The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-12-14

poor but honest parents, has tn
qualifications for a diplomatic jo
and wants one, he probably can hav
ii by applying to Secretary of Stat
Knox and giving the necessary refer
ences. Secretary Knox has no oh
| iections to the rich. lie himself car
afford to maintain a city home, |
country place and choose the liver!
of his coachmen and footmen Il
match the colors of his horses. Blu
one must keep up appearances
Things have come to such a pass
that the state department is rapidly
developing into a target for hostile
criticism as a plutocratic institution,
not merely tinted, but smeared all
over. with affluence, like Mr.. Midas.
To balance things. it is necessary to
have few young gentlemen who
can consistently take up the high
cost of living cry and give the touch
of healthy democracy to this execu-
tive department, which is on the
verge of being engulfed with luxury.
The strain of trying to look poor is
rapidly becoming too great for the
state department officials to bear.
As things stand now-not mem
tioning the diplomats in the foreign
service, who are guilty of being
enormously wealthy-there are "A
goodly number of offenders of this
character, right here at home. The
secretary himself can AFFORD to
choose between the automobile and
the horse. Assistant Secretary Will
son. when In need of relaxation, can
run over to New York and jump on
the Lusitania. Third Assistant Chan
Ter Hale is not pinched with penury
either.
But listen, how things have
changed even in the lower ranks
Hugh Gibson, secretary to the as
sistant secretary, who ranks as a
secretary of embassy ON the diplo-
matte list, works is hours out of "a.
Then anything is wanted. Gibson
gets it, If it is necessary to do
some overtime work, the poor gov
eminent clerk, who gets down at 3
o'clock, goes home, and Gibson, who
is usually on the job at 1880, stays
and does IL. When he gets 20 min
utes of for luncheon, Gibson rushes
over to the Metropolitan club, and
bolts a wretched pheasant or bit OF
quail and hurries back to the grind
again.
Another recent addition to the
force is Arthur Orr, of
Evanston, who was a secretary at
the London embassy before he came
to Washington as assistant to the
chief of the bureau of information.
Orr tries hard to hide his iniquity.
For months he was not even sus-
pected except by his Russian cigar
cites. which are imported especially
for him. But the ter-r-r-ible truth
came out at last. Orr. in a M of
rented a house next to
that of Secretary Knox and wheeled
up and down the avenue in his
within sight OF the secre-
tary's drawing room windows. IL is
true that most of his wheeling was
done in the early morning. when heI
was hurTying TO work, or late at
night, when he was coming home,
but il is large car, none the less,
and the indictment stands. Both
Orr and Gibson, when they have any
leisure, which is seldom. walk up the
street like anybody else. but all this
is a mere sham intended to deceive
the public. Huntington Wilson has
even been known to ride in an ordi-
nary taxicab.
So there you are. This is the
problem that Secretary Knox has on
his hands. There are openings for
the poor young man. but the poor
young man will not avail himself of
the opportunities. He fights shy OF
a diplomatic career. The idea that
a poor man cannot afford to take
up diplomacy is spreading. 1t is a
situation for the great American
public TO ponder. Think how dis
II is for the poor farmer,
who has gone back to spend
or two of the summer at his
old home in Europe to be obliged to
place himself under the protection
Of the millionaire who represents his
country,