Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-09-12
INTER-OCEAN.

RETURNING STATESMEN.
The President and His Cabinet Get
ting Back-Notes.
Special Correspondence of the INTER-OcEANl
WASHINGTON, Sept. Al The cool
weather of the last few days has brought
many Washingtonians back from sea
shore and mountain. The president is
expected in a few days and by the first
of October everybody, as she humbly
calls herself, will be back in the city.
The secretary Of the interior is the only
cabinet officer who has remained in town
the summer through. His health ap-
pears to be excellent, he is looking fresh
and ruddy, and is evidently a much
stronger man than he vas during the
first few weeks of the present admins
tration. He is made Of pretty tough
fibre for the number of Office seekers he
is compelled to see every day is very
large, and his work is exceedingly har-
assing.
Secretary Bayard has been absent
from the state department very little.
He has occasionally made a flying trip
to his home in Wilmington, Delaware,
but nearly every day has found him at
his desk. While at his home in Will
mington last Sunday, he had for his
guest Mr.. Kelley, the minister Of the
United States to Austria. Mr.. Kelley,
though our representative in law, is not
in fact for the ruler of Austria refuses to
receive him, and the mission is vacant
to all intents and purposes. Whether
his resignation will be accepted and the
vacancy filled by another appointment
seems in doubt. At all events no such
change is likely to occur at an early
day. Until something of the kind is
done the United States will have no min
lister to Austria. The question naturally
arises whether the country suffers any
detriment from the absence of a repre-.
sentative at Vienna. If we can get
along for months without a minister, why
not for years, and why not forever. If
we need no minister to Austria what is
the use of keeping up diplomatic rela-
tions with Russia, Italy, France, Prussia
or indeed with any foreign country.
Diplomacy is indeed as much a thing of
the past as knight-errantry. 1t cut a
very important figure in European poll
tics a hundred, or even fifty years ago,
but journalism with its hand maidens,
steam and electricity, has left old-fash-
toned diplomacy in the lurch. While
there may be All excuse for keeping up
the traditional diplomatic relations be-
tween the different armed camps of the
old world, there is no use for us to main
tain expensive establishments in Eu-
ropean capitals The foreign ministers
accredited to this country are the idlest
set Of men imaginable. They contne
their diplomacy to hirtations and scan.
dalous intrigues. Only a few days ago
one of them was arrested in a store on
Seventh street. He was released as
soon as it was known that he was an at
t"oho Of a foreign legation, for, acc ord.
ing to arule of international law, the rep
resentatives of foreign courts cannot be
imprisoned.
Secretary Manning has just returned
to the city. Since the fourth of March
he has been at his desk far more hours
day than secretaries average, but with
his best efforts he finds himself swamped
in the accumulation of matters. His
reason for retaining Assistant Secretary
Coon, who is a pretty stiff sort of a Re-
publican, is simply because of Coon's
great familiarity with the every day rou-
tine of the department. In that way
Coon's twenty years experience is price
less and SO he stays, although Manning
is no great stickler for civil service re-
form, and would have put a Democrat
IN Coon's chair months ago if he could
be spared. As it is the two are together
for a long time each day, and before he
makes any removals in the office Man.
ming always consults with Coon, making
the latter, spite Of his politics, in the
smaller patronage about the department,
more influential than any other man.
The reduction of the public debt for
the month of August was $2,S79, O52.
The aggregate reduction of the public
debt for the months of July and August
is about 81, 100000 short of the reduction
reported for the same months last year.
Treasurer Jordan says the heavy drafts
upon the treasury for pensions is what
lessons the amount that can be applied
to the reduction Of the public debt.
Ordway johnson.
Hanson County Advocate.
"Ordway" Johnson, an unsavory polit-
ical fraud as v struck Dakota, except
perhaps old nan Ordwav himself has is