Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-12

| N
| wv of State Knox was subjected to
caustic criticism in the house
today by Representative Francis Bur
ton Harrison Of New York, in consider
alton of the diplomatic and consular ap-
preparation bill.
Many bold strokes of diplomacy. said
Mr.. Harrison, were justified only by
| their success, as in the instance OF
President Cleveland's Venezuelan mes
sage But that had not been the case
with some of the bold strokes of diplo-
| macy made by Secretary Knox, he SAID.
| The Nicaraguan imbroglio, the Man
churian railway matter and the Secre-
| tary's declaration that he would make
| 1t his duty to see that democratic forms
of government were maintained in Cen
| trail America were examples Of failure
| in the diplomacy of Mr.. Knox, he said.
| This position is so untenables ne
| added referring to the maintenance Oh
democratic government in Central
America, that some day we VIII be
obliged to retire from 1t with mortln-
| cation"
There had been an obvious difficulty
in getting men of proper character and
! ability to serve the United States
abroad, said Mr.. Harrison. The French
mission was vacant for months until a
man of proper caliber could be found,
| he added.
Some Examples
"Take Austria, where a man Or. c.
Kerens) has been sent to represent the
United States after having his fitness
| for the position measured chiefly by the
| size of his campaign contribution. Take
the English mission After that posi-
tion had been declined publicly by q.
noted educator CDR. Elliott, it had been.
| IOff
Paul Morton, and If Mr.. Morton is ap-
| pointed that act will be to reward a
self confessed violator of the law, and
! it will become patent 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.
| ''Today the ambassadors are too often
messenger boys in silk knee breeches,
! with swords, who spend their time in
being photographed as the hosts of
royalty, Or in playing the part OF
| Hands Across the Sea-" he continued.
| ''To an active, virile man such posi-
| ton would seem impossible.
Unto this atmosphere of decadence
Mr.. Knox has injected a breath of
| fresh air by a suggestion of dollar
diplomacy or the policy of valuing for
eign representatives by the amount of
cash they turn into the channels OF
American trade
This dollar diplomacy will no doubt
cause a thrill of horror in the minds
of those ambassadors who spend their
days in the society of people where
the mere mention of trade is vulgar"
Perkins in Doubt
Replying, Chairman Perkins of the
| committee on foreign affairs said he
was inclined to believe with him that
| it would be impracticable to see that
republican forms of government were
| established in Central America, but he
| did not believe that the prestige of the
United States in the far east had been
| injured. The success of American
bankers in obtaining participation in
the Chinese loan was an evidence Oh
the good effect of Mr.. KnoX's course.
Mr. Harrison asked whether the
American share of that loan had not
been secured 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.
Ry the influence of a "Velvety hand
and big stick administration combined
the state department, said Mr.. Fitz-
gerald, is extending American trade IN
Manchuria. He expressed surprise that
American shipbuilders had been able
to obtain contracts to build two battle
ships for Argentina and suggested the
possibility 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 in
terest. he said, of a ''select band of
fnanciers under the protecting and
helpful wing of the state department.,
when the theory is that, they involve
a beneficent extension of trade.
Mr.. Fassett of New York, in reply,
declared the battleship contracts had
been made possible by cheaper price OF
armor alone.