The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1893-06-03
THE STATE DEPARTMENT
It Needs a Heroic and Systematic
House. Cleaning.
Baruacies with Long Titles Who Consider
Themselves Better Than Other Ameri-
can Citizens Grcsham's
Commendable Course.
Especial Washington letter.

lNPSSAoA
A shade of sadness, blush of shame
must necessarily mantle the cheek of
every true American citizen who calls
upon the officials of the department of
state to transact public business. 1t is
great misfortune and crying shame
that the department which has con-
troll over our foreign affairs is so imita-
tive of the alleged dignity in similar
departments of the old world.
Nearly ten years ago your corre-
spondent was government official in
the post office department when Wal
ter q. Gresham was postmaster gener-
al, and at that time it was my good
fortune to become pretty we'll ac-
quainted with the man and his meth
DDS of executive administration. On
account of some of his peculiarities of
manner and of diction Gen. Gresham
was man with whom I could never
become particularly friendly; but for
his high moral and official character,
for his absolute probity and patriotic
determination in every particular,
every one who comes in contact with
him officially has high admiration.
Consequently l have no word of full
some flattery to offer concerning the
man, but have no hesitation in utter
ing encomiums upon the character of
the eminent gentleman who is now at
the head of the department of state.
Not for the purpose of turning out
one set of employees merely for the
sake OF putting another set in, but to
satisfy himself as to the real efficiency
of the service, Gen. Gresham has de-
clared in the inner circle of a few
friends who are near unto him that he
intends to entirely overhaul the de-
partment of state by weeding-out
process which will be advantageously
applied by the infusion of new blood.
There is no doubt that such an infu-
sion is greatly needed and that proper
ly carried out it will prove not only
beneficial to the department, but will
add materially to the dignity of this
country in the eyes of diplomatic rep
resentatives of foreign countries
which have dealings with that execu-
tive branch of our government. 1t is
to be hoped that Secretary Gresham
will succeed in discovering all of the
useless toadics and peremptorily dis
pensing with their services The am
bassadors, ENJOYS extraordinary, min
listers plenipotentiary and consul gen
erals of the various nations of the
earth obtain a false impression con-
cerning the official dignity of this
country by calling upon the depart
ment of state in business capacity in
our national capital; and yet that is
the only department ordinarily with
which they have any business transac-
tions. If they were to go to the de-
partment of justice, the treasury de-
partment, the post Office department,
the interior department or the agri-
cultural department, they would meet
with different class of representative
American citizens. In the state de-
partment, however, they come in con-
tact with a class of officials who are
dude-like in every attitude and in
every utterance. These officials in
every way initiate, SO far as they can,
the nobility of England. Inasmuch as
they have erroneous impressions con-
cerning the lordlings of the British
empire, as a general thing they are
more likely to be aping the manners of