The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-12
Congressman francis RuT'OO
Harrison SaJS Knox Is
Only a Near Dip onat
MANY BAD MISTAKES IRE
CHARGED TO SECRETARY
Mr.. Harrison Pel>es Fun at American
Ambassadors and Charges That Too
Many WeakIings Arc Now En-
gagged In the Service

Washington. February 11.-Secretary
Of State Knox was subjected to some
very caustic criticism in the House to-
day by Representative Francis Burton
Harrison of New York during consider
elton of the diplomatic and consular
appropriation bill.
Many bold strokes in diplomacy, said
Mr. Harrison, were justified only by
their success as in the instance o.
President Cleveland's Venezuelan mes
sage. That had not been the case with
some of the near strokes of diplomacy
made by Secretary Knox, he said.
The Nicaragua embroglio, the Man
churian railway and the secretary's de-
, csion that he would make 1t his duty
that democratic forms of government
should be maintained in Central Amer
lea, he said. were examples of fail
ure in the diplomacy of Mr.. Knox.
This position is so untenable," said
he, referring to the maintenance OF
democratic government in Central
America that some day we will be
obliged to retire from it with mortih-
cation"
That there had been an obvious diff
ficulty in procuring men of proper
character and ability to serve the Unit
ed States abroad said Mr.. Harrison,
was patent in the cases of Franco
fsnd Austria. lie said in the latter place
a man was sent to represent the Unit
ed States after having had his fitness
for the position measure chiefly by
the site OF his campaign contribution.
The British Mission
Take the English mission, said he.
after it had been declined by noted
educator in the person of DR.. Eliot /.
has been offered to Paul w. Mortor
by New York newspaper. If Mr..
Morton is appointed the act viii be
TO award n sef-confessed violator of
law privilege and it will become plaln
TO all the world that the path of the
rebater is to lead to the foot of the
throne"
This difficulty in finding good men
for foreign missions, Mr.. Harrison said
was the result of the destruction of
diplomacy by the ocean cable.
To-day the amba ssadors are too of
ten messenger boys in silk knee
breeches with swords who spend their
time being photographed as the hosts
of royalty or in playing the part of
hands across the sea-" declared Mr.
Harrison.
ITO an active virile man such posi-
tion would seem impossible" he con-
Guided. Into this atmosphere of deca-
dence has injected breath of fresh air
by suggestion of dollar diplomacy or
The policy OF valuing foreign representa-
tiNes by the amount of cash they turn
into the channels of American trade
Continuing he said:
This dollar diplomacy will no doubt
cause thrill of horror in the minds Of
those ambassadors who spend their DAYS
m the society of people where the mere
mention of trade is vulgar
Mr.. Harrison said he was glad that
some useful occupation had been found
for some ambassadors
Reply to Perkins
Chairman Perkins of the committee on
foreign affairs. replying to Mr. Harrison
said he was inclined to believe that It
would be impractcable to see that re-
publican forms of government were es-
tablished in Central America, but added
he did not believe that the prestige of the
United States in the far east had been
injured. The success of American bank
ers in obtaining participation in the Chi
nese loan was evidence of the good eff
feet of Mr.. knox's course. he said
Mr.. Harrison asked whether the Amer
lean share of that load had not been
obtained by bankers of New York who
were known as the 'money trust while
other bankers had been unable to get
share of It,
Mr.. Perkins replied that while he did
not know about that phase of the mat
ter the fact remained that the loan had
come TO the United States. 4
by the influence of the vevety hand
aud big stick administration combined,
the state department. said Mr.. Fitz-
gerald. lis extending American trade in
AManchuria.' He expressed surprise that
q american ship-builders f~s been able TO
ok9in contracts to bu.'A Fvo battleships
for Argentina. and suggested the possl-
! NIFTY of some coercive measure by the
state department. He spoke of the loan
recently made to Honduras by American
bankers as pointing to the same thing.
These things were done in the interest,
he said of sselect band of financiers
under the protecting and helpful wing of
the state department, upon the theory
that they involved beneficent extension
of trade.
Representative Fassett of New York
declared. in reply, that the battleship
contracts had been made possible by the
cheaper prices of armor alone.