The Penn's Grove record., 1911-03-03
LEGATION BILL IS
A GOOD MEASURE
Erection of Buildings for Our Min
listers Will End Odd Sit
uati0n.
POORER MEN NOW ELIGIBLE
Short Session of Congress Should Be
Either Heightened or Abolished,
Says Willis j. Abbot-Loca-
lions for Next National
Conventions Discussed.
BY WILLIS j. ABBOT.

BY WILLIS j. ABBOT.
Washington.-The first bill for which
Representative Longworth has been
sponsor passed the house of rep
res~entatives the other day. 1t is
a good measure and should have been
enacted years ago. l am not wholly
sure whether the Longworth influence
helped or hurt, for the association OF
Longworth with the Roosevelt family
did arouse a certain amount OF Demo-
cratic a~ntagonism. But L~ongworth's
bill provides for the erection Of
United States legation buildings in
the chief cities of Europe. in London,
Paris, Berlin, Rome, Vienna and Buda-
pest.
Ambassador Reid's Mansion.
Fancy this situation. The American
Ambassador to London or Paris has
had to provide his own quarters. In
earlier days this was not a matter of
go much Importance because it was
not demanded of him that he should
have a mansion. But in these later
days the Ambassador to London and
to Paris must have a house which is
really a palace. Our present ambas-
sador to London. Whitelaw Reid, has
Dorchester House, one of the most
beautiful places in all London. If I
were to compare it with New York I
would say that it was like the Car
negie house fronting upon Central
Park and still in the center of the
city. If l were to compare 1t with
houses in Chicago I would say it held
the position of Franklin McVeagh's
home on the Lake Shore Drive. Should
l try to make 1t clear to residents of
Cleveland l would say that the Reid
house in London is much in the same
class with the old home of Tom l..
Johnson in that city.
Probably no American ambassador
has eve had 81 fine a home as White
law Reid has maintained in London.
OF course few people know what Am
bassador Reid pays for his house,
which he rented furnished. His sal
airy is $17,500 a year and it is said
that he pays nearly three times that
much for house rent alone. When
Horace Porter was ambassador to
Paris it was a matter of common no.
toriety that the rental of his hotel
the French phrase for house-exceed-
cd by several thousand dollars his en-
tire salary.
Only the Wealthy Eligible.
These are but two instances, but
both are of some Importance. They
made it apparent that a man of intel
lect and without a big purse, such a
man, for example, as James Bryce,
whom England has sent to this coun-
try, could not be sent abroad and
maintain the state which his prede-
cessors have maintained before him.
Mr.. Bryce comes to Washington and
finds a digniied old-fashioned man.
zion, owned by the British govern
ment, at his disposal. Our ambassa-
doris go abroad and have to look up
furnished rooms until they can rent
somebody else's house. There is an
ancient story about Joseph Choate
when he was minister to the Court of
st. James, prior to the time that we
had ambassadors, being halted late
at night by a London policeman and
asked why he did not go hcme.
Homer" said Choate, ~ haven't any
home. II am the United States m.ais-
ter to the Court of St. James,"
DR.. Hill Overcame Antagonism,
1t is of course a matter of notoriety
that DR.. David Jayne Hill. the amaas-
sador to Berlin, encountered some lit
tie a~ntagonism in the German capital
because of the fact that he was not
a very rich man and could not main
tain the state proper to an ambassa-
dor. This antagonism has been con
quered by DR.. Hills personal qualities
of tact and diplomacy. But when I
saw him at his home in Berlin be oc-
cupied a large apartment which we
would call in the United States a fiat.
and wen at that time it did seem to
me that the United States govern.
ment should house its ambassador
more f1ttingly.
I think that all Americans will be
glad that Mr.. Longworth's bill has
passed and l think that right minded
Democrats will be glad that it passed
very largely by the aid of Democratic
votes.
Democrats Taft's Main Support.
1t is a curious fact that Taft secured
for his pet policy of Canadian reel
procity the practically solid vote of
the Democrats in the house of repre-
sentatives, whereas the Republicans
In that chamber were almost equally
divided for and against it. The Dem
ocrats look upon it as a step toward
tariff reform, but only a step. A
great majority of the Republicans look
upon 1t as the entering wedge for
tariff revision and for that reason op-
pose 1t. With the exception of five
Democrats who were pledged by their
constituencies to vote against the pro-
position of free raw materials, there
were no Democratic votes cast
against it. Thus 1t appears that
President Taft is put in the Gu
rious position of having in the
house of representatives what Ii
practically the solid support of the
opposition party and not being able
to gain ever a majority of his OWL
party. What may come out of this sltua
ton is difficult to tell at this moment
The president says that If this con
gress fails to carry his reciprocity bill
he will call an extra session. In thai
event. of course. the Democrats, VIII
are now on record, will neces
sarily have to support the measure
But I am rather inclined to believe
that the presidents u~tterances on this
subject are more of a threat than of {
promise. He does not want an extra
session; neither do his advisers IL
house and senate, nor for that mat
ter do the Democrats themselves.