The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-01-22
HE IS AN EASY MARK,
Opinion Of the Diplomatic Corps
Concerning Sherman.
BUT THEY NAY BE MISTAKEN.
Yet the New Secretary of State Is Some.
what Embarrassed by a Defective Mem.
ory-His Logical Faculties and Percep.
tions Are Keen as Ever.


OF state in the Mckinley Administrative
does not give satisfaction among the dipl
matte corps. But the gentlemen who rel
resent at this capital the nations of ii
world will have TO endure what they car
not mend Their principal objection I
Mr.. Sherman is that he is embarrasse
with treacherous memory. IL Is not cas-
for him TO remember the details even @
important conversations The diplomat
gentlemen fear that they will have endles
trouble with the new secretary for this rea
son. They remember that during the las
months OF Mr.. Blaines service in the stat
department, when the great statesman wa
i'll, he suffered the same trouble He coulC
not remember More than one foreign
minister found upon reminding the secre
tary of what had been said 10 him or what
he had said on former occasion that il
had wholly slipped his mind In the enc Il
became necessary for the ministers in
order To avoid trouble, TO insist that short
hand notes should be taken of every impor-
tant conversation. Mr. Blaine consented
TO this, though not without some reluctance
and a sense of personal humiliation. for he
ultimately became aware of his failing
Moreover the foreign ministers contrived
to carry on most of their intercourse with
the state department by means of written
communications. They now say that for
their own protection they will do the same
thing with Mr.. Sherman.
sticklers For Form.
Another cause of friction between Secre-
tary Sherman and the members of the dip
lomatic corps will be the determination of
the secretary 10 turn over TO his assistants,
in so far as possible the task of receiving
and comforting with foreign ministers |
about routine matters. Mr. sherman has |
decided 10 do this in order 10 save himself |
annoyance. He believes the bulk of the |
work of the state department can Just as |
well be carried on by the subordinates of
the office as by the chief In this he is no
doubt right and is instituting a precedent
which should have been established years
ago. In no other foreign Office in the world
is so much of the actual business transact
ed by the chief official. But the custom
has grown up here, and il will not be with
good grace that the foreign ministers con-
sent TO transact their business with man
Of inferior rank TO themselves when the
secretary himself is in the city They are
great sticklers for form and for etiquette.
these foreign gentlemen. But, of course, il
Is not their function TO select the official of
our government with whom they shall do
business.
1t has already become an axiom among
lhe foreign gentlemen that Secretary Sher.
nan Is TO be an easy mark. They say that
20 far as his state department is concerned
President Mckinley is going into office on
,rutches. But the men who are close to
senator sherman say these foreign critics
VIII not be long in discovering their error.
they are undertaking their antagonist.
lille IL Is true Senator Sherman is well
along in years and his memory is a trifle
detective he Is in full possession of his
ogical faculties and his perceptions are as
Keen as they ever were.
Old Men For Counsel.
The men who imagine Senator Sher-
nan Is going to be a weak secretary of
tate simply do not know what they are
alking about, said General Grosvenor of
ohio TO me Mr.. Sherman will fool them
o the top Of their bent If that is their
opinion of him. / know Mr.. sherman
cry well. l meet him frequently, and we
Ike TO talk about public and party matters
ogether. When any one sits down to talk
With Senator Sherman, he needs all his
is end and TO be a match for the old SEN
Tor, he cannot go to sleep or become lazy
n his mental processes The senator is
ot as much at his ease while on his feet
alking TO the senate as he used to be in his
ounger days, for he does sometimes have
pause and think for word. But this is
othing. He never was fluent sneaker.
nd he has not made his fame with his
ongue. But take him in council or sitting
llking man to man, and he is match for
nc keenest men the countries of the world
an send here. -
1t may not be generally known, but Il IL
-ue, that by this time most of the foreign
flices in Europe are in possession of full
formation concerning the mental attain.
lents the character the temperament,
ne experience, the trend of ideas, the hab-
IS, the strong points and the weak points
the man who Is soon to be secretary of
ate Of the United States They have
sized him up" as IL were, and from this
'timate of him will govern themselves
henever important matters arise in which
icy are interested. Their effort TO classify
IT. Sherman Is not unique at all in diplo.
Iatlc practice. They do this as a regular
ling, not only as TO the United States. '
lt as TO all the other countries of the
orld
The Aim of Diplomacy. ,
As one may infer, the chief aim of diplo. ,
acy is TO get ahead of the other fellow, in
hich respect | suppose diplomacy resem. ,
es trade, manufacturing the professions
I'D most of the activities of our human !
mily But 1t does seem n little cold
CODED for the Germans or the French or /
lie Italians TO sit in Judgment upon our /,
wv secretary of state, to analyze him as I
nc would a race horse and deliberately to ,
y their plans for getting the best of him. :
Secretary sherman may not find it prac. 4,
cable to treat ambassadors in the fashion
hich he prescribes for mere ministers.
here is IA vast difference between an en-
lssador and minister The former has ,
'ecedence everywhere and Is disposed to
sist upon his rights. At Paris, some
'ars ago. an American minister tried for ,
vo weeks To get an audience with the for. !
gn secretary, but he could not because G
ere was always an ambassador ahead of ,
m. He went early in the morning and !
aid till late In the day, but without sue .
50. He cooled his heels in the anteroom
lille the ambassadors of fourth rate pow
s walked In. We now have ambassadors !