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Show LOO MIS COMPLIMENTED FOB. OrVING AWAY STATE SECRETS. Assistant Secretary of State Loomls to day honored by the French President with the Legion of Honor cross, was until a few years ago a newspaper reporter. An assignment at Canton, O., in 1896, brought him In direct contact with President Me-Klnley, Me-Klnley, and soon after the President's Inauguration In-auguration the reporter was rewarded with the Ministership to Venesuela, His services there were marked by such signal ability that he was soon called to his present pres-ent post It has been said that if there should ever arise an occasion for the retirement re-tirement of Mr. Hay, Loomls would suo-ceed suo-ceed him. He is a solemn-looking, tall, straight and clear-eyed, middle-aged man. Once he spent an evening at the home of former Secretary of the Treasury Charles J. Foster. Fos-ter. They had never met before. Mr. Foster was in a communicative mood, and he told Mr. Loomls a lot of political se-creta, se-creta, which Mr. Loomls promptly wrote for his paper. Not long afterward Mr. Loomls was passing through the Fifth Avenue hotel. New York, when he ran squarely Into the three F's Foster, Fairbanks Fair-banks and Foraker. Foster promptly invited in-vited him to his room. When the door had shut he turned on Loomls and exclaimed: "What the Sam -Hill did you mean by telling tell-ing In print what I supposed waa being told you in confidence? Answer ae, sir?" Loomls faltered for a moment and finally started to speak, when Foster Interrupted: In-terrupted: "Say, It was fine. I wouldn't take a thousand dollars tor that interview. It went straight home where I wanted it to go. Of oourse, I have had to deny some things you made me say to the individuals individ-uals mostly concerned but my boy, you won't find me denying that story In pub-lio pub-lio print What'U you drink?" ! ' i |