Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-08
OLE FOREIGN TOURISTS.

OUR FOREIGN TOURISTS.
Hon. A. M. Kelley of Virginia, having
resigned the m1nistership to Italy has been
appointed minister to Austria Hungary at
the same compensation, $4,000 a year,
and was to sail yesterday. Some of our
contemporaries seem to have gotten some
what mixed on the right Of our govern
ment to send a minister to Italy who. in a
public speech, had severely criticised her
King and the policy of her people, and
seem to think that President Cleve-
land ought to have indicated the fright
of every American citizen to free speech"
by sending him anyhow, whether Italy
wanted him or not. All this is absurd. A
Nation has as complete and sensitive a
right to say who shall enjoy residence
at it's court as a representative of a foreign
power, as private gentleman has to say
who shall constitute his guests. The
American government does not send re-
preventative to Italy in the exercise of any
raght. but in the interchange Of courtesies,
and the first courtesy to be observed is
that the representative shall be acceptable
to the power he is sent to. Mr.. Keiley's
case is not new. Prof. Marsh, our Minis
ter to Italy when Victor Emanuel took
possession of the Papal States, was an en-
thusiastic sympathizer with the Italian
King, but was nettled that the King, as
he thought, lacked courage to move On
Rome and occupy it, He said as much in
his dispatches to our governmunt. Two
years afterwards. when this dispatch was
printed in the American volume of diplo
matte correspondence, the Italian Minister
at Washington saw it and communicated
the fact to the Italian government. 1t was
made the subject of correspondence at
once, and it was with much difficulty that
Minister Marsh. with all his proclivities
for italian unity, could be saved from
being sent home. No foreigner who, dur
ing our civil war, was conspicuous as a
friend of the Confederates would be likely
to be received as minister from his coun-
try at Washington to-day; just as, if the
Confederate States had been established.
no man in Europe VINO had criticised it as
conspiracy and given his influence to the
United States, would have been re-
ceived at Richmond as a minister
from his government. The uses, ETH
: quette, and scrutiny in diplomatic
relations are pretty much like the cart
a lady exercises over her visiting list,
neither more nor less. Except where q
minister is specially empowered to nego-
tiate treaty he is nothing more than a
social visitor in the land to which he
goes. with plenary powers to lend impecu
NOUS Americans money, and see that they
are not decapitated without trial. L.
these days of Atlantic cables and tele-
graphs. when capitals are in ten minutes
of each other, foreign ministers are Of less
necessity than OF old, and are chiefly main
tanned by the United States in affectation
of the manners of Europe. Greece, only
last week. as matter of economy with
drew her whole diplomatic corps, except
her minister to ConstantinopIe She founo
it too costly and the United States. III
course of time, will have the good sense
to takelt the same step. The whole diplo-
matte service Of our Republic might be
reduced to cost Of $40, 600 and be just as
effectively performed.
Intelligence received since the above
was written. shows yet more clearly how
like iady's visiting list is the diplomatic
business. A telegram from Vienna states
that Baron Won Schaeffer, the Austrian
Minister at Washington, has been 1nstruc-
ted by his government to object to the ap
p0lntment Of Mr.. Kelley as minister to
that government. The surmise accom-
panylng the information is that the step
is taken because Mrs. Kelley is JeWess
and the rules of the Austrian court pro-
hibit the presentation at court OF mem
Der Of that faith. If this be true, it will
be surprising resurrection in the Nine
teenth century of the brutal barbarism
and prejudice of thes Twelfth. Mrs. Kei-
ley is one of the loveliest and most accom-
plshed women among either the Jews or
Gentiles of her State, and is member OF
one of the Oldest and wealthies5 families
in Virginia.