Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-25

Japan. ne WOrkeu
entirely in the back
ground. He was the
confidential adviser
to Ii Hung Chang and the Chinese
ENJOYS. and his great diplomatic abil-
ity entered into every question A num-
Der Of other governments have prof
tied by Mr.. Fosters skill in handling great
questions and great men. He is the conf
Dental adviser of Mexico in it's affairs with
the United States, and he has been fire.
quently sent abroad as a diplomatic lawyer
| by our State Department. The story of his
entrance upon his diplomatic career has,
think, never been published. He is a
very reserved man. He seldom speaks
Of himself, and it will be news to the
United States to know that he had an
| opportunity TO go to Japan as our minister
during the administration of Gen. Grant
| He told me the story last spring. while We
were sailing across the Yellow sea from
emma tC Corea in little Japanese steamer
known as the Genkai Maru. 1 had asked
| him how he came to be diplomat. He re-
piled: ut was through Oliver p. Morton
After l came out of the army / settled down
at Evansville, Ind, to practice Law, and
shortly after this became interested in
newspaper there. Oliver P. Morton was
| then in the Senate. He was a man of
ircorruptlble integrity and of sterling
elected to the Senate, and during one of the
campaigns, when the outlook was very du-
bious, l organized the doubtful counties of
Indiana for him. 1t was a very close year.
There was great danger of everything going
democratic, and. in fact, the democratic
candidate for governor was elected. AS to
the legislature, however. we had worked
the field SO well that il was republican by
a large majority. Morton's reelection was
assured. He had been friendly with me be-
fore this. but he was so delighted with my
work that he teiesraphed me to come on to
Washington, and that / could have any
thing there I wanted. L had been working
very hard up to this time, and 1 concluded
that foreign appointment would give me
pleasant rest and the chance for reading
and study, which J. nesded. I had not yet
been out of the United States. and wanted
the culture which might come from resi-
dence ABROAD
Il was veiy modest In my views. and
thought that II / could have ths Swiss
mission 1t would Just suit me. / went to
Washington and gave Mr.. Morton my
ideas. He said there wan no doubt but that
to the White House. Gen. Grant. however
said that he had already promised the mis-
sion to Switzerland, and he asked Senator
Morton II l would not rather have some
thing else. He said 'Nhy not take the
mission to Mexico. That is worth $l2,OO0
a year. while Switzerland is only worth
5000. and the position Is a much more
important ore o. ~ J 81
to me the result of his interview. He urged
me to accept the Mexican mission. l said
/ was afraid l would not be able to fill it
acceptably. He laughed me out of my TIM
idity ard finally said l would take it.
Gid take it, and / have been connected with
diplomatic affairs from that time to this"
He Refused to Go to Japnn.
did you ever have a desire to come to
Asia as one of our ministers, Eeneral?"
asked.
NO" was the reply. eat that time Asia
seemed very much farther away than it
does now. AS it was, l could have gone
as minister to Japan instead of to Next
CO. John a. Bingham had been appointed.
He was then out of Congress and the place
was given to him as a sort of reward for
his long services in the republican party.
He preferred to go to some place nearer
and give him the Mexican mission. He said
that the salaries were the same, but that
he was old man and japan was far
away He said was young and could wait
for further advancement. This was re-
ported to me and l thought over the stu
alton. Japan was. as MI. Bingham said,
far away and saw that II l went there
I would be out Of the world. / would lose
my connection with current events and
would soon be forgotten. Mexico, on the
other hand. was the next door neishbor
of the United States, and there were bound
to be complications which would give me
a chance to do something if it was in me.
I refused to make the change and went to
Mexico. In looking back, l am confident
that I chose the right
Our Ministers to Japan.
The result of Mr. Fosters refusal was
that John a. Bingham went to Japan. He
made a very good minister and was most
popular among the Japanese. He did not,
however, insist the Americans having a
share in all the contracts and other fat
Jobs which the japanese were placing
abroad, as did the Germans and English,
and the result is American influence and
American trade Is at a discount in Asia:
The English demand the lions share Of
everything of the weaker foreign govern
,nents everywhere. and they usually get it.
1t is becoming much the same with the
Germans and both nations are against the
United States. The ministers we have sent
to Japan have. to large extent been ig
norant of diplomatic methods, and unable
to cope with the shrewd Japanese and the
polished men of Europe. During my first
stay in the country the position of Amer-
can minister was held by Governor Dick
Hubbard of Texas. Hubbard did more for
the United States than the average Ameri-
can minister, as 1 will show further on;
still. he was queer character for diplo-
mat, and some of his antics surprised the
foreigners. 1t was he Who it will be re-
membered, got angry at the French min
lister because he called him Monsieur Hub
hard, instead of Governor Hubbard.
Such things as these made our minister
and all kinds of stories went the rounds
about him. Some of them described his
eating. This made him very angry and ne
told a friend of nine, why, sir. they say
I eat FISH with a knife; of all the blanked
charges against a man that is the banked
est Why, If / reported that charge in
Texas the people would ask: If you don't
eat fish with krife, how under the sun
do you eat it? These fellows here eat it
with their fingers and a fork. They take
| little bit of bread in one hand and put
the fish upon the fork with it. l never
heard of such thing in America. Did you,
now?'
Gov. Hubbard and the Palace Lights.
And with all this Gov. Hubbard made, in
some respects, very good minister to
JAPAN HIS enormous appreciation of the
United States and Texas made him believe
that the United States ought to have
share in the contracts which the Japanese
government were giving out to foreigners.
The ministers from France and Germany
insist on their people being respected by
the weaker governments. They demand
when they can share of the foreign bust
ness of the countries for their own peo-
pie, and in this way the English, the
french and the Germans have gotten many
big japanese contracts. The japanese
have generally used the American min
.sters as they pleased, and have given