The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-05
GERARD RAISES THE QUESTION,

Inc report lnaL JusClCe JdmeS w
Gerard, recent nppoiptee Of President
Wilson to be Embassador to Germany,
is not able to find in the city OF Ber-
lin suitable quarters for the American
Embassy, is well calculated TO raise
and press with force the whole ques-
tion Of the construction by the United
States Of emhassadoTial residences and
Offices abroad. We pay our embas
sadors TO the chief powers S17 500
year But under our system of dealing
with them, it is impossible for any ono
except man Of wealth to accept any
OF the chief positions ambassador
Page TO the court OF Great Britain,
for example. has Just leased at 100000
year suitable quarters in London for
his residence and headquarters as en-
bassador. This is $4,000 year moro
than he will receive from the United
States. But he will have to pay in
addition all of the expenses OF his
daily living and routine. his social
functions, and the like, Probably he
Will not spend less than $4,000 q
year, most of it paid out Of his own
pocket; and indeed ho may pay great
deal more than this. It is estimated
that the late Embassador Reid paid
from sl50,000 to 100000 out Of his
own pocket while be was ambassador
TO Great Britain. Others Of our en-
bassadors have customarily paid very
large sums for their residences and
headquarters over and above the
salaries they received.
The situation has naturally led to
ought to buy or build suitable embas
sadorial residences and Offices in Lon
don, Paris, Berlin, st. Petersburg,
Rome, Vienna, and other countries
where we have ambassadors or Min
listers The Government should, be-
sides, pay the legitimate cost of liv
ing and of the official social functions
that the ambassador would naturally
be called upon to provide as other
ambassadors do in these foreign capi-
tails. 1t would cost great deal Of
money to do this, to be sure, but TO
pay these costs from the public purse
would throw the positions open to
poor men as we'll as to rich men. AS
it is now, a poor man could not pos
sibly accept any Of these positions:
for poor man going as ambassador
to any Of the brilliant European CAPT
tails would be absolutely eclipsed aud
scorned for his assumed parsimony III
representing the great and rich republic
of the earth on 80 small and pinched
a scale as poor man would be
obliged to represent it.
The probability is that the agitation
on this point will result in the gradual
purchasing or erection by the United
States of suitable quarters for our EN-
bassadors. But until we get ready TO
provide these residences and Offices on
a scale commensurate with the upkeep
that is provided by other governments
in like cases, we had better refrain
altogether, and allow the, present
status to continue For example, a
proposition was sprung in the late Con
gress to appropriate a small sum of
money for embassadorial residences in
London, Paris, and Berlin. The sum
was so utterly inadequate that it
would have been so shabby as to
"keep the word of promise TO the ear
and break il TO the hope" If this
great republic is going to do this sort
OF thing at all, let it do it on a scale
that would not lag behind the pro
vision made by other nations for their
ambassadors.
The question Of court costume has
been raised from time to time, and it
is held that the simplicity of republl
canism ought to be carried into the
case to such an extent that American
ambassadors should not get into court
regalia, or show any distinctive deco
rations; that is, that their costumes
should be the same as the walters
II is true that Franklin, by reason of
his character as a philosopher and
scientific man. was able to carry the
republican idea of simplicity to an ex-
treme limit, even in the gay court of
Paris IN the eighteenth century. But
il is necessary for the man who does
this to have a character or renowu
that places him high above the
ordinary court attendants, so that he
is sought for himself. Our F'ranklins
In diplomacy are not too many, and
those who would presume upon the ex.
ample Of Franklin would generally
find themselves wall flowers at social
functions and in the rear rank Of the
march of activity-altogether eclipsed.
Occasionally man Of genius is able 10
overcome this difficulty, as the late h.
Byrd Grubb did when he was Minister
to Spain. He was an appointce Of
Secretary Blaine: and finding himself
neglected and murmurcd against al one
of the great functions when he ap-
peared in plain black, he retired and
put on his glittering uniform as 2 cap
tain of the Philadelphia CITY troop in
cluding a red Jacket, white riding
trousers, metal helmet with sweeping
black piunp and brioht yello,,. ,,Ioyag