Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-07-15
DIPLOMAT S AT WASHINGTON.
The Salaries They Receive-Fortune-Se ekil
Attaches.

Inc Salaries they Recelye-E ortune- Seeking
Attaches.
The foreign diplomates at Washington
are better paid than our ministers, writes
q CORES ondent of the Cleveland Leader
The British minister occupies one of the
biggest houses at our national capitol,
and one which has more rooms, venture,
than the white house. He has, think,
an allowance for entertaining, and he re-
ceives salary of $4,000 year.
The German nation owns a house here
and its minister gets $4,000. The Jap
anese minister receives $4,000 yearly, and
he is one of the most valuable men in the
diplomatic circles.
The wealthiest foreign minister is the
representative of China, who always goes
about in Chinese costume, and who has
the reputation of being a great states
man at home. This mans name is Chang
Yin Huan, and his father was, when he
diedl the richest man in China. Mr.. Huan
has half-score of almon-eyed Celestials
to help him, and he pays 1000 year
for house rent.
The Turkish minister wears English
clothes and red fez cap when he appears
on state occasions. He is dark haired,
dark-skinned man, with oriental features.
He lives much of the time at New York
and his salary is $4,000 yearly. Baron
de Sturve, the Russian minister, is put
down as getting $4,000 year. He is
a very able man. and Senator Blaine spoke
of his wife as being the cleverest woman
in Washington.
One of the brightest of the chiefs of the
foreign legation is Col. Emil Frey, who
is very popular here. He was a soldier in
the Union army during the late war, and
returned to his home in Switzerland after
1t was over, and now represents that
country here. He wanted to resign not
long ago, but his government would not
accept his resignation.
M. Roustan, the French minister, gets
$4,000 a year. He is now the subject of
a great scandal in regard to some of. his
alleged doings while he represented his
government at Tunis.
Each of the foreign ministers at Wash
ington has a crowd of attaches, secretar-
les, and clerks around him, These are
generally young men. and quite num-
Der of them are fast. The laws protect
them to great extent than they do ordi-
nary American citizens, and they cannot
be arrested in many cases were the ordi-
nary transgressor would have to GO to
jail. Instances occur now and then in
which some of these men come before
the police court for drunken ess, as was
the case with young South American
this last winter, and there are other in
stances where they should come, but do
not. The majority of the attaches are,
however, bright, respectable fellows.
most of them are of good families, and
many of them are undergoing the edu-
cation which will make them ministers
later on. They do not as rule receive
high salaries, and many of them board
cheaply. They make close csntracts in
getting their living. and I know of one
young baron who has a sky=parlor and
takes his breakfast of rolls and coffee in
his room and saves half of his dinner
bills by accepting all invitations.
These attaches are great cards socially
They are invited everywhere at Washing
ton, and, indeed, paying attention to the
young ladies seems to be their chief bust
ness. The United States is looked upon
by the European countries as the land
of heiresses, and not a few of their di-
plOmatlc attaches come here hoping to
marry fortune. In some cases they sue
coed, but as a rule sensible mothers with
rich daughters keep them away from such
influences. The diplomats are, as a rule
very attractive to the other sex. Many
of them are fine looking. They are all
well educated, and on the grounds of in
ternational etiquette, they are permitted
to do and say many things which would
not be tolerated if they were Americans.
One or two of them have been mixed up
in scandal before they came to America,
and one foreign minister, man who
gets, it is said, as big salary as the pres
ident of the United States, had it is charg-
ed, mistress at the diplomatic point
where he was stationed before he came to
Washington. The mistress, so the story
goes, sold his favors to outside parties
for money, and the claimant who wanted
to get anything from his legation had to
first pay the madame of ill-fame very
handsomely.
Another foreign minister of one of the
great European nations, who has since
been recalled, was mixed up in whisper
ed scandal about the daughter of one of
our great statesmen before he left.
It is wonder that more scandals do
not occur. These foreigners are educat-
ed to regard women differently than do
the Americans. They have loose ideas
of social morality, and are not used to
our American freedom from restraint.