The Progress., 1893-04-01

Diplomacy - Yet MIN Very Well.
Especial Corre.pondeuce.l
NEW YORK, THE cry now being
raised in favo. Of the abolition of the
legations of the United States government
in foreign capitals is, l am informed,
merely one of the ordinary features con-
sequent upon a change of administration
ut Washington. But inasmuch as the
demand has been indOrsed by several Of
the leading newspapers, both Republican
and Democratic, of New York, and has,
moreover, received a similar support by
a large number of the most influential
press organs throughout the country, it is
evident that the question has become one
of unusual importance. As such it may
possibly interest your readers to hear the
views of one who has spent some fifteen
years in the diplomatic service of Il
European power, and who has enjoyed a
considerable amount of intercourse with
the diplomatic representatives of the
United States government in various por
tions of the globe.
have had the opportunity of seeing and
associating with American diplomatists in
Paris, Vienna, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Toxic,
Lisbon, Copenhagen, Rome and London,
have heard the criticisms to which they were
subjected and have been placed In posi-
tion to form an opinion of my own upon
the subject. Ny experience, such as it is,
convinces me that it is not the abolition of
the United States diplomatic service, but
its reconstruction upon an entirely differ
ent basis, that is desirable. A properly
and carefully organized and well paid
diplomatic service would prove of vast
benefit both politically and commercially
TO this the richest government in the
world, whereas with matters as they are
now / perfectly agree with the New York
Herald and it's contemporaries that your
foreign legations are a useless expense
and injurious to the dignity and interest
of this great nation.
For some extraordinary reason or another
people here seem to consider that diplo-
macy is the one profession which requires
no apprenticeship, no special training and
no preparatory experience of the work.
This is an altogether erroneous assump-
tion. Diplomacy is trade which needs
to be learned, and learned with much care,
before one can attain proficiency therein.
1t does not consist of merely knowing how
to lie cleverly, as some of your contem-
poraries appear to imagine. Indeed lying
in diplomacy is just as dishonorable as in
private life, and the envoy who is forced to
resort to such coarse methods to achieve
temporary success is but a sorry diplomat
Diplomacy consists in obtaining by per-
suasion advantages for ones government
and ones country which would not other
wise be conceded. Personal charm and
influence carry far more weight in such
questions as these than most people would
be willing to believe or to admit, and fire.
quently rise superior to considerations Of
logic, reason, interest and even right. In
every point at issue there is always one of
the two contending parties that secures
the advantage, and the one which wins is
generally that whose negotiators are pos
sessed of the greatest powers of persua-
sion.
Another feature of diplomacy is to OBJ
tain in advarce information of events that
are about to happen, so that the govern
ment which one represents may be always
fully prepared and warned beforehand of
everything hat is likely to happen. Dip
lomats are likewise expected to attend to
the protection of the interests of those of
their fellow citizens who may happen to be
residing in or visiting the country to which
they are accredited. There is no doubt
that foreigners who have popular and in
fluential diplomatic agent at court enjoy
better treatment and consideration from
the local authorities than those who are
less fortunately represented, and premier
or cabinet minister will be more inclined
to take trouble to grant redress for wrongs
when that redress is asked for by an envoy
whom he esteems, admires and personally
likes than when the demand is made by
diplomat who possesses neither his respect
nor his consideration.
People are very fond of arguing that
diplomacy has lost much of its value and
Importance since the introduction of tele-
graphs, which no longer renders it neces-
sary for ENJOYS to take important steps
upon their responsibility without await
ing instructions from home. This is true
in a measure. But what diplomacy has
lost in Importance by the introduction of
telegraphs has been more than counter
balanced by the ever increasing disposition
of governments to settle their differences
with one another by means of negotiation
and arbitration instead of by fighting. In
order, however, to be in position to nego-
tiate or arbitrate with advantage to the
interest of ones country, it is indispensa-
BILE that one should possess the requisite
amount of diplomatic manners and expert
ence, and the more experienced the nego-
tiator the better are his chances of carry.
ing off the victory.
Indeed SO important is the role of a diplo-
matist as the achiever of friendly settle.
ments of all international difficulties that
the Marquis Of Dufferin, the British en-
bassador in Paris, humorously suggested
in the course Of a public speech the other
day that on the outbreak of war between
two neighboring countries gibbets should
be erected on the frontiers and the diplo-
matte representatives whose efforts to
maintain peace had failed should be strung
upon them.
These are only afew or the reasons why
. it should be impolitic in the extreme for
the United States government to attempt
to dispense with diplomatic represenra-
tion. There are many others besides, and
every one Of them points like those Just
enumerated above, to the necessity of hav-
ing your government represented in for.
eign lands by men of tried experience.
proper training and social eminence.
In many OF the capitals where haze
been stationed the American minister has