Show I I Tl f HUGHES H UG H ES HONORED HO II BY CAPITAL SCRIBES Correspondents Provide I Gold Shears to Cut Diplomatic Diplomatic Di Di- i pl matic Knots Knob I WASHINGTON March 11 Wash Wash Washington wash 1 ington newspaper correspondents presented presented presented pre pre- to Sec Secretary tary Hughes at the tho state department department today a pair of ot gold desk shears in token of ot their appreciation I tion f for r his ld kindly assistance to them in their work sipco assuming office I The gift gUt was said to be unique in that It it was wa the first ever given a cabinet cabinet t officer during his incumbency by the newspaper men who come in daily I contact with heads of administrations The gift girt which was appropriately j i engraved was presented on behalf of ot I Ithe the correspondents by Matthew who has been covering the state de department department department de- de for more than forty years In delivering the shears Mr Tighe ex expressed ex- ex pressed the hope that the secretary 1 I I I would make the use of ot the to gift girt that j I Alexander made of his sword in cutting cutting cutting cut- cut ting the GordIan knots of international j i diplomacy to which the state department de de- department de- de I head replied that he was was' quite sure the correspondents would not permit any t Gordian or otherwise other otherwise oth oth- I er lse to e escape ap his a attention on Secretary Hughes reminded the correspondents correspondents correspondents cor cor- respondents of the difficulty public officials officials officials of of- experienced in maintaining the proper contact with public opinion It isn't always easy to decide what should be done he said adding it should be realized that the government government govern govern- government ment was not trying to put something over when it was found necessary to refuse information on subjects prominently prominently prominently In the public eye ee Of Ot course it is essential that nothing nothIng nothing noth noth- ing should be done which would Impair im impair impair Im- Im pair administrative work by Improper or premature disclosures I saidOn saidOn saidOn said On the theother other hand it is Just as important Important Important Im Im- that suspicion should not be allowed to get under way because of ot otan an undue reticence and a lack of a proper appreciation of ot the time and opportunity for tor a disclosure to which the public is entitled A public officer has always got to remind himself and he ought to say every morning as he approaches his task I am a servant and it is my business to see see what I can cando cando cando do for tor the American people I am amnot am amnot m not a bossI bossI boss boss- I have been very happy to think by reason of your generous relation tome to tome tome me since I have been here that you rou 30 have felt that I was trying to deal with wit with this work in a manner compatible with wit with our theories of democratic institutions institution and to make our work as intelligible to the public as the circumstances o othe of the case would permit Of course that tha was especially difficult during th the conference Anything I said was authoritative au au- au- au not gossip or speculation I knew the facts and everybody knew that I knew that what I said was no noa not nota a mere supposition I had to be especially especially espe espe- espe dally guarded that I should say nothing nothing noth noth- ing which would give free course t to inadvisable reports or on the other othe hand would be in any way a breach of that honorable confidence without which my usefulness in the department department department depart depart- ment would soon be at an end |