The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-06-04
The ad1iehita Daily EAGLE guesaau, orrimg gmue ae5

/ way. FOR instance. at the New Orleans
| exposition an admiral was sent in COM
mand of small fleet to do honors on
.he water for this country. There
! were vessels present for complimentary
purposes from all other irnportan.
powers, and necessarily courtesies had
TO be exchanged.
The 6fficers of the American ships
were entertained on board those of each
foreign government, and balls and
dinner parties had to be given in re-
turn This meant great cost, all of
which had to be betrayed out of the
private purses of the United States
officers. some of whom were compelled
on this account to mortgage their
meager salaries for a year or two in ad-
vance to meet these international OBJ
legations. For the expenses OF this
sort incurred by the foreigners their
home government paid as a matter OF
course 1t seemed. however, to be con-
sidered part of the United States
officers duty to set up the wine'and re-
freshments on the semi-public occasions
in question. So it is always. These
=, y
and most expensive wines and cigars,
and the officers OF the American navy
cannot decentiy return their hospitality
with inferior entertainment. 1t is I'M
fortunate that international customs
are so expensive: but we must take
facts as we find them. We should have
national pride in maintaining our part
of comfy, without taxing our public
servants. If we can't dress and live as
other nations do, we should fall to the
rear and make no pretenSionS-
John c. New. of Indiana, the strong
and warm political friend of President
Harrison. declined the position of envoy
extraordinary and minister plenipo-
itentiary to Great Britain. and accepted
the secondary position of consul gem
eral, because the more honorable posi-
ton would have paid but S17, 800 per
annum, and the expenses amount to
more than S25, 900 dollars year. He
preferred to be made consul general to
England. because there was money IN
the latter Office. whereas to be minister
would have ruined him. For, pray, re-
member, the consul generalship at Lon
don is worth something like 10000
year, without any of the expensive So
cial obligations which devolve upon
minister at court. Mr.. New would
have preferred the greater Office, but
he could not afford to take it. Robert
T. Lincoln was made minister to Great
Britain. and he suffered financially.
Mr.. New saved nearly 100000 during
his four years as consul general
While our ambassador to Great Brit
ain is obliged to live on comparatively
small salary, and pay for the expenses
of public entertainments out Of his own
pocket, the British ambassador to this
country has a salary Of $4,000 per an
nun, a handsome residence which be-
longs to his government, and a liberal
allowance for the expenses of state en-
tertainments. Some of our people, i'm
bued with Jeffersouian simplicity, will
be inclined to say that these expensive
might be GisrensEo
with. But you might as well say that
in our cities, towns and villages we
should do away with our entertain
ments of our friends. If John Jones
and his wife want to invite John Smith
and his wife to dine with them, or give
a party for their children, they have a
right to do SO. and will continue to do
SO forever.
Well. when the French minister and
the British minister, and the ministers
of other countries, invite our diplo-
matte representatives to state dinners,
those invitations must be accepted ..nd