Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-19
Blunders Of Unframed Men
Preclpltate Acute
Situations.
TALKING WORST SIN
Latest Offender Is George Fred vii.
liamS. Whose Enthusiastic Desire TO
Help tIbanians. Forced His
Recall From Greece.
(By Jonathan Winficld.)

NBy Jonathan Wmficld)
Washington, July 18.--Thc specta-
cular adventures of George Fred Will
liams in Albania have thrown the
NickWickian side OF American diplo-
macy once more into the limeli9ht
Mr.. Williams has contributed TO the
Sayety OF nations at the expense OF
the dignity of our diplomtic Service,
a type of humor thai the United
States does not appfase highly He
has had many predecessors in the
been guilty of some fax pas or
shocking guarcherio of the brand
whic trained diplomatist would
not commit to save his soul.
No chronicle Of events need bark
no further back than a few years to
remember numerous blunders to the
DEBILITY account of our diplomacy Theo-
dore Roosevelt had the celebrated Bel
lamy Storer case to deal with, a case
in which many Of the wounds incurr-
ed are yet unhealed, and in which
ulquenchable animosities We're en-
gendered. President Taft escaped
any serious trouble with the diplo-
matte serve, although observers Of
the passing show have not YET for
gotten how Charles r. Crane of Chi
oago, duly appointed and confirmed
as ambassador to Russia. was recall
ed almost at the very hour he was
sailing. for the Far East from San
Francisco, because of some indis-
cret references to Russo-Japanese re-
lations.
The cultured Viennese had some
fun with Richard c. kerens, whom
. Taft appointed his Austrian ambassa-
dor, because of the quaintness of
some of his acts, and John A. G.
Leishman, of Pittsburgh, who was
appointed ambassador to Germany
when David Jayne Hill fell into the
bad graces of President Taft, caused
the state department many anxious
hours.
President Wilson and Secretary of
State Bryan have had their share of
trouble also, coming to head with
the George Fred Williams episode.
There is no evidence to show that the
gallant diplomat from Dedham, Mass.
committed his famous break
through ignorance of diplomatic con-
ventions Or etiquette. There is
every reason TO believe that Mr.. Will
lams knew exactly wha he was doing
and chose the course he did because
of highly adturstic and idealistic
ambition to help the Albanians throw
off the yoke off alleged foreign OPP
preston. Apparently he knew it fas
none of his business to interfere in
interfere in the domestic affairs of a
Balkan principality, but he blithely
ignored the path of safety and "sac-
rificed himself on the altar of Alba
Man liberty"
Seemingly it did not occurr to him
that, as the accredited representative
of the United States to Greece and
Montenegro, he had duty to his
country as we'll as to himself, and
that this fact should have dominated
his course. But with true passion
of the refOrmer and the altruist he
threw to the winds every other con-
sideration but what in his mind was
a duty he owed the Albanians. The
world of diplomacy does not under
stand the workings of such mind
as his and it was obvious from the
moment that he entered Albania to
make "a personal investigation of the
situation that he was as completely
out of place as bull in a china
shop.
His resignation ended another
. stormy chapter of American foreign
enterprise. The first one came when
the vauoroEs William Morgan Shus-
ter was chosen by Persia as her
treasurer with view to
having her finances reorganized by
an American expert. Mr.. Shuster
animated by true desire to lift
Persia out of the morass of debt and
the shadow of European domination
rapidly embroiled himself with Rus.
STA, England, and the other powers
He made a gallant fight for Persia
but was unable to meet group Of
world-powers single-handed, and re.
turned to the United States after {
turbulent six months.
Charles ]. Vopicak, Chicagoar
who was appointed some months age
as minister to Bulgaria, has not at
tempted to mix in the political mud
die of the Balkan states, but reports
of his "breaks' of diplomatic etiquet
te have caused much fun in admins
tration circles.
Cal0mel, calomei, yoL cannot stay
- NM