The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-23
REDUCING Our FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC SERVICE.

To THE EDITOR OF HEnALD:-
have read your editorials suggesting reduction
of expenses in the foreign diplomatic and beg
to call your attention to instance in which think
it would be doing injustice to carry out your
proposition. refer to the OF General Meredith
Read. our Minister to Greece General Read has de-
voted the best years Of his life to diplomacy and he
is Justly regarded in Europe accomplished
ter in that international profession His high char
acter, abilities and attanments his sound Judgment
large experience. keen yet kindly wit and unaffected
sincerity have for him reputation and consid-
Grafton III foreign counties which have become
OF pride to his fellow country men, and
which have made him "a most useful representative
Of our government. In view of his high standing
and solid services it is difficult to account for the in
justice to which he has been subjected brief glance
ut few facts will explain meaning His brilliant
Consul General at Paris during five evenful
years clearly manifested his rare fitness for the
highest class of international duties. General Read
likewise acted as Consul General OF Germany for
France and Algeria during the Franco-German war;
and afterwards for nearly two years. Both the Ger
and the French acknowledged that his consent
ing to continue to act Consul General with the
thirty-fye consuls and consular agents under him
prevented the possibility OF renewal Of the war
by rendering unnecessary the presence in France
German Consular officials ut time when the French
mind was highly excited against all Germans AT
that period the German Ambassador wrote to Gen.
eral Eead:-'I cannot omit to express to you
the sentiments of gratitude with which
ain inspired by the persevern9 socitude which
You have never ceased to manifest in procur-
ing for my compatriots the protection of the
laws. General Read also received the comnenda-
ton of the President i'll his annual Message to Con-
gress and the repeated thanks of the Department of
State and Of the German government Prince Bis
marck also testified on various occasions his per
sonal and official esteem for General lead and he has
i'm ni1 with ,riu%o
inscription i'll his own handwriting. The French
government was not less complimentary. and shortly
afterward invited him to form and preside over q
commission to examine into the expediency of OK
tending the study of the English language in the
French army. For his successful abors in this direc-
ton he also received the thanks OF that government
In recognition of his various disting uisled
he was promoted on the 7th OF November, 1873, to
be Minister to Greece. There he again earned
the thanks OF our government for his ability and
energy il securing the release OF the American ship
Armenia and his successful efforts in obtaining
from the Greek government revocation Of the or
der prohibiting the sale and circulation the Bible
in Greece He also received the thanks of the Board
of Foreign Missions of tie Southern Presbyterian
Church and ofthe American and British Foreign Bible
socities. Immediately after the latter important
vice Congress reduced his title to that Of
charge atiaires and his salary from $500
TO 5000, although the East was evidently
the brink OF and serious agitations.
General Read desired TO resign but the Department
OF State wished him to remain and the Greek gov
The diplomatic corps held a meeting and deter !
mined that he should retain his old rank in the
corps and the German representative instructed
by his Government to give him the prs in memory
OF his services to Germany.
In February. 1875 there occurred most dangerous
crisis III Greece, during which General Head acted
with his usual vigor and gained the thanks OF our
government for his prompt and efficient protection
or American persons and interests. Within three
months. however, Congress cut off entirely the
appropriation for the Legation. This would
have lett Americans without diplomatic pro-
lection in Greece at most critical moment,
and besides it would have seemed to Europe that we
had abandoned Greece at the very time when she