Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-02-08
&itRuona Enquirer.
GREELEY ON DIPLOMACY AND DIPLOMATS.

trots through his round of commonplace de-
nunciation against shareholders, and repeats
again and again and again, with an unwearied
pertinicaty, well calculated to wear o m local
impression on public sentiment by the sheer
force of constant ~attrition.
Still, ~fanatical Pharisees, like other men, are
not without their share of versatility. Ono err
ror leads to another, not unfrequently allied to
it by the mere tie of common absurdity. But
the new error only furnishes groundwork for
another and q similar treadmill Of repetition
So much the better. The more these tread
mills are multiplied the less dangerous they be-
come, since a wise dispensation Of nature rem
ders it impossible for the same pair of trotters
to occupy more than one at a time. Thus
il il that each treadmill becomes intermittent
and irregular in its ENTHUSIASTICALLY, too, in
its apprenticeship loses that dangerous efficacy
which can be maintained only by steady and
constant revolution.
A good and great man, whom We knew in
our childhood, and whose memory we reve-
renee, frequently enjoined it upon his children
to form no habits" We think the ~illustra-
ton Of the treadmills in some manner demon
strates the wisdom of the injunction.
So much for the moral. Now for the fable.
A few years ago, Mr.. Horace Greeley, Of the
New York Tribune" published a series Of es-
says, the object of which was to revolutionize,
or rather to annihilate the entire system of re-
sident diplomatists. Two words were suff-
Gent to render Mr.. Greeley's international the
DRY the subject of general derision. 1t was
described as "Chinese diplomacy" The de-
s~cription was so just as to constitute a simple
reduetio ad a6surdum, and Mr.. Greeley was
fairly laughed off his treadmill-
Much as this grave philosopher fears the ef-
feet of IHell-directed ridicule, he cannot longer
abstain from his hobby. lie mounts it with a
laugh-a bitter, cynical laugh, indeed, but
still a laugh-endeavoring, as he does, to
meet his adversaries with their own weapon.
Mr.. Greeley affects to consider our diplomatic
system a farce. Had he confined himself to
this hating attempt at humor, we should not
have been induced to call attention to the last
movement of his tread-mill. But, finding lit
tie to laugh at in diplomacy, Mr.. Greeley con-
descends to the manufacture of libellous carl
catures of contemporaneous diplomatists.-
Indeed, sneers are dispensed to the dead, as
well as to the living-and certain gentlemen
generally esteemed to represent the interests Of
their country with dignity and ability, are as
sailed with a species Of abuse, in which
coarse ~billingsgate, vulgar gossip and unblush-
ing alander ore revealed through a thin disguise
Of affected nonchalance, reminding us Of the
STYLE of our old friend Major Pendennis, par
TALLY distorted by the vicious imitation of his
valet.
We republican editors had best abstain from
this sort of thing. The delicate persiaags
through which q constant habit of polite tri-
fling enables lords and ladies to i~nsinuate scan-
dial without shocking the proprieties, is foreign
to our native NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. above it or
below it, it behooves US to consider. At all
events, when We trust our awkwardness to at
Tempt it, we are apt to find ourselves in the
same category, not with Pendennis, but with
Morgan.
If Mr.. Greeley chooses to call a gentleman.
occupying a high official position, q vulgar
BLACKBOARD, an a~gioteur, a treasury thief, a
triAing charlatan, or a contemplate trickster,
why let him do so. Nay, if Mr.. Greeley de-
sires to swear at our foreign representatives,
let him pronounce a good "mouth-6lling OATH"
But we earnestly protest against this stringing
together of bold 'intimations' and millinery
phrases, after the manner Of a chamber-maid,
who is not modest, but who would fain be con-
sidered both delicate and knowing"
.oconsiderable portion of Mr.. Greeley's
leading arsfssle, of Saturday last, is devoted to
, strain of exceedingly offensive abuse against
Mr. John Y. Mason, thAe present Minister to
Fr,nce. We will not offend the high respect
and admiration entertained sar this gentleman
by the people of Virginia, by an reproduction
Of Mr.. Greeley's abuse. !
of newspaper editors to injure the diplomatic
-ssry;ee. having lately met with sOmle encourage
m.nt among members of Congre, IS, we presume
to lay before our readers sOmls results of our
ovn observation on the chara cter, conduct and
,.ss,lness Of our representatives abroad.
Having seen nearly seven years Of diplomat
r. service in subordinate statisns-nearly three
a. . copying clerk with the nominal rank of
.tt.che; and four years as secretary Of lega-
t;on-haying served under four distinguished
ministers plenipotentiry-having copied, filed,
;rasxed and arranged many volumes of diplo-
matte and CONSULAR correspondence, and hav-
inc now no desiry whatever to re-enter the di-
plomatic servios we evince no egotism in say
ing that we you'd much rather trust our own
.,nAr;enc. and observation on the subject,
than ~ lucubrations Of either legislators OF
ed;yfs, any one Of whom would probably
,hder in the wording Of a note cer6aIe.
we can truly say that in the course Of ouI
observation we have not found single diplo'
matte post which could be abandoned without
injury to the public service, nor one at which 8
faithful public servant could not find importan,
labors to occupy his time beneicially for his
country. Everywhere We have seen advantages
to be gained, abuses to be corrected or pre-
vented. valuable information to be collected. -
The consular department alone requires thu
constant supervision of a corps Of ~diplomatists
The ascertaining, arranging and digesting sta
tistics Of high importance in commercial ant
international connections, would alone furnish
ample material for useful labor. The claims o
our citizens against foreign governments can fin
no efficient advocates except in ministers resi-
dent at foreign Courts. The theory and working
of most of the governments of the earth are il