The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-21

The Right Sort OF Ambassador'
We are inclined to agree with the
Evening Post that an opportunity
was missed when the President failed |
to nominate for the vacant post Mt |
London. man whose massive CHAR
acter and outstanding personality
and recorded achievements and estab- |
Iished reputation would symbolic to
both countries their Identity OF aims
in the common cause In behalf OF
civilization and their common enter
prise of military arms The Evening
Post does not exaggerate when IT
says editorially:
"Mr. DAVIS is scarcely known in this
country outside Of the official and pro-
fessional realm. His name means alb
soluteiy nothing to the mass Of people.
And in England. it is safe to say, he
has never been heard OF by the public.
The announcement of his coming as
Ambassador will have no Significance
except negative. He will. Of course. be
wetCOtucu, Dul hohio wa
anticipatory emotion with it. his stand
ing will all have to be acquired"
1t is true, nevertheless, that the
right sort of Ambassador at this
time is the Ambassador upon whom
the President Of the United States
believes that he can depend to carry
En- nj tn
the British Government and people
his desires and purposes, to repre-
sent the President as he wishes to
be represented near the Court of st.
James's. Such are the important
qualifications just now; all other
qualifications are of secondary I'M
portance in view of the exigencies
Of the war and the supreme powers
and responsibilities which the war
has devolved upon Mr.. WILSON. we
should no more think of Directing to
his choice of an Ambassador to Great
Britain than Of questioning his right
to pick out the members of his own
official family. The right sort OF
Ambassador just now is the sort OF
Ambassador that the President wants
to send to London.
All the same, we note with some
surprise and perhaps little amuse-
ment the generous effort of the usu-
ally careful and judiciOus Washing
ton correspondent of this same news
paper to exhibit the newly nominated
Ambassador in a light rather differ
ent from that in which he appears
in the foregoing editorial remarks.
1t is far from us TO wish to dis
credit a friendly attempt to promote
public interest and confidence In a
worthy gentleman whose personality
is as yet imperfectly visualized by
the majority Of his fellow citizens
and whose name means nothing at
all to our British allies. But the
Washington correspondent Of the Post
goes so far in the kindness of his
heart as to say Of Solicitor General
JOHN w. DAVIS:
w lUll ne was a iiiShicOl Va SN'S 49,
and chairman Of the House Judiciary
Committee he was respected by both
Republicans and Democrats. When
Representative DAVIS spoke members
came in from the cloak rooms to heal
him. He never made fiamboyant on
extravagantly phrased speeches-but he
Is nevertheless an orator Of power and
effectiveness. His style is somewhat
like that of President WILSON"
Representative DAVIS of West Vir
ginia held his seat throughout the
three sessions of the Slxty-second
Congress and for few months OF
the first session of the Sixty-third
He resigned in August, 1913, to be
come Solicitor General in the Depart
ment of Justice. We have no doubt
that Mr. DAVIS was respected by botf
Republicans and Democrats when ht
was IN Congress but we are aston
fshed to learn from the Etenint
Posts Washington correspondent tina
he was respected as chairman Of thu
House judiciary Committee. Con
gressman no matter how able, doe
not attain that important chairman
ship in his freshman or sophomore
year. The record shows that Mr.
DAVIS was never nearer to 1t thai
the twelfth or thirteenth degree o
remoteness on the Democratic side
How the Posts correspondent wa
led into this singular error Of fac
we cannot say; perhaps by the lud
crous circumstance of an Overhast
reference to the autObiOg0phica
note concerning the gentleman in tn
Congressional Directory of the Sixt!
third Congress, where 1t Is state