The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-09-06
BOB >rmrNCn N ENGLAND.
The noble Vices of Our Minister at ala" Court
oi 1T. james.

urom Henry "a-'son'J d Legg 20 Tie louisville Courier
You do Gen. Schcnck injustice when You
charge that he SWindlcd the public deibcr-
atcv in the matter of the Emma mine bulb
bic, coming of himself with full and dirty
hands Unclcan they certainly were, butnot
fun | have taken the trouble, while lOitcr-
ing here, to look n little into the business,
and | fancy | can give you tolerably fair
notion OF SchcnCk's connection with it.
To begin with Schenck is what most pco-
pie would call a good fellow, who has had all
his life Il turn for good living beyond his
means, and Il taste for draw poker. II Schenck
had been born lord, with fortune, he
would be dwelling in exile now on the CONT
lncnt Il fugitive from English duns and war
rants His official salary would not support
Il frugal minister 1t merely enable, him to
sustain vicarlous princcly squalor II
SChcnCk'S SpOrtyc enterprise with the litcra-
Wre of the pictorial paste boards were sue
ccSstul they might enable him to exc out his
income somewhat. Butthcy are not. Schcnck
seems to belong to that fatal class Of whom
the Spanish prOyerb says that they were de,
signed by God to pick lice from poor mems
heads In other words, SchcnCk was not
meant for Midas That which he touches
does not turn 10 gold-nOt even TO silver To
make long story short, he is poor, ambi.
tious, genial and thrittlcss the very last man
in America, despite his conceded abilities,
who should have been sent to Il country like
this TO make matters worse, he fell very
soon after his arrival into q dissipatcd and
expensive set, introduced the game of cards
for which he has II mania, and has ever since
thrown the serious work O; the embassy on
Mr. Moran, the secretary OF the legation,
whilst he, with deficient skill and resources,
wrestlcd with the world, the flesh and the
devil.
4 party of English spectators, led by Al
bert Grant, (whO though of no kin 10 the
president, is an uncommonly adroit and ava
riciOus advcnturer) seeing the embarra>s-
mcnt in which Schenck's affairs had fallen,
laid hands upon him. finding him, of course,
an easy victim. A man who owes money
which he cannot pay is not, as a rule, hard to
scduce, provided his creditors are people Of
quality A man who is obliged to keep up
appearances in spite of himself soon loses
the fine edge Of propricty. 50 Schenck fell
into the Emma mine, taking Albert Grants
word that it was lined with silver, and with
characteristic hcedlessness, not looking to see
that it was, for him at least, mere mud ditch
lie was not brlbed at all. He did not receive
n dollar in hand. He took certain number
of shares, gave his paper for them, and holds
them at this moment, having been swindltd ,
with the rest. Had he had the sense to sell
in time he would have realized handsomely,
and had he been a sWinder he would have
sold IN time. He is nothing of the kind. He
Is bv nature, and he means TO be by habit "A
perfectly honest man. He is simply out of
his clement-a very round peg in an exceed
ingly large and square hole Instead OF abus
ing him YOU should be sorry for him; for he
is really sprightly man, who, but for his
habits, might have been figure in the world.
People in general here regard him as you do,
and are surprised that he should be retained
by the government after such a scandal. But
in society, where he is known as an easy,
card loving, boon companion, he is liked,
pitied and tolerated.
That i, not what wc want in England. We.
want an a>tutc, clear headed man, who can
not be captiyatcd by social distinctions of
any sort We want man who is used to con
sitcraliun al home and j. not eager for for
cign recognition. Charles Francis Adams is
such q man. General Scherck is not. And
that is about the sum of it. ! once thought
Rcvcrlv TohusOn'S CUnyiyiui humOr Joined
to his GOOD breeding, wit and strong ability,
was diplomatic recommendation. rather
think now it was not The man who drinks
and Jokes over his business is rarely the man
who Gets the advantage. | know Il London
tailor who does But lie is an exception to
the general rule. In orr English diplomacy
we may employ the bottle, certainly, but let
us give them the butt end OF II.