New-York tribune., 1909-02-28


the mails. But not one Of them adheres TO II
in practice It goes without saying that the
state cannot consent TO promote the designs Of
maIefactors by carrying their messages back
and forth ana by acting as means Of com
munication between them That is why the
postal department Of every country is equipped
with bureau which is popularity known by the
name of the Black Cabinet. Many statesmen
have ~scoffed at the notion and denounced it as
q myth But others equally reliable have ad-
mitted its existence their admissions, usually
reluctant, receiving plenty Of confirmation by
hard. incontrovertible facts.
SKILL OF THE BLACK CABINET.
The Black Cabinet consists of that corps Of
men who are skilled in the art of opening let
and mail packages and Of reclosing them
without leaving trace of their handiwork
Abroad as also here in America, these in
spectors OF the Postal Department are men of
considerable experience and acumen who. by
dint of long training, able 70 form pretty
shrewd guess of the nature of the correspond
enoe that passes through their hands. Some
times it is the handwriting, sometimes the post
mark or even the feel of the letter or the text
ure Of the paper, that attracts their attention.
one thing is certain. They seldom very sell
dom, indeed. make mistake. One rarely hears
OF a perfectly innocent and harmless letter
belng tdlnpeTeQ WIN IN the lO6IlS. OcIdS eU VI
lost. Honest. bona fide industry. trade and
finance seldom. if ever, complain or have any
cause 70 do
Criminals whose correspondence has been
tempered with has been stopped and con-
hscated likewise find II prudent to maintain
discreet silence. 1t is only now and again that
political antagonism diplomatic indiscretion
brings TO light the fact that the mails sub
jeCted to a constant. careful and lynx eyed
supervision. and il is doubtful whether the
people OF the United States would have even
thought OF the matter had it not been for the
recent controversy between the President and
Senator Tillman in connection with the abuse
of legislative franking privileges
Whereas here in America crime consists solely
Of infractions OF the law OF the land. in most
foreign countries enmity and even mere oppo-
sition TO the government are construed as such.
The border line between offences that are polit-
teal and those that are non-political. is so i'll
defined to be almost imperceptibIe, and owing
10 the practice of certain political cults in re-
sorting to felony and outrage TO empha size their
views to frighten their foes and to carry out
their ends ii is difficult to blame the Old World
police, and the postal inspectors of foreign
countries, if their supervision Of the CORE
spondence Of politicians committed to criminal
methods occasionally leads them to tamper
with the mail Of politicians who restrict their
warfare against the government to purely
stitutionsI means.
The result is that the letters Of any man Of
Importance are likely TO be opened and exam
inea when passing through the foreign post
Offices. OF course. this assertion will be stren-
uously denied But the fact remains that
throughout the greater part Of the last twelve
or fourteen years Of the nineteenth century the
correspondence passing between the members
OF the various factions Of the Irish Home Rule
party and their sympathizers and friends here
IN the United States was subjected to the clos
est scrutiny St. Martins le- Grand, that is to
say, the general postoffice in London. There
was not an Irish politician of note in those days
who did not have reason TO complain that his
letters had been held up. delayed and investi-
gated and Sir Robert Anderson so long the
head OF the criminal investigation department
ST Scotland Yard. and others associated with
him IN the watching of the militant element
OF the Home Rule camp. have virtually ad-
mitted in print and by word Of mouth that il
through clews obtained from letters opened
and examined in the postofice that they were
enabled 20 Illustrate dynamite outrages
Nor has the English government contented
itself with watching the mails Of those whom
IL had reason to believe TO be connected directly
or indirectly with warfare upon itself. Il some
times performs this service FOR Foreign powers.
From time immemorisl /: has offered an asylum
within its borders 10 foreign political refugees
But II VIII not. II # can help it. permit them
20 abuse this hospitality by organizing on Brit
ish soil outrages OF criminal character against
friendly powers II may safely be assumed that
all the correspondence Of the Russian terrorists
in England. of the Portuguese and Spanish re-
r1esicans, and possibly that too. OF the advanced
wing OF the French royalists. is investigated
when any Of It happens TO pass through the
English mails: and we have Official admissions
that wheI Nszzini that arch Italian conspirator
who aimed at the restoration Of the Roman
republic, embracing all Italy. was living in Lon
don. all his letters we're opened and examined
az St Martins -le-G Grand
IN this Specific instance it was done by virtue
OF warrant issued by the Secretary OF State
for the Home Department, Sir James Graham
at the instance OF Lord Aberdeen, who was then
Minister OF Foreign Affairs. The warrant bears
the Gate of March J. 1874, and students of his
tory may recall the bitter abuse lavshed upon
Lord Aberdeen and Sir James Graham for hav-