Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-08-19
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The New York Tribune is warning upon the whole
system Of Foreign Missions 1t contends that the
country derives benefit whatever from the labors
ofthose who represent abroad. An Envoy it says,
goes abroad for his outfit Unfit and salary, and his
duties courteous attentions to his travelling
ymen, obtaining tickets to royal etes and balls but
otherwise, his position is nearly quite useless
lie does not protect Americans-he does not protect
or promote American intercsts-he does not cncour-
age the spread Of liberal principlcs-and taking the
class generally very few of them add to the reputa
ton Of the country Most of them are ignorant of all
languages tut their own-and do not speak that with
very great propriety Some are sots, some are mere
hnitators OF the European aristocracy-and very few
Of them possess the requisite information to advance
the interests Of the country, if they had the wish
The Foreign Missions are kept up and increased by
Congress for its own ends Its members desire to
pocket the profits themselves The appointments are
invariably political. trading politician pocket
by single mission full s25,OOO-writing home let
tiers of the vast expenses he subject TO- His cxpen
SEES are those of his household. He degrades himself
and country in trucking out his servants after the
Court pattern, gives stray dinner or two and cup
Of tea once week, and that is the whole story As
for real work, he has little or none to do Old
fashioned dispatches now anticipated by able
newspaper correspondents, who are not to be COM
pared with the attaches Of legatiC the writers
whom we Lave in Europe among the leading in
telects there To support these worthless diplomats
who disgrace to the age and naton-the
country is plundered Of hundreds Of thousands of dol
lars annually
This is a summary of the leading objections urged
by the Tribune to our existing system of Diplomacy
1t cannot be denied that there is force and truth in
them But instead of any disposition the part OF
rulers to mitigate existing evils, they are for
tending and aggravatng them. "As thou; n (says
the Trbune) we had not enough of this audaciOus
fraud in Europe, it is rev 20 be extended TO China
and Japan. Mr.. Walker requires, it is said, $500
600 TO fit out Government vessel for that end II,
will not 60, unless he goes in full state
We suppose the whole country has become petty
well disguised with the delays and pretcxts of this
old RepudiItor for not proceeding on the mission to
which he has been appointed. That he will accom-
plish any good, we have expected That he
should subject the country 10 the expense of half
million TO humor his vanity and crafty his passion
for display, we hope will not he endured for q mo
ment If he should tail in this spec ulation, we pre-
sumo he will draw his outfit anil salary and proceed
to England and France, where he will while away the
winter in dancing attendance to the European aristoc
racy--and ultimately return under the plea of bad
health, or inability to procure the means of reach
ing China.
If the interests of the country could really he pro
NOTED by having Representative in China, the Ad-
ministration should appoint some man who possesses
the physical ability to the harishps Of the
misson-who does not stand so much upon cereu.o
ny as t. refuse to CO. except "in statc"-who would
find or make way to the place of his duties We
never before heard that it impossible TO reach
China, except in national vessel. We dare say, j.
Rose Brown, if he had received the appointment,
would have been in the China seas Ly this time
This demand for national vessel TO be at the sole
pleasure ofan ambassador for an indefinite period. is
something newin our annals and as it is precedent
Of il! omen, trust it will not be allowed on the pre-
sent occasion.