Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-22
FOREIGN CHAT.
LORD Pauncefote's Friendship
for the United States.
King Edward Will Decorate the Mika-
do Of Japan.
Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria, a Friend
of Brigand

the alliance between Great Britain and
Japan by comforting the Order of the
Garter upon the Mikado, sending a
special mission to Tokyo for the pur-
pose, which. is to be headed by the
Duke of Abercorn. There was at one
moment a disposition at court to en-
trust to Lord Rosebery the task of
comforting the order in question upon
the MikadO, for it was believed that
the special embassy would be invest
ed with additional prestige by being
headed by a former premier. But the
idea was abandoned when it was re-
called to mind that Lord Rosebery is
far from being persona grata in Japan,
where the government and people have
neither forgotten nor forgiven his at
titude when the coalition of Germany,
Russia, and France compelled them to
surrender the fruits of the victories in
China. Japan appealed at the time to
England, asking, if not for actual as
distance, at any rate for moral support.
But Lord ROSebery, who was minister
of foreign affairs at the time, refused
to raise even finger in their behalf.
The Mikado will enjoy the dstinc-
ton of being the only Asiatic and nom
Christian knight of the ancient Order
of the Garter. for in spite of all the
influence which he has been able to
bring to bear. the present Sultan has
never succeeded in obtaining the Or
der of the Garter, neglect which he
cruelty resentS and which is the source
of much of his antagonism to Eng
land. The failure to accord this dis
tinction to the Sultan must me as
cTibed to personal prejudice against
him, for his uncle, the Sultan Abdul
AssiZ, and likewise the latter's prede-
cessor, Sultan Abdul MeZid, We're both
knights of the Garter, while the late
Shah of Persia was also invested with
the order on the occasion of his visit
to Queen Victoria at Windsor, SO that
the refusal to accord the blue ribbon to
the present rulers of Persia, Turkey,
and China, cannot be ascribed to any
prejudice on the mere score of religion.
Widespread sympathy is felt for
Lord Pauncefote in connection with
the international controversy now rag
ing with regard to his attitude at the
time of the outbreak of the war be-
tween this country and Spain, for his
own position as Ambassador seals his
lips and prevents him from uttering
one word in denial of the charges
against him, while reasons of state and
of international policy deter both the
State Department at Washington, and
the English foreign Office from making
a clear and full exposition of the case
at the present time.
Those. however, who are endowed by
nature with a little memory-a quality
which so few seem to possess nova
days-may recall the fact that Lord
Pauncefote nearly ten years ago, at
his own request, exchanged the desir
able appointment of under secretary
of state for foreign affairs-that is.
the blue ribbon of the British civil SER
vice-for the post of British Ambassa-
dor at Washington, prompted by senti
ments of warm friendship and admira
ton for this country, and with the
avowed object of promoting the good
feeling between the two great Eng
disappearing powers of the world. In
order to understand just what this
meant, it must be thoroughly explained
that Washington was at that time
looked upon by foreign diplomats as a
species of Botany Bay, and even the
smallest legations Of Europe were pre-
ferred to the mission in the National
Capital of the United States. Indeed, |
no more striking proof of this can be
given than brief review of the class
OF men who were accredited to this |
|country prior to the arrival of Lord
|Pauncefote. They were nearly all of
them men such as Roustan, whose |
record in Tunis was SO unsavory that
even the Sultan declined to accept him
las Ambassador or else diplomats
whose domestic relations were of a
nature to render it inexpedient to ac
credit them to any European court.
They had either eft-handed families
or else were separated from their wives
or divorced, while in some cases they
had made marriages of the most ques
tionable character.
Quite a number of the ENJOYS had
wives who were barred from presenta-
ton at court in the countries which
they represented, while in one particu-
lar instance the representative of a
great power had actually the incredi-
BILE impudence to bring back to this
country as his wife a lady who had
previously resided with him at Wash
ington before his promotion to the
rank of envoy in a capacity that can
only be described as questionable in
the extreme. 1t may be remembered
that when this matter was brought to
the attention of President Grant he
demanded the recall of the
Minister in question.
The appointment of Lord Pauncefote
Ito Washington awakened for the first
thine the foreign powers to the necessi
lty of sending to Washington differ
lent class of men to that from which,
Iuntil then. they had been recruiting
their ministers, and the wholesome re-
lspect inspired abroad by Uncle Sans
victory in the war of 1898 has served
to still further emphasize the fact that
lit is to the interest of the European
Governments to accredit diplomats OF
the highest standing to this country,
and that his appointment of ENJOYS
whose domestic affairs are in the
least open to question and of such a
character as to preclude their being
nominated to the court of any first
class power in Europe is nothing short
of an insult to the United States.
From the time Of Lord Pauncefote's
arrival in this country until now he
has devoted himself to the task of pro-
noting frien,llier feeling between Eng