Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-24
sNoBBERY

II UNFORTUNATELY for the reputa-
tion of the United States our am
~ bassador to the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland is SO thor
oughly unrepresentative of American
ism. so absolutely, positively and ir-
redeemably unsuggestive of the gentle-
manliness and good breeding which as
a rule have characterized this republic,
that unless the newspapers and the
united Democratic party protest he is
likely to crown his mischief making
career by an act so contemptibly snob-
bish, so disgustingly and revoltingly
Jeems like. that If It were not for one
circumstance we would be led to be-
lieve the HonoUrable Whitelaw Reid
during his residence in England had
been associating with English buffers
and footmen. That saving ctrcum-
stance is English buffers and footmen
could not sink to the depth of snob-
berry in which our unhappy ambassador
is engulphed. Their Difference to rank
and pedigree may amuse some Amcri-
cans, but at any rate they are not cads.
Whitelaw Reid is a man of mediocre
intelligence. He has never displayed
any remarkable brain qualities. 1t is,
OF course, idle to speculate as to what
he might have done If he had been left
to his own resources, for an amazingly
wealthy father-in-law, d. o. Mills,
lifted him out of the gutter of penni-
lessness while Reid was still young,
and the first action of the ungracious
and ungrateful Whitelaw, who like
many other inferior beings makes up
in CUNNING for what he lacks in grit
and gray matter, was to take advan-
tage of the misfortunes and illness Of
Horace Greeley, the founder of the
New York Tribune, and sneak the Tri-
bune away from Greeley. The fortunes
of the Tribune sank to low ebb after
Greeley ran for president, a misguided
action In which he was aided, abetted.
supported, prompted, instigated, USED
by Jacob Reid. The man who is now
ambassador took advantage Of the cir
cumstances which he had helped to
produce, obtained control of the Tri-
bune, and kicked out Greeley and the
union printers.
The Tribune was run as nonunion |
champion until political ambition |
prompted Reid to covet the nomina- |
tion for vice president, a position for
which he had displayed marked in
ability. But Purse had a louder tongue
than common sense, and Reid was told |
he could have the nomination If he |
would conciliate union labor. This he |
did by licking the boots of ''Bix Six"
almost pennilessly the nonunion Tri-
bune foreman who had borne the brunt |
of the battle against the union. Now
he wishes to discharge the consuis gem
eral who are in the foreign service of |
the United States, because, forsooth, /
they insist on being treated as gentle
men and citizens Of the United States
and not as Reid's lackeys. American
foreign representation must NOT be
put on an aristocratic and plutocratic
basis. Here would have been a subject |
for another plank in the Democratic /
platform If the conspirators had not |
been ely enough to remain quiet until /
after the big conventions. The con-
suls general ere the Americans of the
foreign service-the hard working men.
It would be much easier for this coun-
try to get along without ambassadors
than without consuls general. As far
as London is concerned, an intimate
familiarity with the character and
characteristics of both the ambassador
and the consul general, and a personal
acquaintanceship with both, lead US to
urge the government, if any 'firing' is
to be done, to fire Reid, and allow
Bobby Wynne to continue to render
to the United States the faithful and
excellent service for which his consular
career has been distinguished.
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