Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-14
More About Ambassadors.
By DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright. 1913, by Frank Crane.)

But it is question whether We need
the deviousness and parade of a theory
of statecraft that is passing
So 1 said in previous article l now
wish to emphasize and expand that state
ment.
The theory of embassy is that a nation
shall have some man to represent it in
foreign courts.
Time was when this was necessary
The seats of national government were
many days apart. The fastest horsemeu
were often too slow to constitute reIi-
able means of communication in a crisis.
Then it was useful to have man in
foreign court who was authorized to
speak for his country
That time has passed. The electric tel
egraph eQcirc1es the globe. We can shake
hands with. or slap the face of Russia
Or Spain In few minutes. During the
last century the governments of the world
have moved up close to each other. The
express trains, ocean liners, submarine
cables and wireless telegraphy have nut
Peklng and London in adjoining rooms
The necessity for ambassadors exists no
more.
The only reason We keep them is the
same reason that keeps the world doing
things long after they have ceased to
have a reason. 1t is the inertia of his
tory. 1t is that dead hand of the past
whose clutch it is SO difficult to escape.
We have ambassadors simply because
We always have had them. That is all.
Formerly the group Of foreign min
listers at court decided issues. Today
no move Will be made by our representa-
tive at Madrid or Rome except upon di-
rect instructions from Washington.
All the necessary business OF the Amer
lean government at London could be
transacted by a capable clerk and a few
assistants. And much better than by a
statesman"
The social life, the giving of expensive
entertainments, the spread and splurge
and high stepping by which the woman
folks OF American millionaires are given
an opportunity to satisfy their social am
billions are no part of a government s
business. nor of the business of it's am
bassador.
All our ambassadorial trouble comes
from our representatives imagining that
it is his duty to break into foreign $50
Getty 1t is this, and this alone, that
Is ground for the saying that 1880 is
not enough to live on.
Foreign embassies belong to the same
category as inaugural balls. President
Wilson discarded the one: Congress ought
to discard the other
There is no imaginable business of inn
portance at a foreign court that cannot
De transacted from washington; except
perhaps in certain crises when 1t might be
necessary to send a special minister.
Let us get rid of the whole medieval
business. The plots and whisperings and
secret alliances of European courts we
have nothing to do with The United
States can afford to lay its cards all on
the table.
Affairs Of state managed by side-step
ping and mysterious diplomats mean mis-
understandings. treacheries and wars; If
they were managed in the open we
should all fare better.
We are supposed to be q plain, COM
nonsense people, intent upon minding
our own business. maintaining our rights
and seeing that no nation treads on the
tail of our coat Let us carry on our
business as simply and sensibly as corpo-
ration carries on its business.