The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-22

No one will discourage Congress in any
sincere effort to reform our expenditures.
The main thing to be considered is that we
do not reform in the wrong direction and
lose more than we save by sham reforms
by cutting down salaries to please DEM
agogues and voting large sums in the way
OF public improvements to please constit-
ury if the bill which reduces the salary OF
the General of the Army couple of thou
sands of dollars also votes hundred
thousand to improve Roaring Panther Greek
or some of those Indian streams in Penn
sylvania which are always clamoring for
appropriations, and of which it has been
said by one of our Congressman that the
only way of improvement would be to mac
adamize them. True economy in the dis
bursements Of public money will consist III
legislation based on the financial wants and
resources of the country. The government
is vast business, and should be handled
on business principles. We need SO much
money every year and we have SO much in
come. There should be no difficulty in adj
justing our disbursements to our income,
and even as a nation putting away some
thing for q rainy day-such day as came
in 1861, when the Southerners fred on
Sumter and threw US into civil war.
The department of business requiring
the first reform is diplomacy. good deal
of sentiment is wasted upon Ministers
abroad not having enough pay. We are
told how an English Minister at q certain
court will have fifty thousand dollars year
and a palace, and the question is asked,
''How can we expect Hon. Augustus Sniff
ems, from Council Bluffs, our Minister to
the same court, and who has been man of
the people, to spend rs much money as the
Englishman?" Well, we don't expect it. And
the fact that Sniffens is in a position where
the temptation to spend and the mortiica-
ton at not being able to spend make his
career burden shows the folly of our
diplomatic system. England is dependent
upon her diplomacy for prestige. Her EN-
pire spreads into all sections of the globe.
She has relations more or less delicate with
every Power. There is not one of these
Powers which could not in a moment throw
her into war. She already has two wars in
Afghanistan and the Cape Colonies, and she
is not quite free from Russian complica-
tions. So vast an empire needs ships and
diplomatists, and when England pays
large sums of money for her naval and
diplomatic service she shows that shrewd
business sense which governs her Empire.
Moreover, in England diplomacy is o
science and profession. Young men en-
ter as cadets, just as lads go into our
naval and military academies. An English
Minister or attach6 is sure to know his busi-
ness. With us there is no profession in
diplomacy. We suppose that the number
of gentlemen in our diplomatic service who
know even the rudiments of their craft
could be counted on the fingers.
We regard diplomatic positions as the
prizes of Presidential patronage. Even
when Mr.. Hayes, in the flush of
his new administration, began civil SER
vice reform, he excepted the diplomatic
appointments. He had to keep something
for his friends, and so he kept the foreign
places. Mr.. Hayes showed sense in this,
for he showed that he regarded the diplo-
matte departments as the least useful. We
hope that Congress will agree with the
President and give us o real measure of
economy in the reduction and rearrange-
ment of our diplomatic service.
Nothing is easier America, unlike Eng
land, has few countries with which she
needs diplomatic relations. We have no
outlying empire to defend, we have no am
bition to push our flag into other seas.
England. Spain and Mexico ore the three
neighboring nations with whom diplomacy
is business. Frontier questions arise
with Canada, Mexico and Cuba. and the
interests Of peace are served by efficient SER
vice in London, Madrid and Mexico. We
have interests in China and japan, growing
every day in magnitude, which might be
Jeddo of men of force and ability. When we
have named these capitals we have named all
where any sound business reason exists
for the presence of an American Minister.
The other reasons are those Of courtesy.
OF course we desire to stand well with the
great Powers-with such Power rs Ger.
many, for example, whose citizens are COM
ing to us every year. We have reasons for
being on friendly terms with France, while
with Russia we have always had friendly
relations. Therefore, considering what
courtesy requires, our diplomatic service
in Europe should be reduced to the five
capitals-London, Paris, Berlin, ST. Peters
burg and Madrid. Men should be sent
who would regard the diplomatic service as
an honor and not as place in which to
save money Tho salaries should be re-
duced to an allowance necessary for ex-
penses. Men should be selected like
Longfellow, Sherman, Sheridan, Belmont,
Lamar, Gordon, who would appreciate the
honor. Such man as General Grant would
ba n fttino Minister because orr naming