The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1921-02-11
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Our HOuseless Diplomats.

II Our HOuselesS Diplomats.
Uncle Ted and the two children
were resting after wild orgy of pop.
corn balls and hickory nuts. Ruth
was smeared from Dan to Bersheeba
with molasses and Jack had mashed
his thumb while reducing a particu.
larly hard shagbark to subsection
The logs in the fireplace cracked an(
glowed and the wind outside moanet
fitfully Of Democratic graveyards ani
broken promises. 1t was an hour fol
inspection, reflection, and dissection
When up spoke Jack:
Uncle Ted, read in the paper to.
day that Congress was talking over
the offer of j. Pierpont Morgan of his
London residence as permanent
home for the American ambassador
Doesn't Uncle Sam provide homes for
his ambassador? yes, | saw that
article myself" shimed in Ruth, land
it said there were some men in Con-
gress who objected to our Government
receivin ga house from Mr.. Morgan
Why was that, when Congress is
working hard to economize?"
"Now children, you have opened up
a good point for discussion" replied
Uncle Ted, land if Ruth will remove
from her features that "linked sweet
ness long drawn out while Jack lets
me give first aid to his thumb. | will
talk about the way our foreign officials
are housed in foreign lands" In two
minutes Ruth returned with the
peachblow revealed in her cheeks to
find Jack sporting an iodined digit,
and Uncle Ted began:
"In the old days we were awfully
proud of our democratic institutions
and our humble style of liling, and
we didn't want cur representatives to
| foreign countries to be paid very much
for fear they would get stuck up aud
want to remaon abroad We had the
pioneers distase for 'all modern i'm
provements and we believed orr for
eign officials should take pot-luck in
their living The snuff-colorel suit Of
Benjamin Franklin was considered
good enough for any diplomats func-
| ton, and for that matter we would
accept the suit today if we could get
the Franklin brand of diplomacy along
with it, but the men or today who
| know as much as Ben iamin did can
make more money in pTivate life than
they can as ambassadors. and they
know that if they accept such office
they will, like DR.. David Jayne Hill
go broke in trying to met their neces-
sary expenses. Being a new country
we had not accumulated many official
documents in our foreign dwellings,.
But after over century of diplomatic
dealings with foreign countries our
embassies, legations, and consulates
have become congested with achjves
and we are in bad way for some
means of housing them because our
people have not yet decided that a
nation of our resources AMI impor-
lance should own its foreign houses.
Turkey refused during the war to be
responsible for our records at Con-
stantinople because of unsafe hrus-
ing. This suggests one reason why
we should have our own houses.
Another reason suggests itsel: in
the experience of DR.. Mauriso +. Egan
who was for some time our Minister
to Denmark During the war he was
housed in a building al50 occupied
by a German Of yer pro-Prussian in
tentions. He could not De gotten rid
of, and the lagtion could not be
moved because there were no vacant
buildings. DR.. Pagan had a very try
ing time with his German landlord be-
cause the German insisted on hoist
ing the German flag on certain holt
days like the Kaiser's birthday, above
the American flag. But Dr. Eagan was
able to make the German disist after
a great deal of squabbling.
There is third reason which has
to do with what is known as the pin
ciple of extra-territoriality, long
word which means the immunity
which under certain circumstances
members of foreign state enjoy In
a foreign land, and which also applies
to their dwellings. But no matter how
rich an American may be, no matter
how splendid may be the edifice he
rents the house is looked upon in a
foreign country as his personal
dwelling. It is not really evtra-ter-
ritorial, because it does not belong to
America. As applied to the dwellings
occupied by American officials the
principle is a fiction. England, France,
Germany, Italy, and many more, own
dwellings wherever they have repre-
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