The Washington herald., 1909-05-09

dutnoIlties are anxiously searching for II.
This incident reminds me Of ArbaSysdo-
Meyers action few years ago in send
ing his most important dispatches bv
special courier or messenger instasd -
eonhding them 10 the general posr-o4=o.
al y. petersburg for transmission - -
Ordinary way. This step on the nar. -
tle tnen ambassador and now Secrs,ar,r
OF tae navy. excited an amount OF atfsr-
tion winch IS In no sense warrante5 b,,
me fscts Of the case II should BE- sais
mat the Cars mails are not the o~l,.
ones that are made the subiecr ~ ,5f-
manifestation Of suspicion on tha 49, =
foreign governments. -
/ lie tact is, however. that there f. ,o,
single foreign power that does nor bsT,s
/ recourse 10 these preca autions. and r -,
AHo~n OF quite number OF Instances 4,
Nt'lch confidential communications -
elileu lot tne various embassies. and iegs-
tlohs a washington have reached fEs
&c " means o messengers sent All
- way across the Atlantic. owing n
absence OF adequate confidence :, .So
integrity Of officers in charge ~ ,5s ,..tI
| bags on board the shin and n - '--S-lI
there might be any tampering v-f,I I...o-,, -
between New York and Vasbf,0+o, -
mat II IS TO be thought for ore n,o--s,5-
tlat such q thing would be possible =,
the case OF the United States msfie p--t
unfortunately foreign governments e.
apl 70 Judge the other powers F,r -l,o-.
serves and since the sO-called Black ICsb-
met exists everywhere abroad = is 60
natural that they should be unwi1Iine -
grant TO the American postal dAns-f-5s,,.
a confidence which they are sv-s-e =
withheld with good reason from their oz-s
mail service. --' o"h
Nationalist members OF Parliament a.
peclaliy IN the days when the Home -
party was stili under the able and neva--
tO-oe-IoI gotten leadership of Psrneu
were wont 10 insist that an their Iefre-s
eSpeoldily tnose from America. were
tampered with by the slyfho-f,fss -. -
L1He.isH genera post-ofhce AZ -. Nar-f,-s
ie 0rande- And while this ebargs -
never sUbstsntiated. yet the fsc+ Ts-,.f.-.
that large numbers Of people s[1ectaI-.
ton '-7 sccusa-
Each foreign government Nth -.
ception OF the United States. kee1z +. ~
li44neht stan Of men, most OF them -o-
tiieo army and navy officers. for no Other
purpose than that % earring .co166o,-
llaI dispatches 70 and from its embassies
1 aoroad- In England they are known ~
tne name OF Kings Messengers s,-5
receive salary OF S2.Ooe a vesr bs=s5a.
an allowance OF 3 a day. in sddifio- :,
expenses from theft or destruction -
iuTnisned the theme Of boundIess ~
Der OF magazine articles. and - ~
lllanoes' some true and others not
When 1t is recalled how the dispatches
IN connection with the Dreyfus sra,-
sent BY the German Embsssv A. ps-,s
/ 20 Berlin BY an imperial messenger v-s-.
suTrepuiuoUsly opened. and thei- 60.
tents photographed during the trin 49,,
Paris TO the German frontier. II viii =.
. realized that the career Of = bas-e- -
government dispatches is even n tbss.
prosalc days not without Al clemens -
excitement. --'ei-' q
Ihe Kings messengers rank a me-
OeIs OF the English diplomatic seize
anu nave always been welcome e,asr- -
the laole OF the ambassadors 20 z-bo-,
tney nave carried not merely couA5s7+f,1
dispatches. but Likewise all the Is-s--
gossip OF May fair and of|tba rsr,-sIr =.
~hlch they have stopped OF e1 ro-,rs
u course there have been o,ffe = -,,---,r.s-
OF abuses in connection with This L-I----
messenger service. During rna Ia-- -,
.he messengers brought out IN sssls5
oaes' supposed to contain DISPATCHES 80
isTs for Sir Andrew Buchanan TIE Co.
- Dii'4sR ArnDassador al Vienna hats
d.iu oonnets for the Grand Duchess alfoa
esSe' al sorts Of English knict-
=. A.'s,As -, IoI tne late Empress Frederick
at Berlin. and even on one occssio, -
oag o. dispatches destined fo- tbs -
basSy at Vienna contained a s7,su 80
o. particularly fine Ostend ovste-s -
many years, moreover. + was r. -,
ice OF the foreign Office uuessanss-s =,
Ceil eacn week at Brussels or their ~.
oaSA 70 England where they received
rom tie court kitchens box OF pecufisr-
~ Hleae Biscuits. OF which Queen Vfrto-ss
"sS very fond, and which she believed
looooE could make so vel as the pasr~v
chefs At the head Of King IeoDoI5-s
There has been on several occasion
lsiK OF abolishing these kings -
sensers, on the alleged ground fbs, +bsf-
services have become virtually s,-os~s,,-
0lS Win the development OF tslegrsnbi,
comm Inunicauons an5 cipher codes BT,r
1hls argument VIII not hold. Tor there -
~ secret cipher code used by anv mower
- Nll'0ii tAe other government DO not
possess the key. IN fact. no sect ,1,5o
has Yet been invented 7-bf~b Cs-,--.. 80
ueeipileTed by experts. by men Who a.
vote their entire existence n thfs 1s--
ucuiaT branch OF research. This -C-.-e.1-
governments 70 avoid the wires - -
case OF communications where ss--e--- a
d matter OF vital Importance.
"hen Marconi demonstrated the mai,
fact that he cothd transmit u,eszres
through bare space. Industry saw 2, bis
discovery one OF the trtumphs OF the ace
and science one OF the wonders Of the a..
But government discerned the fy-r,-a
victories Of war Science proved correct.
and Industry was only partially disap-
pointed But gOvernment-vell. here Is
what happened 70 government. Paris.
Nov - The French ministry has received
striking proof Of the possibility OF II
terceDing wireless messages Yesterday
copies Of Of all messages exchanged bv
the var Office and Gen Drude. at Casa
blanca. were received from Verlun. a
military station -yeaT the German from
ter They had al been recorded AZ the
governments station al Verd1a The
TACT that Official messages can thus be
intercepted during q campaign has given
the military authorities much uaeas.-
ness
Lord Clarendon, British Ambassador 70
rance IN lS5S, was dining tete-a-tefe
Win tne Emperor. A servant entered and
handed a letter 20 his host. The En-
peTor read i and tossed il across the
table. There. my friend. is something
-hat ought 10 interest You" Lord Clsren-
Ion read Il The paper was the trans
alton Of dispatch from the Foreign
Once in Downing street 10 the British
Ambassador al a distant court. inter
,epted on the wires as Il passed through
Paris And il had been sent "a the secret
Srltish cipher. which the French officials
aad translated simply as part OF their
sally routine