The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-21
OUR DIPLOMATIC SERVICE.

The death of Eugene Schuyler recalls to
mind the cardinal plan in our diplomatic
service. Schuyler was a man of high edu-
cation, who had devoted his whole life to
the study of diplomacy and craftsmanship.
He knew personally all the leading men in
Europe, and spoke all the modern Ian
guages, including Greek, Turkish and Ar
meniau. From his first appointment as
United States Consul or Secretary OF Le-
CATION, a quarter of a century ago, he was
ever on the alert for an opportunity to dis
tnguish himself The chance came when
news reached Constantinope that the Turks
were committing nameless atrocities IN Bull
garia. Schuyler was Secretary Oh the
American Legation at Constantinople. and
at his request was detailed to investigate
the truth of the rumOrs. Ills dispatches
aroused all Christendom, and provoked MIR.
Gladstone TO invent the phrase-the sun
sppakable Turk" They led to the vigor-
Gus advance of the Russian army, and were,
at the Congress of Berlin, the evidence on
which the powers granted autonomy to the
principalities.
Yet SchuyIer's hopes of preferment in his
profession were baked. President after
President reappaipted him, but it was to
nothing better tfisT q Consulate or Score
taryship. He never attained the goal of his
hepes-a frst-clasS diplomatic post. When
Mr. Blaine became Secretary OF State he
selected Mr.. Schuyler as First Assistant
Secretary. Bat in the course OF his contrl-
buttons to diplomatic literature. and espe-
cially by the publication of an excellent
work on American diplomacy, MI Schuy-
Ter had shocked the sensibilitieS of Senator
Edmunds and other members of the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations. and they
quickly advised Mr.. Blaine to withdraw his
name. This was done. and he was ap-
pointed instead C0nsul-General at Cairo.
But his enemies were not appeased, and he
was never confirmed. 1t is believed that
his disappointment at what he regarded as
wahton injustice was the proXimate cause
Of his death.
Here was man against whose ability
and probity no charge was ever made and
who certainly had no peer in his profess
sion. AMI yet he has been set aside de-
liberately for twenty years in order that
gentlemen who are equally ignorant of Eu-
ropean politics and the European languages
shall fill the best posts in our diplomatic
service. We are apt TO complain. when in
ternatonal disputes arise and are RENTED
to conferences for adjustment, that our
representatives are cOHSldH IlS UutNitlSu DN
their foreign confreres. How could it be
otherwise? The foreigner is trained
adept in consular practice and the art of
diplomacy, while the American is lawyer
or 4 merchant who never had anything to
do with our foreign relations and was
merely appointed because he lad rendered
campaign services to the party in power.
To expect the latter to hold his own is as
reasonable as it would be to expect brick
layer 10 conduct a lawsuit as skillful1y as a
lawyer.
The life Of the late Sir Harry Parkes
shows how they order these things in En-
gland. as boy be learned Chinese and
entered the British consular service as as
sistant Interpreter. From this he rose to
be Consul al Canton. and from that post he
became Civil Commissioner with Sir Hope
Grant expedition. He was then appointed
Consul at Shanghai, and on the death of
Sir Rutherford Adcock lie became Minister
TO Japan. From Yeddo he was transferred
to Picking, where he crowned life of use
fulnesS by negotiating the secret Anglo
Chinese treaty, which caused the abandon
ment Of the Russian movement on
Afghanistan. If Sir Harry Parkes had
been an American he would probably have
remained a consular Interpreter all his life
and his country would never have derived
| benefit from his splendid services.