The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-08-15
Some Cablegrames Received
at State Department
COMES BACK TO CITIES
Forest Service Gets Backing Of AttOr-
ney General-Trouble in the
Tennis cabinet--other
Washington Gossip.

Washington Aug. l5.-"Teheran, De
l,illier" was the text Of cablegram re-
ceiyed at The state department a few
days ago. 1t did not look very intelli-
gibIe OF important upon its face, but II
conveyed TO the wise men Of the depart
ment that Frederic Ogden DE Bilier,
the new secretary Of the American lega.
ton at the capital Of Persia, had ar
rived safely at his distant post.
Interesting at this might have been
to DE Billier's personal friends in the
District of Columbia from whence ae
WIS appointed after competitive exami.
nation, it was much more so TO the oil.
cials OF the department II was the first
message that had been received from
any OF our representatives in the dis
turhed empire OF Persia for at least ten
days. The last dispatch that had come
through was from Consul VIM. +. Doty,
at Tabriz, containing the single word
anarchy From that time there had
been silence, except for the press mes
sages reporting severe fighting in yari-
Gus parts of the country between the
troops of the shah and the revolution
lists.
DE Billier's message therefore was
welcomed for other reasons than merely
the information IL conveyed OF his safe
arrival II meant two other important
things. First, that telegraphic commu.
was open between the Persian
capital Of Teheran and Washington, and
second. that because OF that fact. this
government might rest assured that cv'
erything was well with the American
aud consular representatives
in the disturbed district, because nothing
had occurred of sufficient Importance TO
warrant the use OF the cables. II thus
allayed whatever apprehension there
might have been.
In this connection one Of the older at
taches Of the department recalled an.
other cablegam, equally unimportant on
Ks face, but whose real import was -
gfeav - ia nrexent the partition Of an
empire and to set ~ HIvtfvH c'ss-'ss'v~fAl
ii six great powers, the expenses q
that movement. taken eight years ago,
being still in course of liquidation.
II was during the Boxer outbreak in
China in 1900. The rebels were in con
troll Of Pekin. The foreign diplomats
resident there, including the American
minister. Conger. we're besieged within
their legation grounds. Won ketteler,
the German, mad been assassinated while
riding the streets. And then for weeks
and weeks, not word came out from
the small band of diplomats. There
were plenty of stories about the eNcesses
OF the Boxers ut Pekin and the neighbor-
hood. Of their assaults upon the legation
and more than once detailed
descriptions Of the massacre OF every
foreigner in the place. One especially
horrible story, which shocked the whole
civilized world, told with great particu.
larity OF how Minister Conger had been
boiled alive in oil and how the ladies in
the legation compound had been bru-
tally outraged and put to death, On the
other hand. an occasional message would
come in roundabout way TO the effect
that the diplomats were still alive. but
were under siege and were in constant
danger at being overwhelmed,
In this state Of uncertainty, the civil
lied world was waiting when Kay,
then secretary Of state, with Root, then
secretary OF war, coneocted scheme
Which was carried out with the assist
ance OF WI, then, as now, the Chinese
minister in Washington, They wrote a
telegram addressed to Conger. 1t had
been described by those who did not
appreciate its real intent as utterly
senseless. And so it was, for the Chin
csc government would not undertake to
deliver any message which even remote
IN referred to the existing troubles, and
it had to be colorless TO the point Of
being inane.
But it was sent. 1t was delivered
And in the course Of two or three days
ii was answered. That proved to the
world that its diplomatic representa-
tives, imprisoned in Pekin, were still
alive. though in great danger. Believing
that they had been killed Germany and
others wanted to wait until they could
gather great punitive army OF G0,000
men to whip the Boxer rebels and to
force reparation from the Chinese gov
eminent That army would have taken
months to prepare.
But Just as soon as communication
had been established and il was known
that the bcsieged diplomats were alive,
the whole civilized world demanded that
immediate steps be taken for their res.
cue. The result was the formation of
the joint cxpeditionary force in which,
besides the United States. Germany,
Great Britain, Japan, Italy and France,
participated.
This consisted Of only 1900 men com
posed Of troops that could be the most
quickly gathered for the duty. Their
march is history and so is the fact that
had they been five days later in arriving
at pckin they would have found nothing
ia save and only the mutilated bodies