The evening times., 1899-04-12
Our Diplomatic Service.

The recent arttcie Dy MAIN i~aiu' oh
the subject of the salaries of our Ambas-
sadors. has been the subject OF extensive
comment. and while most Of the writers
who have noticed have taken it seriously
and irdorsed its propositions, others have
affect I'd to believe that Mr.. Clemens mere
Iy tested with his public. and that his
whole paper was burlesQue and sar-
casm. or course. this may be so. and
the author will probably never enlighten
us If it is so: but it should be remem-
bered that Mark Twain has way OF ex-
pressing his most serious opinions in
form which may be either jest or earnest,
and is much more effective than serious.
matter -of-fact argument At any rate,
the facts which he cited are important
enough to claim the attention OF everyone.
At present our Ministers to important
countries are men of wealth as well as dis
tinction They must be rich. because no
self-respecting man will accept position
which he is Obliged to receive favors which
he cannot return, nor will he pace himself
in the attitude of being forced into mean
ness by the parsimony OF his Government.
Thus it is tacitly understood that poor
man. no matter how well fitted he may
be for a diplomatic position. must never
be offered one. Rich men are glad to ac-
cept such appointments, even il they must
pay for them, since an Ambassador gains
valuable experience and high social posi-
tion at home and abroad But it should
be evident to the NEST casual eye that if
there are ten men of wealth and ability
who are available for the position of Am
bassador to the Queen Empress of Great
Britain. for example, there are probably
twenty or thirty more who have the ability
but not the wealth, and that very possibly
one of these non-eligibles may be much
more competent for the duties OF Am
bassador than those who may be chosen.
We have not such wealth of diplomatic
timber in this country that we can afford
to throw away any of it. The position of
Ambassador should be made such that the
man hest fitted for the post may be ap-
pointed, whether he has a million dollars
of his own or not.
1t Is all very well to say that America
need not ape the foolish customs of an
effete civilization. The civilization Is there,
and it is not our affair to find fault with
ii unless it interferes with US. or with
the progress of the world, in some definite
way. Especially, it is not our business to
reform the social customs Of European cap
itals. which have been developed through
many centuries. and in which other civil
lied. nations concur. We have no right to
send our Ambassador to the Court of St
James. to St. Petersburg. or to Paris, with
to represent US there, and
oblige him to give wrong impression of
US. If he is invited to entertainments he
should be able to accept the invitations,
and return wh0tever attentions he may re-
ceive. There is no need that a nation as
rich as this should send man to Look
after its interests in place where pate
de foie gras is the common diet, and give
him salary which only provides Elm a
ham sandwich. There are hundreds of
people, whose opinion is more or less i'm
not stop to enquire into the reason Of or
republican simplicity, but will draw con-
illusions Of their own, and these inferences
may easily result unpleasantly for u.s. It
Is desirable that Americans trave.ing
abroad should meet with consideration and
and that foreign nations should
understand as clearly as possible what
our civilization y. But they will net
understand It any the better II our rep-e-
Ientatives conduct their business with what
We may call simplicity, but Europeans will |
all meanness. a'- ~
Matthew arnold once said this and IL h