The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-09
AMBASSADOR PAGE
 GETTING EVEN WITH !. CRITICS 0F AMERICA
Builder Fired for Dropping Unkind Remarks-Pass- port Denied Man Who
 Wanted to Escape

London, March 20-(SpeciaD-One hears
 good many critical things about Amer
 ica these days. with all the notes of protest frome Washington against the blockade the "too proud to fight trag- edy and number of other things, and retribution for the critics is a difficult matter. Just arguing the points raised isn't very satisfactory; arguing with a Britisher at war is neither enjoyable nor profitable to either side. So when pun ishment does come to one of the critics of America it is an enjoyable thing.
 There have recently been two such in-
 cidents. Both were neatly accomplished in the American embassy.
 One concerns a London contractor, rep resentative of a great firm which does building. Some months ago the American embassy was removed from Victoria street to No. Grosvenor Gardens. This firm of builders was called in to do the work and they came to be considered the regular firm for anything the em- bassy desired done in their line. The work was profitable to the company in the matter of money, particularly when
 many alterations had to be done prior
 to occupancy, and very useful for adver-
 Using purposes, the right of saying that
 they were 'purveyors to the American
 embassy being a thing of good deal of
 value The firm had a good thing, but
 one day the representative who was su-
 pervising the work in the embassy dropped a remark in the hearing of one of the diplomatic secretaries, about dol lar-gra bbng Americans" This criticism, made in the American embassy by one intent upon gathering in some of those dollars himself-and his bills were none too low-was considered "a bit thick On the spot the contractors services were, dispensed with and the embassy has turned the representative coldly away, despite frequent pleadings on his part.
 The other case concerns one of those people who have ''dual nationality" This man was born in Springfield Mass, but his parents were English Thus, because of his place of birth. he could claim to be an American, but on account of his percentage the British government could claim him as Britisher. Some months ago he appeared at the embassy and asked for decision as to his nationality. If an American, then he wanted an American passport to go to Paris The embassy was obliged to take it up with the state department, which would make an investigation of his claim of having been born in America. This took time, and the impatient man wouldn't wait. So he went to the British foreign office, procured British passport and took his trip to Paris He went again to the em- bassy and told what he had done. ex- tolling at the same time the speed and efficiency with which the British govern ment issued passports, which was none too pleasant for officials of the embassy who had, in the meantime, heard from American that what the man said about being born in Springfield was true. Time went on and then the agitation for con- scription began. It had not oona far before the man in question reappeared at the American embassy, demanding an American that what the man said about had that the conscriptionists couldn't get him. He considered his claim legal be- cause the embassy knew he had been born in the United States. He fell into the hands of the same secretary he had seen before, and to whom he had boasted of how the British government did things better than the embassy. It was fatal and the secretary took great pleasure in telling him that in getting a British passport he pronounced himself Brit