New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-09
.--,,p,. 1911. by John Eltreth wa'kins)

,--1ght 1911. by John Ellie'h ""'N''
V0D %ATE secrets! Sh-h!
q IN washington they are as mick Dis
- che flies that plagued old Pharaoh'
stote DEPARTMENTS secret fund IS
The 49, snotlight as a result Of the Day
%" ", case. inherited from past al
poru@N .io, and the probe Of a Jealous
miniS'' aoror,,ttee has laid bare the fact
Hou' one. save Presidents themselves
tnat ay.r had the right TO ask how ther
ha'o ,s have spent this $4,000 annuaI!y
pren-iated 10 meet unforeseen emery
app I'D "to extend the commercial and
eh0.' interests Of the United States.
oln.' tho statute books has long reposed
C ,i..,. paragraph authorizing the Secre-
h''' state 10 keep hidden such eXpendi-
tai! a,,t NJ this fund "as he may think it
.''.,Issble not 10 specify.
hou, these thousands are spent year
% " ,.oor Is always a state secret, deep
a4''' courageous. There have been rumors,
-, IN the past that they nave oeen
s~ou,r mon to pay diplomatic spies Tor
~ into the plots and plans or our for-
p'.. yiyals: also that portions have been
',sn,,atsd in foreign chmes TO mould pop
.~i,ion in favor Of certain American
"t,,,ss But who really knows? Only
s,,,arsl living men who. in their time,
~. 80 been intrusted with the strings OF
NO. mysterious privy purse, and they may
- rnseal their lips. BY so doing they
80, involve us in bloody wars with for
e.gn powers. ....
o.. -bs employment OF this secret
So" COR which the head OF the CABINET
- not account. as suggested, IS only one
- many state secrets deeply hidden in the
''.rans,ve bosom Of Uncle Sam. Every
s-arcb and department possesses them
md more or less depends for its success
mon the security with which their seal is
guarded. <..,.
II was a state secret how our founda-
inns Of government were laid. Like the
Pritisb at work upon the Dreadnoughi
NTH which they amazed their foreign
riyaIs. the builders Of our ship OF state
vorked behind an impenetrable fence OF
sscrecy To a man the delegates Of the
constitutional convention carried its Sc
c,ets 10 their graves
The same screen Of secrecy has always
,46eD the Presidents meetings with MS
Che councillors
THE p.cceedings Of the Cabinet are not
only secret, but are confidential said
former member Of that body. sometimes
the President announces them; sometimes
he authorizes announcement by the head Of
the department 10 which the subject mat
Tar pertains But with these exceptions the
seal Of confidence rests on the deliberations
OF the Cabinet"
Not even the Presidents secretary Is adj
mit,ed TO the Cabinet board, and no record
OF its proceedings is ever kept member
who will divulge any Of its secrets, even IN
memoirs. written generations later, would
BE- disgraced in the eyes Of his fellowmen.
And the veil is as closely drawn over
the recommendations which the President
Is about 70 make In his messages, upon
which the stock market rises or falls. es-
pecially in these days Of trust busting and
tariff tinkering. Vast are the riches which
could often be earned by Wall street
speculator trading upon advance informa-
ton obtained through a message leak.
So message secrets are safeguarded In
this way: One Of the Presidents trusted
messengers bears the manuscript under
seal 70 the Public Printer, who immediate
" distributes II among the compositors III
fragments SO small that no single lino-
typist could possibly gain head or tail OF
any paragraphs gist. Then comes the final
assembling OF type under the eye Of "a
trusted employe OF long tried reliability
and the pressmen who handle the assem-
bled type must, at the end Of the days
work account for every sheet Of paper Is
sued-after a careful count-for the print
ing OF each page Of the precious document.
The only important message leak Of re-
cent times occurred in Hayes administra-
ton before these safeguards were inst-
tuted. The procurer Of the advance copy
is said 10 have sold it 10 spectators for
several thousand dollars.
The Supreme Court sits beneath the rose
while framing all of its decisions. even