The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-31


NM to a close the gossip con
" nected with the reporte
disapproval in Berlin of TIL
appointment of DR.. o. ]. Hill as am
hassador and terminating the inciden:
Baron Won Sternburg, the German am
bassador, called at the White Hous
tonight by appointment to see Presi
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Root. AS
sistant Secretary Bacon also was pres
ent. At the conclusion of the confer
ence. the following statement wa
given out:
.In addition to the communica-
ton already made public from the
German Foreign Ofilce. the German
ambassador has also conveyed to
the American government the as
surance of the Emperor that there
has never been any change In his
attitude toward Mr.. Hill and in his
cordial willingness to welcome Mr..
Hill 20 Berlin. The Emperor's fav-
orable opinion of Mr.. Hill was
communicated to the Washington
administration last November. and
his attitude has never changed
since.
Apparently some remarks In a
casual conversation have been dis
torted by gossip and by rumor so
as to give totally erroneous i'm
preston OF the whole matter.
The two governments never shared
this misunderstanding.
Especially Well Equipped.
THE design of the President and
the Secretary OF State In choosing
Mr.. Hill was to choose the man
who of all the men in the diploma
tic service was best fitted for this
particular position-a position of
the very first order in honor and
responsibility, and ono to which.
therefore, 1t was deemed well to
send skilled diplomat, student.
a speaker, an authority on interna-
tional law, learned German
scholar who had served with sig
nal ability as Assistant Secretary
of State under. John Hay. and as
foreign minister In two successive
posts. in the last OF which he had
rendered marked services in con-
nection with The Hague Peace
Conference. This purpose is. and
has always been fully appreciated
by the Emperor personally and In
Germany at large"
The nomination of DR.. Hill as AN
bassador to Germany will be sent t
the Senate tomorrow, according t
the plan agreed upon tonight. n
time has beer, fixed for the retiremen
of Ambassador Tower. but 1t Is sal
Dr.. Hill will succeed him some tim
in May.
To Men OF Moderate Means.
It was agreed to-niSht that the pur
pose of the administration has bee
to make 1t evident that the grea
diplomatic positions are not to bs
treated as positions to be held onl
by millonaires. but so far as possibl
as rewards for faithful. Service to th
public in other positions. Thus tn
last four ambassadors appointed
Messrs. Riddle to Russia, Dudley t
Erazil, O'Brien to Japan, and Hill t
Germany. have all been men OF moder
ate means, WHO. in previous position
OF lesser rank, had shown especial ii.
ness forSth performance OF the dutie
of higher posts.
The administration has been par
ticularly anxious to ha>s 1t made evl
dent that the possession of merel
moderate means was no barrier .
preferment to the highest position. an
1T is because OF this feeling that
deeply regrets the failure of Congress
to providt proper official residence
for the ambassadors abroad. 1t wa
stated tonight that this failure mill
tates directly in favor of the man c
great wealth and agairGt the man c
smaller means. a