The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-14
EMBAsSADoRIAL QUARTERS.

The House of Representatives. re-
Gently passed. by the strong vote of
IA to 80, the Embassy bill, This pro-
vides for the purchase of sites and the
construction of buildings for the use
of American embassies, legations, and
consular offices in foreign countries,
| The bill limits the cost of any one
| building, including the site and fur
nishing, to S150,000, which will prob
nbly be found to be an imPracticablo
| limitation later on. 1t provides that
| $5c0,000 year is to be expended for
this purpose, and the appropriation is
to continue for ten years, meaning the
expenditure of $5,000,000 IN all, to
provide quarters for American diplo-
macy and diplomats and public bust
ness agencies abroad 1t may be
doubted whether the Senate wall reach
this bill at the present session, but
there is great pressure for it. This
pressure is the growth of good many
years, and results from the expedience
of American visitors in foreign parts.
This country spends something like
half million dollars "A year in rent
ing quarters for its ambassadors and
for other representative purposes IN
foreign lands. Often these quarters
so rented are obscure, shabby, and
sometimes even contemplate. Amerl.
cans travelling in Europe come back
with reports of how they were put to
shame in contrasting the quarters Of
our diplomatic representatives abroad
with those occupied by representatives
Of other nations. Countries that can
not in any way compare with the
United States take precedence IN the
public mind of the people of different
countries when compared with us, be-
cause of the obscurity and inferiority
Of the American headquarters. In for
eign countries very much is made of
glitter and show, and the country that
makes the most brilliant appearance is
the country that is most regarded,
But far more important than this
is the fact that under our present dip
lomatic conditions, none but rich men
can afford to be ambassadors, or even
ministers. To rent suitable quarters
for the American embassy in London,
in Paris, in Berlin, or in st. Peters
burg, the ambassador has to pay more
rent than his salary amounts to; he has
to keep up his house on a scale beyond
all proportion to the salary he re-
ceives. a poor man could not posi-
Il ptni fatp
prominence at those courts. But with
the Nation paying the expense, as it
ought to do if it is to keep up these
embassies at all, the positions would
be open to poor men and on an equality
with the rich. Now they are not.
There has never been at the court of
ST James any but a rich man; and so
of other chief stations in Europe. The
prime requisite is that man must
have plenty of money, or he can make
no showing.
1t is for these reasons that the idea
to provide official quarters for It's
ambassadors and ministers abroad, and
especially has the showing been effec-
tive where 1t Is seen that the dlplo-
matte positions at present are simply
plums for the rich. Consequently, the
feeling has grown that we should
either equalize this matter by pro.
viding for our diplomats, so that riches
should not be the prime requisite in
diplomatic positions altogether, For
certainly it is not worth while for the
United States TO make It's appearance
i'll any of the great centers of European
civilization in shabby coats and with
tattered array.