Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-11-21
prrLoM IcY AND DIPLokATIsfs.


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DrPLOM ICY AND pIPLohATIsfs.
Among the good and the bad things which,
"A a Government, We have adopted IRON
Enc,and. decidedly one Of the latter is the
prac,ice commented on in the following ex-
,ract from the North British Review. With
few exceptions, now and then, our d plom-
ATTIC agents do no, possess average abl.i'hs'
either natural or acquired; We, il IS into their
hands that questions Of peace and war are
placed, and i, has often happened that two
nations have found themselves in war
caused by some diplomatic punctdio,-some
misunderstanding Of phrase written or
SPOKEN, most probably, with the intention oil
deceiying. The jergon of diplomatic fhra-
seology, is at best an insult TO common
sense, and ought long ago 10 have been DIS
carded from the use of civilized nations. II
Is wha, James the First might properly have
called an important part OF kingcrait; it adj
mirahly illustrates Talleyrand's definition Of
language, which that celebrated statesman
s,id was ustd for the purpose OF conceahng
ones meaning; il IS the ie-itimate OUT.
growth of thu, Machiavellian policy, formed
when kings were continually strivi to
ou,-wit or out-fght each other, and as con-
,inuaily using the people as counters in their
bloody games; but, that the difficulties, great
OF small, which may happen to arise be-
tween modern and civilized nations, and es-
pccially between the most liberal and en-
igh,ened, should be settled according tothe
code which had its origin in the scholastic
sub,letes OF the middle ages, onght no long
er TO be tolerated.
Change the term English in the following
extract, to American, and the remarks suit
as well on one side of the water as the
other -
.In every other department Of human eff
fort, it is taken tor granted, that though the
skill Of the professor may not be in proper
ton to the amount of honest labour which
he bestows upon his subject such in the
general case Will be true,' whilst with still
greater confidence it is assumed, that with
out some amount Of honest labour. at all
events, his skill will be inadequate. But
whilst no man takes up The calling Of ply
SIC an, of 81 rgyman, or Of municipal
lawyer, at his own hand, all men are pre-
sumed TO be borfEor somehow unconscious
" in their leisure hours, to become publ. /
lists. The subject, in both its branches, is
conversant with The vasiest human interests,
and 10 complicated by every consideration
10 which the Interchangeable constitution, and
the ever shifting fortunes OF humanity can
give rise. In order to handle 1t with conn
denee, one would fancy that the rashest man
would see need enough for all the light that
philosophy Could bring to bear upon It from
within, or historical experience frcm with
out. But in this strange country OF ours,
precisely as a subject increases in magni-
tude and difficulty, all the ordinary means
OF mastering il are aoandoned; and The du-
ties of legislation or neg3fiaionsre entered
upon, with less previous train NJ han W. uld
be considered necessary for prep ring mar
rage contract or prescribing dpse of ply
sic. That there is rottenness somewhere IN
the state of Denmark has begun TO be telt,
sind 10 oTder 10 rectity il We now propose
TO select by competition, or at all events to
i.npose an examine alton, on, all.candidates
iOf Tue cubCfGtH-lt CLI%ts VI
hut il does not even now seem TO occur to
us that our defect in ihy State, as in the Ar
ily, may possibly CONSIST, not ia the want OF
brave and steady soldiers. but OF skilinl and
~eli-iastrucied ole rs.
English clerks have always been known
for their eficiency, and the English Post
ONCE, beyond all question, is the best regu-
Iaiei in Europe, and yet We propose, and
perhaps with reason, u admit in future no
Jerk, or etter-sorier, Who shall not have
passed an examination, Tae attaches to
Fngiish EN- has sizes are notorious for their in
efficiency, and Engiish diplomacy for gener-
atoms has been byword all over the world,
bat no previous tr lining is proposed for our
failure dipiomatists, La the many conferen-
cas which during the last year, have taken
place a, Vienna, We DO not assert that cul
ambassador and his coa3jutois have bee.
systematically orerreaehed, because, what
ever our private tnisg wings may be, sucl
charges aic unwarrante be without speci
fica,ion, which We are no. here in condi
ton 10 offer; but we d. say with confidence
that tley are very different from the persons
who usually hold such positions on the Con
iiaeHt, II their inability, aud still more thei
ignorance, have not been constant subject
OF contemptuous merriment, and y, uIisar
rsnied seif-gratuaiion TO the representative
OF all the other Powers"