President adds that he would direct
1 that NH Bowen's resignation be gre
auested. but for his statement that he
y would considcrEa a resignation an admls-
sion of misconduct. and his dismissal
S Is therefore ordered. The President
states that II appears that Mr.. Bowen
while minister, secured the publication Of
"A attacks on Mr.. Loomis and furnished to
the pressS documents pending before the
a State Department for approval. and tnat
b his explanation Is inexcus:lble and shows
I hts entire unfitncss" for tho service.
7 Even X Mr.. Loomis had been guilty,
II says the President, Mr.. lBowen's conduct
would be unnartlonable. The letter quotes
certain correspondence and testimony.
. Taft's Report.
The report OF Secretary Taft on the
case. on which the Presidents action is
based Is yoluminons document. review
ling the charges and the evidence taken.
In his report, Secretary Taft says that
there was nothing dshonorable In the
transactions In which Mr.. Ioomis figured,
4 but that 4he was not discreet. The re-
port says that Mr.. I,oomis was not JUS
titled lin becoming personally Interested
{ in any OF the schemes. either with n
mere nominal interest or substantial
interest. He holds. however, that Mr..
Loomls has been most cruelty SLAM
tdered ~ commends him for the self-re-
straint with which he has met ,..ie
charges. and points out that Mr.. Loomiss
bitter experience in this case makes 1t
unnecessary to point out the moral that
a minister cannot afford in the country
Ito which he Is accredited to make per-
sonal investments. Is
a Presidents Letter.
President Roosevelt. In his letter to
Secretary Taft, quotes at length from
the Testimony to show that Bowen was
responsible for the charge against Loom
4 Is. that he instigated and secured the pub
y licat ton OF the attacks on Loomis by fur
5nishing to tho press copies OF documents
believed to reflect on the assistant Sec
& sctary. The President says:
i'Of course. such conduct Is inefcus-
@ nble. and shows Mr.. Bowen's entire
tnftness to remain In the diplomatic
service. without regard to whether the
charges he has made against Mr.
4 I.oomls are true or false. Even II Mr.,
Loomls had been guilty, Mr.. Bowen's
Il conduct would be unpardonablc In
asmuch as Secretary Taft's careful
x Investigation of the charges shows
them to be false. his attitude appears 4
@ in an even worse light. The Depart
mcnt OF State had explicitly forbidden
Just such conduct. In n general cir
cular Issued over three years ago, y
This circular which the President quotes
prohibits diplomatic and consular officers
from prcferring charges against or criti-
cising any other officer In either service
except contldentially to the Department OF
State.
Seething With Scandal.
The Presidents letter continues:
ut appears from the Testimony that
Caracas is seething with scandal and s
ISL that all kinds of accusations are rife.
not merely against Mr.. Loomis and
5sf Mr.. Bowen, 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, Mr., Bowen, him.
n self. however has not only furnished q!
and brought forward a great deal of
X such gossip about Mr., Loomis, but
& has evidently been one of the main
sources from which IT originated, He
tried to tamper wthfthe cable oper-
ator, through our consul at La
Guaira. Mr. Goldschmidt, In order to
secure what he hoped would be In
Il eliminating telegrams against Mr..
S54 I.ooms 5s IN
5"'lr. Goldschmidt's reply was 1t #
38 would be dishonorable to do what you
ask of me, Mr., Goldschmidt says
n Mr. Bowen seemed to bear an extra
ordinary animus against his predecesr
X sor Mr., Bowen asked one of the
men he himself produced as n wits
ness, s;enor Pastor, to enter into tho
employ Of certain company for the
.e5 purpose of obtaining, In plain words,
" Of stealing, documents which he hoped
might incriminate Mr.. Loomis. lie
has evidently for many months, indeed n
for the last two years devoted him
self to hunting up8 every piece of
scandal or gossip Of which he heard
<affect,ng Mr.. Loomis, until n has
z oao,,tnply boom a monon1ania with "A