The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-24
s,rsent and ths Administration.

SlrSent anu tuf AumlnlStT8eAOns
Minister Sargent's friends say he has
a story to tell They declare that the
late effort of the Arthur Administration
TO kick him upstairs to Russia, was
meant to get his silence about what he
is bound to reveal. The assertion Is
made that MIR. Sargent would not have
been unpopular in Germany at all If the
American department of State lad
done by him what it ought to have
done. and what one gentleman ought to
do by another.
OF course, that requires explanation
and it is this: A Minister abroad
writes two sets of letters to the Secreta-
ry OF State, one for publication and ths
other confidential. In the latter kind.
he is expected to write very critically,
and to give his "way down" impress
sions, as we'll as the facts which he has
gathered from secret agents and society
sources, touching the action OF the Gov
ernment, to which he is accredited
These letters are never expected to be
published. They are regarded as fami-
iy matters. Secure under the guise Of
secresy, Ministers who have iOndness
for smart" writing, to whom compost
ton comes with fatal facility. write
with much freedom. minuteneSs .. hu-
NOR, wit and sarcasm and in colo 4uial
form.
Mr.. Sargent wrote in this way about
that sacred sub ect, the American pig,
an animal eminently superior to the
white elephant, inasmuch rs the Ameri-
can pig can not get out of his own coun-
try and the white elephant can. Either
because of blundering, or, as Mr.. Sar-
gent friends claim, to punish him tor
his friendship for Blaine, the State De-
paItment published the very :'best' OF
Mr. Sargent's private letters, which.
for purposes of publication and of max
ing things pleasant for MIR. Sargent in
Berlin, was easily the very worst one
that could be put forth. 1t contained
personal remarks about the court, the
Kaiser. the Empress, Bismarck and the
Reichstag. and it intimated that the op-
position to and Misrepresentation OF the
American pig were but pretext to
spite America, because this country
drew off so many able-bodied emigrants
from Europe. .YCs .
The imp of the perverse further led 10
/ lIllS MICA AlIAoAAtC0 AANC OANA
man, being descr bed as volunteer
contribution by the American Minister
to popular American magazine. VI
course, every imperial influence at once
sent Mr.. Sargent to Coventry-aLI
because of his own Governments act OF
mistake or malignity aga nst him. Of
flee has been made an intolerable pill
| lory to him in consequence. Mr.. Sar-
gent s fl ends claim that the Admins
tration has never done a thing 10 apOl-
ogize to him, or to explain to the Ger
man Government that he had teen made
the victim of misplaced confidence Ii
I would be difficult to do the latter. The
former could have been done.
Accepting these representations as
true. one can understand read,ly ) how the
| Administration was willing to make Of
the LaSker business and of the death OF
Mr.. Hunt, at st. Petersburg, bridge
to pass Mr. Sargent over to Russia
under circumstances which would make
| of his acceptance q cancellation OF the
grievance he had against his own State
Department Mr.. Sargent late nom
ination, his unanimous confirmation,
and the neat telegram to him from Sec
retary Frelinghuysen, all, in this light,
wear the aspect of a tactical expert
ment Mr.. Sargent's declination Of
the Russian mission, preceding his re-
turn home, ''to take the people into his
confidence" wears very Biainey look,
and the Blaine papers are aceentiRg
the matter against the Arthur Admin
istration.
The Administration is either un-
fortunate or characteristic, in publish
ing from the writings of is minister's
what emphatically ought not to be pub
! lished. 1t has given to the world the
strictly personal and private matters,
commpnica ed to it in presumably the
closest possible confidence. by our es-
teemed townsman, Mr.. John Meredith
Read, while he was voluntarily repre-
senting his country, without pay. at the
court of Greece. ~--s ss~.
1 And far from Mr.. ISargent's expert
ence being novel action by the adj
rlinistration, it is fact that on a pre-
vious occasion it did the same thing.
In February, 1882, William Henry Tres
Ecott and Walker Blaine were in Chill az
ENJOYS from the United States, to en-
deayor to secure peace between Chill
and Peru. They went there under in
structions from Secretary Blaine, which
after he left the department, were modi
fed in every important particular by
Secretary Frelinghuysen. Instead OF
notifying the representatives of the
United States by telegraph. Of thi
change of instructions, Mr.. Wake
Blaine and Mr.. TreScott were humilf
ated, during an interview with Baima
Ceda, the Chilian secretary. of foreign
affairs by being informed by him that
both the original ms ructions and the
instructions modifying them had been
published, and to receive from the
Chilian. Official information which
should have been communicated by the
State Department.. Mr.. Treseott has
not hesitated to say, since his return to
this country, that the OBJ ect- of the mis-
sion was wholly defeated by the con-
duct Of the department, in Publishing
matters which should have been kept
secret.
/ The desire or necessity of the Arthur
administration to degrade that of Gar
: field accounted for the action toward
Mr. Trescott. The Ike purpose now OF
the Administration to break down Mr..
Blaine is attributable to the alleged en-
J Seayor to degrade his friend, Minister
Sargent. Judged by its Republican
J enemies, the Administration seems like
a padded and vanished intrigue But
Mr.. Sargent may have an interesting
} story TO tell-AL6GHy Argus.
- = ~ i''.-
The editor of comic journal in
4 Madrid gets eight years for pOking fun
= at the King. This is pu ting the oks