The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-06-23
Our Diplomatic System.

Our Diplomatic System.
In copying the following extracts from an arti-
Gle on thia subject which appeared in the Phila
delphia Register of the 18th instant, we would by
no means be understood as endorsing all that it
says. There is spice of truth about it's remarks,
however:
''The United States has large corps of minis.
ters who are not diplomatists, special envoys who
are not statesmen, and charges who not politi.
cians. Wealthy men who wish to Introduce their
families into the aristocratic circles of the Old
World; aspirants to Presidential honors, who
would absent themselves long enough to be with
out opinions on actual questions, and by this
means available candidates; Senator's who have
cold their votes on Texas annexation, or some 9th
er important questions with sectional asDect :
members of nominating conventions who have
pulled the wires for the successful candidate ;
party managers, who would air their rather mus.
ty regulations by foreign residence; and re-
spectacle lawyers, who think a sounding title
more respectable than their petty practice-are
all quartered on the diplomatic corps without an v
reference to their qualifications.
1t is rare thing Tor of them to speak the
language OF the country to which he is sent, or to
Know any thng OF lts customs or, indeed, of the
etiquette OF the corps to which he belongs For
many years we have not had a representative at
Berlin, Vienna, Turin, Madrid. Constantinople
or Paris, who knew enough of German, Italian
write unaided protocol, treaty. or diplomatic
note, or converse with and correctness in one
| of those languages Some of them have not even
had sInattering of any foreign tongue. Il
Now that Mr. Marcy bas forbidden our diploma
lists to employ foreign clerks we wonder what
they will do Half of them will not be able to un
derstand and answer an invitation to dinner
at is thing still more rare for an American
minister to know anything about what is passing
around him. Only few days before the French
revolution OF lS4S. minister D,
his Government favorable representation of the
political state of the country. And this was when
France had been shaken to its centre bv the ba n
quet agi;ationi Mr.. Cass's ideas on the state of
that country were quite as jejune. We do not say
this IN reproach of those gentlemen. The position
OF a minister is a most unfavorable for acquir-
ing knowledge. 1t exposes him to all kinds of
traps and snares, set by parties interested to de
ccive him, and cuts him off from almost every
other source of information. A natural conse-
quence of this is that the London and New York
papers are invariably better informed on European
affairs than the Department at Washington. So
well did Mr.. Webster know this, that his sta ndn g
joke, when newly appointed minister took his
leave, was to tell him to write as little possible.
"a fortunate thing for our dpomatists is that
they have little official business to do They
are closely employed in answering the letters of
private gentlemen, on private business, attendn e
10 commissions of al! sorts for innumerabe friends
at home-from buying garden-seed to specializing
III stocks-getting tickets for Americans to court
balls and public ceremonies; receiving, answering,
and sending invitations to balls and parties; re
ceivipg visits and paying them; giving dinners
and eating them; driving the fashionable
promenades making summer jaunts to fashiona
BILE watering places, or the mountains Of Swizer
land, and hundreds of similar pursuits, which,
though very interesting to individuals, and bur-
densome to the ministers, wholly Improbable
TO the United States. As to business strictly off
cal, there is very little of it. In the last sixty
years have concluded but two treaties with
pr, opf,r ,h i, ft,n bar II
BOTH we believe, negotiated by special ENJOYS.
All the treaties have with France could have
been negotiated at w ashn gton Paris in sin gle
month, The same may be said allowing little
broader margin as to time, of those we have with
England. The one with Switzerland was patched
up by Mr.. Mann in few days. AS, in our inter
course with Europe, we do not make either poti-
cal or commercial treaties granting special favOrs,
nearly all treaties little else than iterations
OF commonplace proportions of international law.
schooboy, with form book of treaties in his
pocket, could negotiate one of them about as well
Mr. Cass Mr.. Saunders.
owe think, therefore, that the present diplo-
matte system is cumbrous and expensive ma
chine, which Is good for nothing. The ordinary
business of legatons-such vising passports-
might be discharged by our consuIs; and the
traordlnary-such as negotiating postal treaties
by special agents, selected for their peculiar
potency for the particular business. We might
thus avoid all court costumes and un-American
manners; cut off some of the prizes of party
fare, and economize money enough to support at
esst hundred scientific men, machinists, and
artists in different parts of the world, commits
stoned to report all useful inventions in arts
and Industry, and all discoveries in science; to
send us seeds and plants which mg ht be probably
naturalIzed here, and to indicate new maj kets for
our numerous productions"