The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-30
INSIDE HISTORY OF
 THE .CRANE INCIDENT"

a' . Tn the department of .'The Inter preter's House. in the January Amer ican Magazine there is an article on the Crane incident" which is so ably and Interestingly written that the fol- lowing excerpts from 1t are here quot ed: -
 q suppose everybody remembers MT. Cranes appointment last spring. how the Chinese post was vacant and how when Mir. Crane was suggested. the administration and everybody els1 who knew said. Just the thing. Why did no one think of it beforef' 'f1r''
 "In October. Mir. Crane went to San Francisco to sail. In the weeks imme- diately preceding his departure he ence. Although assigned to one of the most critical posts in the present world. MT. Crane had never been all lowed one hour of counsel or given one line, of instruction from the Sec though he had repeatedly sought coun- sel and instruction When he demur- red about going unequipped. he was told over the telephone that if the de- partment had any suggestions they would be sent to San Francisco. They were Two days before MT. Crane was to sail he received telegram from the Honorable the Secretary of State. Mr. Knox saying that MT Crane had by an fndiscreet interview placed the State Department in a most embar- raising position: that he must return to Washington and explain. MT. Taft was in California t the moment, and Mir. Crane breakfasted with him. and when he pushed the President to ex-
 plain how he had embarrassed the government. MT. Taft admitted he didn't know that there was any em- barrassmentl Across the continent enroute to Washington reporters in vaded the train at every station, full ly one hundred In all and not one of them could, give MT. Crane -any hint of where or when er how he had em- barrassed the government Finally MT. Crane reached Washington, saw MT Knox and received an explanation It was too flImsy to be considered The interview of which Mir. Knox com
 plaIned contained nothing which had not been in the newspapers weeks before, over. when finally Mir. Knox made known the specific interview which he claimed had embarrassed the State Department. the two emba ssies inter out for copies of the newspaper con taining it. Apparently they had new CT seen 1t. Moreover, If it had not
 been for the importance MT. Knox himself had given 1t. they never laughable-the pretext-iaugable be- cause so clumsy Diplomats may lie. I believe if they are not found out. But to bungle-to give reason that the man in the street sees the holes in-that is the worst thing diplo- mat can do! And that is what the Secretary of State did In the Crane affair.
 Put why should he have done such thing7 Evidently some strong and sudden pressure was brought to bear on Mir. Knox to remove the new min ister He saw no way to accomplish 1t but by throwing a. burden of in- discretion and unfitness on him. and he tried it-cruel and unworthy thing that it was-and did it win so little
 hnesse that he has discredited him. self
 %The truth seems to be that Mir. Crane Is a victin1-a vicarious sacri- | fee I suppose we might call ito some unknown power that demanded
 his head for some unknown reason.
 Put what power 1t must be that MT. Knox with all h's experience of
 men and affairs should be wiling to do so brutsl piece of work to sat | isfy itl That when the President of the United States has said: This Is | the very man. He understands what | we went to do in the East. We must have him; the president of some un-