The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-01-31
wasaains1or. H.ef1er..
THOSE FOREIGN MfssIoNss-THE 18TH
MUS ecAEAL.---A MONSTER RAILROAD
soHEME.-A PLAN TO MAINTAIN THE
MONROE DOCTRINE.

4 WASHINGTON, ID. C., Jan. "a, 1881
Il Our foreign relations are at last II
established, and we may now congratu
late ourselves that we have renewedrou
diplomatic rapport withrthe old world
i The poet ambassador, who has bee
representing us at the bull-fghts ant
nuptial ceremonies in Madrid, will b
transferred to the long vacant post II
that country from which we derive on
language, literature, and laws. Mr.
Foster leaps from Mexico to Russia
and Mr.. Morgan, of Louisiana, who lhai
been practicing law in Egypt, will bt
assigned to the post vacated by MIR
Foster. Trne, the embassies at Paris
Vienna, and lConstantinople are vacant
but the ministers appointed to repre-.
sent us at these capitals have not re-
signed; they are making the very best
use of their time in seeing Europe and
Asia, or visiting their friends in this
country. The delay in filling these va
cancies has brought out the fact that
an Administration, which is at all de-
sirous of filling diplomatic positions
carefully, finds increasing difficulty in
doing so.
The use made of many of these Off
ces of late years has made them much
less of distinction than they used to
be, and Americans of the right kind
feel more keenly than they used to feel
the dizziness of life in a foreign capital,
without a knowledge of the language
or more than official access to its best
society, and without recognition by
the diplomatic corps as professional
brethren. In fact, considering the
the telegraph lsas wrought in
the mode of conducting negotiations
with foreign powers, and the inpossi-
pility of making diplomacy a regular
calling, it is a question whether the
work of all the existing missions would
not be best done by q single Minister,
laFing his headquarters in Paris, free
o travel about, and with rconsuls-gen-
rial under him in the various capitals.
Gable telegraphic connection with all
he world is every year becoming more
;omplete. Rates from Europe to Amer
ca will this year be reduced 90 per
ent. The average time of passage
'etween Europe and America Is being
apidly reduced. Since the abbrevia-
ion of time by steam and electricity
We are closer to England, to France,
nd to all countries with which we have
commercial relations, than
vas Baltimoreto New York or Boston
0 Philadelphia, forty wears ago.
Apropos of this subject intelligence
as Just been received from Panama
nat work has been formally com
lenced on the isthmus Canal, the little
sven year old daughter of M. Dies
sps having touched OH the fuse that
lew few hundred tons of rock from
he top of the greatest obstacle in the
,ute of the canal, on the Cerra Calebra
'nge. M. D'Lesseps is expected to
rive in New York next week. 1t, .
erhaps, makeslittle difference whether
2 or Admiral Ammen selects theroute !
the canal, whenever we want it we !
IN take it. There is already afoot a /.
an for 1000 mile railroad for es- I;
bllshing closer commercial relations
,tween the United States and South /.
nerica. This road will3tap the canal !
some point and enable us to throw )
hundred thousand men upon Mr..
esseps' water route, if its management {
all be in any way unfavofable to our !;
terests, before the combined Euro
IAN powers can embark half that num- |,
IT from their ports. OF course this !
ilroad is Hypothetical, but SO is the :
nal, in spite of the big explosion, and :
esseps' boast that he can get twice the :
mount required for its construction in \,
'ance alone. Its Just possible that y
e canal will intersect the railroad in
attempt to intersect the Isthmus,
ID prudent gamblers will not stake
uch money on the question which S
u first reach the iutersecting point. o
I" Famine, with its gaunt form and d
lastly yisage, has come among them, S
q strong men as well as little chill n
en- quail and faint in his presence o
thellangnage usedlby "a warm-hearted lh
ansas woman" who is soliciting aid N
rough the Northern papers for theEl,e,
ffering negroes in Kansas s.No such II
Ills reach us from the districts where e
rtheirIhomes,' prompt 4,
responds q Boston journal. There
q moral to be drawn from these quo
ions which those who have fostered
negro migration will not care to