The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-22
THE MINISTRY TO SWEDEN.

up as the first and principal qualification
for Office the ability and the education
to do the work the Office requires. It
relegates political opinion to the back
| ground, unless the Office is one in which
political opinion is an element of the
ability required to properly administer
the Office in question. There are un-.
| douDtedly some Offices in which the po-
litical opinion of the occupant should
correspond to the political opin-
ions of the administration, but
when such is not the case there
is no good reason why political
opinion should have weight especially
to the extent OF outbalanciEg superior
fitness. Undoubtedly some of the for
eign missions require that their occu-
pants should be in sympathy politically
with the administration of our govern
ment. Such mission conspicuously is
that to England. But there are others
where it makes not particle of differ
ence whether the minister is a Republic
can or Democrat, and therefore, in those
cases politics should be ignored and the
man selected who is the most fit.
The ministry to Sweden is one of this
kind. The political opinins of the man
! at that post are of no sort of conse-
quence. But it is of consequence that
he should be persona grata to the court
of that country, that he should speak
the language, that he should have a
thorough knowledge of the people; and
no person lacking in these things can
possibly be of so much service to this
country as man who possesses them.
The present minister to Sweden, the
Hon. w. W. Thomas, Jr., is conspicuous
ly fitted for his post and every interest of
this country, except perhaps that of polit-
ical partisanship, demands that he be kept
there. For thirty years he has been ac-
quainted with Sweden and her people.
Sent thither by President Lincoln in 1862
as consul to Gothenburg, he won the
special thanks of Secretary Seward for
important services to this country. Sub
seauently, as special commissioner for
the State Of Maine he led body of
Swedes to this state and established a
colony in Aroostook. county, which has
grown into prosperous community, an
honor to our state and living monu-
ment to his energy and ability. Mr..
Thomas was appointed minister resident
to Sweden by President Arthur. He was
the first minister to raise the American
flag in Sweden and the first to address
the king in his own language. When
Mr.. Harrison became President, he was
appointed envoy extraordinary and min
lister plenipotentiary, and is still at his
post.
Mr.. Thomas not only speaks the Ian.
guage of the country like native, but is
thoroughly acquainted with it's history
and its literature. 1.-THE Last Athenian''
| by Victor Rydberg, was made familiar
to the English speaking race by Mr..
Thomas's excellent translation. In his
Sweden and the Swedes'' he has writ
ten history of Sweden which the Swed-
ish press pronounce the most correct and
the most genial description of Sweden
and the people ever published in
any language. The book is as popu.
lar in Sweden as in the United States
When the Swedish-AmericanS celebrated
the quarter-millennial anniversary of the
founding of the first Swedish colony in
America in 1888 Mr.. Thomas was unan-
imously selected as orator. It is clear,
therefore, that Mr.. Thomas's selection
would be exceedingly grateful to the
people of this country of Swedish descent
as we'll as to the Swedes at home. Mr..
Thomas residence at Stockholm has
been directly beneficial to the commerce
of this country, fol it was largely due tt
him that line of steamships was estab
lished from Sweden to the United States
direct.
We're fitness alone to be considered
there is no doubt that Mr. Thomas
would be retained. His retention would
by no means be without precedent. Mr..
Marsh though Democrat, was retained
as minister to Italy by Presiden Lincoln.
Mr.. Marsh was scholarly gentleman
thoroughly acquainted with the Italian
language, and President Lincoln rightly
reasoned that his removal would not be
for the benefit of the nation Mr.. DENLY
appointed minister to China by Pres;-
dent Cleveland during the latters frs
administration, was retained throughout
Harrison's administration and is minis
ter still. Mr.. Dunn, secretary of legation
to Japan throughout Mr.. Harrison
term, who married Japanese and
learned the Japanese language, has been
promoted to be minister by Mr.. Cleve.
land. In none of these cases was the fit
ness of the incumbents more conspiou-
GUS, or the advantages likely to accrue tc
this country from their retention more
obvious than in the case of Mr.. Thomas.
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