New-York tribune., 1911-12-12
DEFENDS NEW DIPLOMACY
Secretary Knox Tells Women
What the "DoIIar" Kind Does.
CALLS SERVICE UNDERPAlD
r,vors Civil Service and the Pur
chase of Embassy and Con-
sular Buildings.

secretary Philander c. Knox OF the De-
.,,,ent of State, stood forth yesterday
80 the New York and New Jersey sec
~ of the woman's department Of the
s.a,,onal Civic Federation as champion
- dollar diplomacy, and was roundly ap-
,.r6ed for his stand. The occasion was
.he second talk in the series of ten which
,se society has planned to be delivered by
cabinet officers and other authorities, on
.overnmental questions, at the Waldorf
during the coming winter
rxrlaining that whatever impaired the
.,osress Of one nation more or less dl-
:, ',ctly injured all, and that whatever tended
. ,be prosperity Of one benefited all, he
seclsred that where this country's financial
,r,erests had been induced to lend their
h,ln in times Of financial embarrassment
,bo State Department stood ready to give
The parties opportunity TO get together
III IS the fashion TO style this dollar
d,plomacy." said the Secretary, the
cbrss, being originally intended in dis
naraci. sense. II seems. on the contrary
n bc . creditable and happy phrase. II
,bs American dollar can aid suffering hu-
msnity and replace insecurity and devasta-
zion by stability and peaceful self-develop-
ment. all l can say is that II would be
hard to find better employment
independently Of the dollar the Sec
rstarv went on, good has been done in
the cause Of world peace through the
agencies Of the Department Of State, and
there is ground for thankfulness that the
United States has honestly won rank as
q world power in the movement for uni
versal peace
Secretary Knox's talk was an exposition
Of tho growth and functions of the federal
6epartment over which he rules
Yle explained that the State Department
was not organized under its present title
until September 10, 17S9. when an act Of
Congress changing the Department of For
eisu Affairs 10 the Department of State
became effective and Thomas jefferson
was appointed its first head. Nothing was
said in this act about the new officials
function as the channel Of international
intercourse That part Of the business. the
Secretary remarked, seemed to have passed
with the change Of title TO the new incum-
bent.
The earlier foreign operations Of the de-
partmeut were primitive the Secretary
said The department had increased. how.
ever not in simple bulk, like a iollyfsh or
tree but by the necessary development
of organic features 10 meet the changing
eugencies of national and international
existence. until now it helped to assure 10
the citizens Of this country an opportunity
for solf-advancement by securing for them
equal and fair opportunity abroad com
meusUrate With that which the national
government aimed 10 secure for them at
home
To this end. continued the Secretary, be
came yearly more apparent the necessity Of
extending 10 its personnel the salutary
principle Of the civil service. The EXecu-
tive order Of June 1906 placed the Consul
lar Service really upon civil service basis.
and it rapidly became an efficient instru-
ment for the expansion Of American com
msrcs and the extension Of American enter
prise
Turning 10 the diplomatic service. secre-
tary Knox said that the Executive order Of
November 1902, had done for II, up to the
grade Of chief Of mission, what the order
Of ''o6 did for the consular service.
Mentioning the melancholy fact that the
diplomatic service had always been and was
now undercompensated the Secretary said
Aside from extravaeance and needless os-
tsntat'ou. nine eavoys out of ten must
draw on private means n they are 10 live.
as officials with common respectablity.
The greatest mon of our history. our Mar
shsls. WtbSters JsCksonS and Clays. could
have ill afforded 70 accent even a second
class mission. had they lived in our day.
Hence tho growing movement. with
which heartily sympathize, to supply our
representatives abroad with appropriate
furnished residences and 20 pay them sal
aries that will meet the ordinary cost of
respectable official representation. J believe
that IL would bc wise if this government
should adopt broad policy of gradually
acquiring embassy, legation and consular
buildings. and should do this by using
American designs. American materials aud
70 some eXted. American workmen'
Among tho women who overiowed the
Myrtle Room I'm their oagerness to tlt them
seIyes FOR the vote that may some day
come were Mrs Francis NJ Bacon, jrr Miss
Elizabeth Marbury, Miss Anne Morgan,
Mrs. George Rlumenthal, Mrs. August Bel
mont AIRS Cornelius Vanderbilt, Miss
Racbael Cro'here. Mrs. Lindsay Van
Rtnssaaer and Miss Gertrude Robinson
smith