New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-21
EMBASSIES AND DONKEYIsM.

Interest. So much fatulent absurdity
could hardly be exposed to public view
without doing good.
He begins by saying of our article afore-
said,
ain my opinion it does not reflect The sentiments of the
great bulk of intelligent Anne orleans"
Well, suppose it don't! Who writes
articles to reflect other mems sentiments!
We never thought of such thing. We
write to correct mistaken impressions, not
to reflect them. We always consider that
We have succeeded in an article when it
clearly and forcibly reflects our own
sentiments, no matter what relation it bears
to the sentiments of others.
a Stanch Wing proceeds to say that
"The remuneration of public officers ought not to be
considered question OF dollars"
which doubtless reflects something or
other, but so smokily that we can't make
it out. 1t strikes US that public officers
do make their remuneration ga question
CT dollars" whether they ought to do so
or not.
He proceeds to say that
"The nation wants able representatives abroad, aud,
in the present state of the world cannot do without
them
We beg leave to confront his assertion
with the fact. The nation has done with
out able presentatives' at Foreign
Courts for the better part of the last fifty
years, and done pretty well. And, as more
honesty and frankneSs shall be gradually
infused into our Diplomacy, there will be
less and less need Of transcendent ability.
But suppose we admit that the country
actually needs able representatives abroad,
is doubling the pay the right way to Sc
cure such! We say No-emphaticaly,
No! A President now has but nominal
voice and narrow range in selecting En-
bassadors, so keen is the competition for
their posts, and so eagerly are local and
personal claims pressed upon him. This
man has broken down in the service of
the party, and must have Mission; and
that one secured the vote of State in
Convention or the canvass, and must be re-
warded. Not one ambassador in four is
the man the President, left to his own
spontaneous choice, would have selected.
Double the salaries, and there would be at
least double competition for Embassies,
and so much the less chance for the Presi-
dent to choose unembarrassed. We hear
tily wish both the outfit and salary of all
but the two principal Embassies (London
and Paris) were reduced full third.
But hear our correspondent again:
81 think you also unIerrst. The expenses attached to
the Foreign Embassies II you had resided for some
years Ia Europe, you would ind that the expense OF Nv
ing there In the first circles Is much greater than you
suppose. When 1t is considered, that fine house in
fashionable quarter, carriage with suitable number
OF horses set Of servants and plentiful supply OF all
those aood tding5 which nOurisn the inward man,
20 10 make up the establishment Of gentleman In Eu
rope, and must be had, you will probably sdnh that
$1,000 year would not be sufficient TO maintain them"
Now, if this proves any thing, it proves
that our ambassador in London ought to
have One Million Dollars year, since
1.-THE expense of living in the first circles" of
that metropolis amount to that enormous
sum. The Marquis of Westminster has
$l,5OO,OOO year, and is not presumed to
lay up a great deal of it; and several other
magnates have nearly as much. If, in or
der to move in the first circles our En-
bassador must spend as freely as the rich
est nabobs, we could better afford to do
without their services than to pay for
them.
But, in spite Of the axiom of Carlyle in
.Sartor Rcsdrtus, that g Society is founded
upon Cloth" we took the ground in our
former article that tie nan was the essen
tial matter, and fine house in fash
ionab,e quarter, "a carriage with suit
able number of horses" set of servants"
&C., merely accessories. BENJAMIN FRANK
LIN dispensed with them, and was for years
our ambassador at the haughtiest and
most luxurious Court in Europe, spending
less than $1,000 a year; and does any
man believe he was less respected and in
| auential than Abbott Lawrence, who be-
ing rich, very properly spends 100000
year! We deny that there is any reason
in the mere fact that Mr.. L. is our Embas-
sador for his spending any such sum but
he is worth a Million Dollars, liberal,
spirted man; and the world (howeyer
mistakenly would stigmatize him as parsi-
monious and shabby if he lived Ike poor
man. We find no faul. with his living
according to his means; we only insist
that a POOR man in his official position
might DO likewise without discreditiDg
either himself or his country.
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