Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-21

Iect ana itttipL LOT moneys uuo 10 the oenllnel
newspaper establishment.
THE NEW ACT FOR REMoDELING
r;!E DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR
SYSTEMS.
There has been much disappointment with our
dpomatique corps by the opinion of Mr.. Ator-
ney General Gushing, upon the construction TO
be given 10 the act passed and approved March
LIST, 1855, and section five of act approved March
Sd, 1859 Our attention has been called TO this
opinion, and 10 the obvious disregard Of the act
of Congress BY The Executive, which followed it.
We have been favored by the polite and efficient
Acting Secretary Of State, Hon. William Hunter,
with copy of the act of Congress and the
printed opinion Of the Attorney General in rela-
ton TO IT, II is not part of our purpose to-day
TO begin with the learned law officer of the Gov
eminent and follow him through his elaborate
opinion npon a question which, to our humble
intelligence, seems to be plain that he who
runs may read Nor is il important to us to
know the derivation and roots of the vari-
Gus diplomatic titles, and we must therefore
be pardoned for saying that conceive such
labor most far-fetched and unnecessary That
Ambassador comes from = anlOdSCla, ana is
''oficium rei nli,isterium quodcunque, mobile
et igaobile and . aatbactuS'' is . serrus con-
ductius;" and .'an,basciata, message borne by
a household servant, is certainly more learned
than plain to common folks, and quite foreign,
as we have said, TO the simple treatment of the
points upon which he Intercepted by the
Secretary of State. We are not inclined, in
deed, to draw largely upon our rudiments,
though we were sure TO prove ourselves second
Dominic Samson. Nor is it matter of very
special interest 10 US or the public to know that
William Short was duly commissioned Charge
d'Afaires in France, and William Carmichael in
Spain, in 1890, and that David Humphreys was
duly appointed minister resident" in Portugal,
Sc All this it is well to know, and particularly
appropriate that the Attorney General should
have il at his fingers ends but to crowd all that
one knows upon one subject into opinion of
one hundred pages upon the simple construction of
simple act of Congress, is 10 our view something
of literary parade which we did not expect
from a celebrity whose extensive requirements
have never been permitted 10 slumber or be DIS
regarded. We say, therefore, that we have
neither the patience nor the learning to follow this
admirable Creighton" through his intellectual
labarynth, but shall content ourselves with plain
English in presenting to our readers and the
public what we conceive to be the true meaning,
intent, and purpose of the act in question. 1t
has been manifest for several years that diplo
matte representatives were too inadequatey COM
pensated. Not only this insuffciency OBJ
vious as TO the person holding the POSITION who
too often we have seen impoverished by it, but
the Government of the Unitel States has suffer
ed greatly by to nggardly "penny-wise and
pound foolish policy" of not giving its represen-
tatives abroad an opportunity of maintaining, in
a proper manner, the dignity of their Govern
ment. From this, almost universal conviction,
the late act was conceived, passed, and approred
BY the President, and thus became The lale Of The
land, and remains the lalC Of The land until re-
pealed BY Congress. But make bold here to
assert, that the main cause Of the popularity Of
the BILL and the almost unprecedented majority
BY which it was passed, was the feature Of in
creased compensation to our foreign ministers and
charges d'affaires las they have been hitherto
called) which was contained in il. We say, we
make bold 10 assert this, because we were not an
Indifferent locker on during the tendency of this
act, and advocated it, If we mistake not, in the
columns of the Sentinel This being established,
then, as the motive for passing the act let US see
how the terms Of the nc, itself conform with this
intent.
BE il enacted b. rlt Sraatc and House Of Repre-
\senaiires Of the United States Of .7meriea in Con-
kres, assembled, That from and after the thrtieth
fay Of June next the President Of the United
States shall, by and with the advice and consent
Of the Senate, appoint representatives Of the grade
Of ENJOYS extraordinary and ministers plenpoten-
tiary 10 the following countries, who shall receive
an annual compensation for their services not
exceeding the amount specified herein for each:
Great Britain, seventeen thousand five hundred
dollars.
France, fifteen thousand dollars
Spain, twelve thousand dollars.
Russia twelve thousand dollars.
Austria, twelve thousand dollars.
Prussia, twelve thousand dollars.
Switzerland, seven thousand FIVE hundred dol
lars.
Rome, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars
Naples, seven thousand five hundred dollars
Sardinia, seven thousand five hundred dollars
Belgium, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars
Holland, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars.
Portugal, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars
Denmark, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars
Sweden, seven thousand five hundred dollars.
Turkey, nine thousand dollars.
China, fifteen thousand dollars.
Brazil twelve Thousand dollars.
Peru, ten thousand dollars.
Chill, nine thousand dollars.
Argentine Republic, seven thousand FIVE hun
bred dollars.
New Granada, seven thousand FIVE hundred
dollars.
Bolivia, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars.
Ecuador, seven thousand five hundred dollars.
Venezuela, seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars.
Guatemala, seven thousand FIVE hundred dol
lars.
Nicaragua seven thousand FIVE hundred dollars.
Mexico, twelve thousand dollars.
Thus much is sufficient for the present Under
the old law which Of course is the law contem-
plated 10 be annuled, (by the substitution Of the
,act Of March lst, 1852 the minister 10 " Great
Britain" received $4,000 "aunual compensa-
tion'-under this act he receives Sl7 500 (or
nearly double.) France $4,000, more than
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