The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-07
WANT THE GERMAN AMDASSADORSH|P New Washington Fad Is to
 Be "MentiOned' JUST TEN ASPIRANTS So Many Aspire to Be David Jayne Hills Successor That the
 Matter Has Degenerated
 Into Joke
JUST TEN ASPIRANTS
By SIDNEY ESPEY


 Washington, May Naturalization the most fashionable thing in Washing ton these days is to be mentioned" for the amhassadorship to Germany. There is not a prominent man in the city temporarily out of job-whose name has not been proposed as the possible sue | cessor to David Jayne Hill.
 The list of the jobless including ali congressional lame ducks, has now been exhausted. and the fad has spread be- yond Washington Meanwhile the Pres ident is just sitting tight and smiling. l He offers no intmation as to the identity of the new envoy. There is a strong sus- picion that MT. Taft has long ago fixed upon the man for this important post, but. if he has, he has shown the office hungry Washingtonans that he knows how to keep a secret.
 In the interim the roster of those whom the President is supposed to be consid- ering is growing. Never before during the present administrs ton have many would-be diplomats been put forward for a single office. The last count showed that about ten names had been offered for the honor of going to Germany
 The scramble for this enthusiastically has not quite degenerated into a joke not yet-but it is in a fair way of doing so. People in the city hava begun to call Up the White House and ask such ques- tions as
 I have just heard that former Senator Beveridge of Indiana will be appointed ambassador. Won't you please ask the President if it is true?
 | Or, What is there in the report that Lars Anderson of Boston is to be ambas- sador?"
 Oh, Please tell the President not to do anything about the Berlin matter until he has seen me"
 This is a daily. almost hourly incident at the executive offices. and Secretary Hilles is being made miserable.
 There are a whole lot of things which have made the vacancy in the German embassy of unusual interest. In the first place, it is looked upon as being the most desirable diplomatic post on the conti- nent Then, too, it has been in the lime light more consistently than any other embassy in Europe.
 This was due to the fashion in which the ambassador, Charlmagne Tower per formed his duties. He soon became known as the most lavish spender abroad. His receptions were marvels of luxury. His dinners were famous, his parties splendid.
 It is said of him that if he went to one of Emperor Williams entertainments and found 15 lackies in livery assigned to take the coats and hats he would at his next entertainment have 20 liveried servants assigned to the same service.
 It was MT Towers idea that the off cal representative of the United States should not be outdone or out-shown in anything that money could buy, even by the Emperor of Germany. For instance, one summer 1t developed that the Elm peror would at different times occupy six different castles on the Rhine. MT. Tower at once sent out his agents and leased for the summer seven castles for his summer use, 1t is said.
 | All this pleased the German ruler and it pleased the German people. They rather liked to see the show and they were not backward in relieving MT. Tow CT of all his spare cash But this record has made the German embassy the hard est to fill acceptably. pr. Hill was a man of only moderate means, and was there fore unable to follow the pace set by his predecessor In office. This resulted in endorsements that Dr. Hill thought | should not be placed upon him.
 But instead of frightening away appli- cants for this post, the glamor of the Tower regime and the responsiveness of the establishment which the ambassador to Berlin is expected to maintain, seems to have attracted them. The list of appli- cants grows day by day.
 | But the President has from now until July to fill this vacancy. If he has not already settled upon man he need be in no hurry about doing so. He has more than two months in which to look the roster over.
 There is serious side to the German diplomatic work just at this time and this is on the Presidents mind There are some big issues unsettled between this government and Germany, and it will take a big man, who Is not merely rich man, to handle the situation.
 The potash controversy is still extant The Germans have not promised to re- move the tax which they have placed on every American farmer who uses potash in his fertilizers. It is said that the Germans will go further and refuse to accede to the demands of this govern ment. In any event an ambassador who is only half qualified for his work will be unable to prevail upon Germans in this matter.
 Then there Is the proposed arbitration treaty. President Taft is anxious to ex- tend his negotiations as means of set ting international difficulties to Germany, but he will be unable successfully to do this without strong ambassador in Ger many to aid him in his programme.
 All these considerations may result in the appointment of another man of mod crate means rather than a replica of the renowned Towr. The next ambassador may be truly diplomat, rather than successful business man.