, 1870-09-17
onp w1r1gTrR IN ENGLAND.

VUh m4Q Q1aA[AA ~ Et0V4AA1s
The report, probably correct, that the
President had rendered the appointment Of
Minister to England to q member OF Oon"
gress from the central part Of 1ndiana,
should be considered in view Of the actual
facts Of the case, and not wholly in the
light of the past notions of common minds.
II has been supposed by plain people, in
past times, that the post Of Minister to the
co,,rt Of St Jam.s was one OF great dig
nity, requiring the services Of statesman
of thozSngh scholarship, specially &C
uusiuted with international and diplomatic
history This notion still continues to de-
.,ve rome conntenance from the regular
payment of . salary Of seventeen thousand
dollars in gold to- thst officer, which is
nearly twice the pay Of Cabinet member,
sud larger than that Of any officer of the
government, except the President.
Nevertheless, the introduction of the tel
osrsph and tue Atlantic cable hare wrought
:. great change in the importance Of diplo-
:,atic missions. Formally, the question Of
xar Or peace might he determined alnlo1t
wholly 1'y the action Of nay one of our
foreign Ministers, it being practically im-
:ssssihle to obtain instructions from the
home government until weeks after de6nite
terms :elasive to pending difficulties had TO
Nc proposed Oh one side and accepted OF
rejected Oh the other. Now, however, the
administration at Washington eau ;.self
communicate directly With foreign courts.
decide our own conrse on all international
questions in the home Cabinet, or erea re-
irr s1t,n to the Senate or to Congress, with
.,ut involving any greater delay than would
lie required to send diplomatic uo:e across
10 The city Of London. There is
really, therefore, hut little more need for IL
diplomatic representative at any OF the
foreign courts than for Presidential Nun.
~io at our State capitals. Since the cable
was laid, .,ur Minister TO England has as.
sunaed no responsibility, End, indeed, ha|
been a mere letter-carrier between onl
| government and that OF Great Britain
Under these circumstances, President
Grant is cndeavoring, in nleft-handed way
10 puiut out to Congress and the country
tie rrepriety Of either a'bo1ishing al, ou
foreign missions, except those Of the A
Il. C. F. n. for the conversion Of tn
netthen, OF ut leaht Of putting in then
clerks or secretaries to whom salary woul'
lc no object, go long as they were provides
with start IN lifey
Eow, the honorable gent1cmsn from In
3;nna is entirely above this class. he hu
heen member OF Congress and Judge
lie has capacity for better things than be
gossip. President Grant seems, therefort
to Lave departed, in some degree, from til
policy which might be expected to cha
ac.erize h;s appointments, in naming fe
the English Mission gentleman 30 prom
uent and having so nany traits of excel
cncc as the gentleman from Indiana, wh
csn i'll lie spared from his own Stat'
While We cannot nsk the President to r,
conAidcr.this nomination. SO long as it ma
he possible that the gentleman desires i
. We may yet be permitted to nrge that son
quiet gentleman, with irst-class cap
city for repose, who has never me-
died with Inv, politics, or business
any kind, and who has family to Sill
port. might, npon diligent search, I
f.,',ud. If no other means suggest thel
selves, We freely tender the use Of our II
rertising columns for the insertion
>on.nthing like the following:
."WASTEn-An INDECENT gentleman, with Ian
aud asht0rhhtt family. WIN tlas II" Dca.Htatl,
des!res nOnc. to accept the pnsl11nn tf A,ue
| tan Mtn,&ter to ENgl2n!. >lary, 1,:AW p
meath. The uut!es iuas :.ii he discharged hS Il
| f:5in.ah.'
4 Il is true this wonli not save as 1nu'
uoney Us to abolish these plenipotentiarl
+ altogether. But il would prevent some
' .,nr valuable men from being consigned
a ignob1c inlo|encc, and would save what
/ Murtl murn inAu llunor-Qur dignity.