Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-12
SOME STATE SECRETS
A Returned Diplomat Talks of
the Austrian Court.
THE KELLEY IMBR0GLI0
Of Grover Cleveland's Regime Off
cially Ventilated.
AMERICAN MINISTER'S SET ASIDE.
How an Unconventional Democrat Seriously
AffrOnted Queen Victoria.
AMERICAN MINISTER'S SET ASIDE.
BREEZY VIEWS UPON STATECRAFT

diplomacy anu exhaustive sCleulluc dnO
literary research-principally the latter.
Mr.. Seattle arrived in Pittsburg last Tues.
day, and is now indulging in period oi
rest necessitated by visit of ten days to the
Paris Exposition and the subsequent ocean
voyage. He was seen last evening by a
DISPATCH representative, to whom he
chatted entertainingly as to his Impressions
of the Old World. He merits distinction as
being the only American scholar who has
succeeded in Wrestling a doctor OF philoso-
ply degree from the ultra-conservative Uni
Tersity of Vienna, the foremost institution
of learning in Europe, its curriculum being
placed before those of even the great Ger
man universities.
Mr.. Scaife speaks with great enthusiasm
of studies abroad, but said that he had to
overcome prodigious amount of Austrian
red tape in order to get his thesis accepted
by the University, as he found great
prejudice existant against American col
leges. Finally, after the exercise of con-
siderable practical diplomacy, he was regu-
larly enrolled as one OF the 6, 900 students,
and subsequently received his de gree with
unusual eclat
UNPUBLISHED HISTORY.
''You were Deputy Consul General at
Vienna during the celebrated Kelly incl
dent, were you not, Mr.. Scaife?" asked the
reporter.
"Yes. l was at Vienna when Mr..
Keiley's baggage arrived there. 1t was in
the first wear of Mr.. Cleveland's admins
IL, o11ar loI oh,,{fo fo1
at the Vatican and had retired in good order
to Paris to await the trend of events. He
was so certain that Secretary Bayard would
be able to place him at the Austrian court
that he shipped all his baggage to Vienna,
and to my certain knowledge it remained
there several weeks-perhaps months. 1t
is of course true that the Department of
State attempted TO smother the details of
the diplomatic intrigue by which the
Austrian court was seriously offend
ed, and the Austrian Minister at
Washington practically ruined by his
superserviceable friendship for Secretary
Bayard, but as my knowledge OF the details
of that unique chapter in the archives of
the American State Department was i'm
parted to me by Viennese, see no reason
why 1 should feel delicaey in relating the
facts. l do not think the American public
is acquainted with the truth of the Kelley
matter.
The Austrian court refused to receive
Kelley as the American Minister simply
and solely because ne had been rejected by
the Vatican. a friendly power. 1t was even
considered that an at1rOnt had been offered
Austria by Secretary Bayard in the attempt
to place Kelley at Vienna.
1t was in this emergency with a great
clamor going on in Washington that the
Austrian Ambassador, Baron Schaeffer,
came forward with suggestion to Secretary
Bavard, that persons of Semitic origin were
not received at the Austrian Court, Mr..
Keiley's wife happening to come under that
category The hint was meant to afford Mr..
Bayard an excuse that would serve all
around. But Mr.. Bayard straightway
rushed into print over the matter, and the
general impression was that Mr.. Keiley's
wife was the insuferable obstacle Then
the Austrian Government learned of the in
cautious action of its Ambassador and he
was recalled and pensioned, action equiva-
lent to political and social disgrace.
AMERICAN DIPLOMATS DISCUSSED.
''At the time of the discussion of the
Samoan muddle the German papers were
full of sarcastic references to Commissioner
Kasson on account of his article on the
Samoan policy, and his simultaneous ap-
pointment by President Harrison as one of
the Commissioners. The Berlin papers
even hinted that the matter had So strained
the relations between the two countries as to
almost constitute a casus belli. Bismarck
finally had to exert his influence to Quiet
the bitter things said of us. .
"Colonel F. ID. Grant has been very cor
daily received by the Austrian Court, and
the Lord Chamberlain, Prince Hohenlohe,
has paid Colonel and Mrs. Grant extraordi-
nary attentions. Colonel Grant is busily
studying German and is getting beyond the
rudlments. l could relate scores of humor-
Gus instances of the aburditv of sending
ministers to foreign courts, who are unable
to converse in the vernacular as the case
may be, or even to speak French, the uni
versal diplomatic language. American
Ministers are at an unfortunately depreci-
ated estimation in Europe. Niggardly al
lowances and, frequently, limited private
means place many of them at a social dis
count The fact that the average Amer
lean diplomat has no hngual accomplish
ments is q source of amazement to
Europeans. They say: Your nation has
surplus of 95 600, 600. Why don't you spend
some of it in educating the diplomats you
send us?' Most of the men vino are an
pointees of the State Department are un-
able to distinguish protocol from a cod
fish. Not only are many deficient in diplo-
matte etiquette, but in recent years some
objectionable gaucheries have been COM
mitted by Americans in official position,
One of President Cleveland's most promi-
nent appointees managed, in the course Of a
single state reception at the Court of st.
James, to offer two OF the gravest personal
affronts to the Queen herself The matter
was carefully smoothed over, and was only
condoned upon the humiliating plea of
Ignorance.
q. S. MINISTERS PASSED OVER,
''It is fact that ii United States Minis
ter is in the course of an audience with any
official in the courts of Europe, and any
Embassador chances to be announced, the
American must bow himself out with scant
ceremony, as being humber mortal. The |
only exception to this rule is the German |
Court. BY an imperial rule the American |
Minister is exactly upon the same footing as |
the representative of any other power The |
story as related to me is that when Bancroft, ]
the historian, was United States Minister to |
Germany, he was in the process |
of an audience with Prince Bismarck when |
the British ambassador was announced. /
The dignIfed American was compelled to
retile abruptly with his business unfinished.
Bismarck was great admirer of Bancroft |
and heartily disliked the English En-
bassador, and was so impressed by the in
justice of the rules of etiquette that he
personally laid the matter before Emperor
Wilhelm, and the latter issued an edict
placing Ministers extraordinary and pleni-
potentlary upon the same court level as
ambassadors"
Mr.. Scaife has not yet adjusted his plans
for the future, but has in preparation
several scientific and literary matters of i'm
portance,