Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-03-22
PRESIDENT WILSON TO ATTEMPT
TO ENFORCE JEFFERsoNlsM
II, At FOREIGN COURTS.
SEEKING POOR MEN FOR
AMeASsADoRiAL POSTS
President Objects to Lavish Display
Enforced Upon Representatives Of
United States at Leading European
capitals-ssts Hard Task for Men
Who Accept Diplomatic Honors.
Especial correspondence


Washington, March 22.-According
to what President Wilson is saying 70
callers. the United States and Europe
will see no more, while his administra-
ton lasts, of that excessive display at
the American EN- bassies abroad which
has called for so much criticism in re-
cent years.
In other words, the policy Of the new
administration Will be to pick com :
parativcly poor men for the diplomatic
service. Millionaires will not be sought
for and the men selected will be ex-
pected, instead of spending their last
penny on entertainment, to- undertake
to bring about return to Jeffersonlan
simplicity with a big S.
Time will tell whether the new ad-
min;stration adheres to this policy.
But in any event, the intention of the
president, as he has mapped 1t out tc
callers, is to discourage the sort OF
display, lavish and un-American rs
many feel it is, which has been char
acteristic of the American embassies
and legations in recent years. The ex-
pressed purpose of the. administration
forbodes i'll to the sort Of diplomacy
which mas been fnrthered by wealthy
men of the stamp Of Leishman, Reid,
Tower. Guild and a number of others
who might be mentioned.
WI; Mocembs is Wanted.
One of the reasons why President
Wilson kept urging w. F. McCombs
to take the post Of ambassador to
France was that he wanted a compare
lively poor man Of capacity to hold
the position. McCombs is not wealthy
but he is credited with brains and no
doubt will make good diplomatist.
But it need not be expected that he
will be able to entertain lavishly or
preside at feats that would cause a
Lucullus or an Epicurus to sit up and
take notice.
The idea of President Wilson with
reference to the diplomatic service is
that America should be represented
abroad by her best type Of men but
that simplicity should reign in the en-
bassies and legations. Whether he Will
be able to live up to this. is another
question. In the frs: place. the pres
sure on him to name wealthy men Is
great In the second place. congress
has never made adequate provision for
American diplomats abroad and 1t Is
almost out of the question for an AM
erican diplomat Of high rank to get
along on what the government pays
him President Wilson knows this to
be true quite as well as anybody. That
he will try to get congress to take a
broader view of the situation and
make a more liberal allowance for the
upkeep of the embassies and legations
is expected.
Hard Task Laid Down.
A poor man named to one OF the
leading ambassadorships. say to Lon
don or Berlin. will find his embassass-
ments many. In the first place, he will
discover that the court circle, having
been lavishly entertained by men like
Whitelaw Reid. Charlemagne Tower,
John c. A. Leishman, and others OF
wealth. expect their successors TO
keep up the pace. In the second place,
he will discover that American visitors
and American residents abroad. make
heavy demands in way of lavish enter
tainment. The only thing that poor
man can do under such circumstances
will be to insist on a revolutionary
reform which will win him criticism
both from foreigners and from Amer
cans who throng the European CAPT
tails If he can stick 1t out, however,
he will find his course is approved at
home And. at least 80 far as England
Is concerned. there is said, by English
men in Washington, to be no doubt
that return to dem ocratic simplicity
on the part of American representa-
tives abroad, would be approved by the
Intelligent and intellectual side Of the
British people. How Berlin. Paris, st.
Petersburg, Vienna ard Rome will
stand it is another question.