The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-06

Clude0 from the Cn1ek means OF usefulness
which belong to o diplomatic career.
IL is great abuse and prostitution of our
foreign missions TO convert them into asy-
lums for broken regulations. They are in
stituted for the public good, not for the pri-
vate advantage of male Magdalens. Those
who think General Sickles has, in some de-
cree. redeemed his lost character, might JUS
tifably be willing to see him the incumbent of
some Office which would bring him into contact
only with men, and not give him apresumptlve
title to social recognition by circles of which
self-respecting ladies are the life, grace, and
ornament. But our Government has no right
to thrust into foreign society man whom
the social code of every civilized community
would exclude. 1t has no right to give him
diplomatic position as a means of forcing
his way through the barrier of q social ostra-
cism It has no right to assume an insolent
dictation over that class of foreign society
with whom q minister ought to mingle to be
OF any service to his own country. Whether
he shall receive invitations, and whether his
own invitations shall be accepted, are purely
social questions to be freely decided by the
voluntary choice of the society to which he is
sent; and nothing could be more unwise, or
more insufferable, than for our Government
to assume to change or revise the ordinary
code of social ethics in foreign capital, and
demand the admission on official grounds of
O man who would be spurned and excluded
for his personal character Social considera-
ton being essential to the successful discharge
of the duties of foreign mission, no person
should be appointed to fill such mission
against whose worthiness to be received in
companies of ladies and gentlemen there are
fatal objections, or even well-grounded
doubts. Our Government has no right to
force upon the society of foreign capital a
conflict between official claims and personal
demerits and SO create dilemma be-
tween the courtesy due to the officer
and the ostracism deserved by the man.
A foreign mission is the last place into which
our Government should intrude man of
rotten or SCARED reputation because the
Government would thereby seem to prescribe
rules on a subject quite out of its jurisdic-
ton. If private individuals at home should
choose to recognize General Sickles and ad-
nit him into their families, they have as
perfect a right to do so as others have to re-
fuse him that kind of recognition. But every
one sees that it would be a most uuwarrant-
able liberty for private person of the former
class to send General Sickles to one of the
latter with such q letter of introduction as
would compel the person addressed either to
| be rude to the writer, or to recognize socially
| O man whose presence the ladies of his family
would regard as a contamination. Such a
! letter of introduction would be an invasion
| of social rights, an infringement of social
| freedom, uSn OF SplI1J anu
| would resent as an insult. A similar trespass
is perpetrated by our Government in accredit-
| ing to the society of foreign capital a man
| who has forfeited by life of infamy every
| title to be admitted within the sacred pre-
| cincts of virtuous home. If anybody
thinks the infamy of General Sickles ought
to be condoned, such a person has full
right to condone it so far as himself is con-
cerned; but every other person has just the
r..,l,f 70 I'D Gov f,Nh
treatment of such man, and it is prepos-
ferrous to complain of its exercise.
All this reasoning has proceeded upon the
assumption-an assumption which we believe
to be utterly false-that General Sickles has
redeemed his character by genuine repent
ance and hearty reformation Nobody, we
suppose, will so far insult the sense of public
decency as to say that it would be proper to
give General Sickles foreign mission if he
is not different man from what he was eight
years ago. But there are some positions
for which a career of infamy must forever
disqualify man, however sincere his sub
sequent repentance. If Mr.. Callicott, for
example, should be pardoned out of the
State prison, the most steady and exem-
plary virtue afterwards could never justify
the Government in appointing him to for
eign mission. But the conformation argument
would have Just the same force in his case as
in that of Sickles-that is to say, Just none
at all. If the Government should dishonoI
itself and insult foreign nation by appoint
ing a reformed Callicott to foreign mission,
it would be the clear duty of the independent
part of the press to revive the record which
demonstrated his unftness. Much more is
it its duty in the case of an unreformed
Sickles. The following paragraph from the
EcentRg Post of Friday may serve to
show that the sense of national degradation
caused by Sickles appointment is not con
fined to Democrats.
"Mr. John Hay is appointed Secretary OF Legation
at Madrid, in place Of Mr.. Perry. We congratulate
Mr.. Perry that he is relieved from shameful asso
clatlon TO which he would be obliged to submit oil
Lhe arrival OF Daniel K. Sckles Minister Il
spain. II the country is to be dshonored by beni
represented abroad by person infamous o.
Slckles, 1t Is very proper that worthy like Mr
ferry, who has rendered the country essential ser
vices IN various ways, should be displaced. III
pught not TO be made to bear OF the disgrace
pelng SO represented than would be the share o
1 Otner cltlzens OF the United States. The list q
crimes committed by Slckles which the other da
was pupnshed IN the Void newspaper has met wit
no GENIAL nor even the feeblest attempt at extenua
v lion. Inc same paper OF the day before yesterda
q oonthlns an expansion Of these charges. with tn
% a1uisio1 On pi others bringing down the horrd cata
logue OF MS Vllanies to late date This has hee
. answered only by discreet silence or Mr. Ha,
n VINO Is young man of talent and respectahIe oh
acteT we nave nothing to say but what is fayorabI
~ ne accepts the appolntment,we shall condoIe wit
Nh, Nh ~ tne same sincere spirit that we congratuia
i The SuEz CANAL-ISMAIL PACHA AM
n THE PRESS.