New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-12
Hoy MyCH DELoNG rs SHORT


The Hon. Charles f. Delong of Oregon is
our new Minister Resident at the Court of
japan, ut an annual salary of $500 in gold.
knowing what We all do of the fierce scramble
for such places which preccdes and attends
their dispensatlon, we are quite safe III assum-
ing that he was not cOnscrpted or other
wise constrained to enter the Diplomatic
service of his country. Yet Mr.. ID. had hardly
reached Ycddo when he wrote back
TO Secretary Fish that his pay must
be handsomely increased or untold disasters
are inevitable. at is impossible for the Ameri-
"Can Minister to have influence in Japan to
Compete with the;other foreign Ministers. If
" the position is not made of the first class y
and he is kind enough to explain that the
British Minister at that court is paid 100000
per aunum, beside no end of allowances. SO
he cannot he influential and useful unless lac
is paid as bountifully.
We protest against this doctrine. We never
vet heard that Ben. Franklin was overreached
out-maneuyered. OF in any manner nulliied, at
the Court of Versailles, by Lord What 's-his-
name who represented the British king there
during our doubtful struggle for Independence;
vet the British Lords salary was very much
higher than the Yankee printers Ii, them
Mr.. Delong finds himself of no use IN Japan
without as much.moncy Us Great Britain pays
her envoy there, is it not plain that he has
mistaken his vocation. and ought TO pack his
trunk and take az early steamer for san Fran
ciscOI
But the tripCatoD of his salary is but one
item in our Ministers deficiency bill. He
urges that u legation building, Offices, &c.
"and a Minister'S residence, should he erected
there at once with guard of twenty-five
American soldiers to protect them, aud II man
of-war always in port subject to the Minister'S
orders Beside these. he wants a post-oilice
and jail ut Yokohama, and post Office, jail
and hospital, at Yeddo. No one can say that
these ediices can be properly erected and fur
nished for less than Half a Million Dollars.
nor that the Mission could be :" rum according
to Mr.. belongs ideas Gncluding the man-ot-
war; for less than Quarter of Million per
annum. Are we ready to pay such sum !
Might we not better resign ourselves to go
short of DelOngY
OF course, our Minister is eager to be set up
in the Restaurant business. He says that
travellers are constantly pouring into fcddo
"and Yokohama in their tours around the
world" Well; let them tour, and let them
feast who objects9 1t is not pretended that
they are on public service; if they were, they
would take good care to secure their pay for
it, Why under the sun shall the Treasury be
drawn upon to feed these trampsP IL it has
money to spare for feeding anybody, we in
sist that our people who stay at home and
make farms, build houses, open mines, con
..lI - IL, n,,aI
wealth, shall have the first lick at it, in prefer
ence to these wandering loafers.
| But our trade with Japan is large and in
| creasing urges Delong. So it is and more S
the pity The more we have of it the poorer
we grow Japan floods us with her Teas, her
Silks, her fragile dainty Wares which perish in
the using" and drains us of our Silver in
payment We used to receive at this port
| from our Pacific coast some Fifty Millions per
annum of the Precious Metals; we now receive
very little, because China and Japan gobblc
up the lions share. The far East with it's
cheap labor and marvellous dextcrty. is to-day
{" the sink OF the Precious Metals rs it
was in Pliny's time individuals may
be enriched by this trade; but our country is
poorer to-day than if Japan had remained
Theoretically sealed against u.s. Hence we
| have double aversion to Belongs little bill.
II is immensely too steep, and the consdera-
tjon is of no value: ION the contrary, quite
1.-THE reverse"
| belongs matter is of consequence rs illus
tratiug a prevalent tendency. All the rest of
the horse .Ieech's daughters sing the same song.
| II il more" here, "mOrc" there, "more" "
! everywhere. First, ~ got into Office. if IL Aqs