Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1921-01-20
NO OTHER CAN AFFORD TO TAKE
"A HIGH DIPLOMATIC POST
FOR UNCLE SAM.
NOT AS IN FRANKLIN's TIME
Our Representatives In leading Ma.
tions Receive Puny Salaries, but
Must Maintain Elaborate Establish
rnents at Own Expense.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.

washington shows almost equally
sharp interest In the question Of who's
70 be who in the higher ranks of the
diplomatic corps after March 4 next.
President-elect Harding will appoint
new ambassadors to Great Britain,
France, Italy and japan, and to sew
eral other countries Of not quite SO
nigh rank, as rank goes among the
natlons OF the world.
Under the scale of salaries paid to
ambassadors and ministers represent
Ing this country In foreign lands, no
one but rich man can be considered
FOR appointment to any one of the
places. The ambassador to Great Brit
ain spends, it is said, and necessarily
spends, 100000 year over and above
the salary of $1,000 which Uncle Sam
pays him. Ambassadors and minis
tiers to other countries "spend In pro-
portion"
1t Is remarked on as curious today
that a man, Frank o. Lowden of Illi-
nois, who has been mentioned as a
possible ambassadorial appointee, was
the man who, when q representative
an congress some years ago, tried his
best to get bill through, providing
funds for the building OF residences
Tor our ambassadors and ministers
abroad. The bill failed of passage,
although 1t was admitted then, as It
is admitted today, that IL Uncle Sam
wants to send men abroad who have
every qualification for ambassadorial
Office except that Of wealth, 1t ought
to be possible for him to do SO.
FranklIn's Case Doesn't Apply.
or course 1t would be inyidious tn
intimate that the rich men who 70
abroad and who have been going
abroad for years to represent their
government, have not been and are
not able men. Every president pre.
sumably has tried to pick out from the
ranks of the rich, men who otherwise
are qualified for the particular work,
IN hand, aud Of course 1t Is to be taken
Tor granted also that President-elect
Harding Will attempt to do what his
predecessors attempted to do. The
TACT remains, nevertheless, that the
field OF selection is limited not only
to the rich, but to the able men among
the rich. Riches limit the field in the
first place and ability In the ranks Of
riches limits 1t in the second place.
The public may ask why our am
bassadors and ministers cannot 90
abroad and fguratively If not literally
wear wool stockings and q home-spun
coat, as Ben Franklin did when he
went to the Court of Louis XVI In
France as representative Of the
American colonies Franklin did not
have to maintain a huge establish.
ment, nor did he have to give great
entertainments. In fact, In those days
the poverty OF Franklin's present
ment" was a stock In trade for the
struggling colonies and for Franklin
himself. The ladies of the Court of
Louis made lot Of him because he
was so democratic, and so altogether
unexpected" He was Of more sery-
Ice In his neat but inexpensive attire
than he would have been II he had
gone abroad In purple and fine linen
with rings on his fingers and a retinue
at his back.
Must Return courtesIes.
Things have changed. The United
states government has to keep up ap-
pearances abroad In order to be prop
erly dignifed. Moreover, our ambas-
sadors and ministers are the constant
recipients OF courtesies from the off,
cials and the nonofiicials of the ma
tons to which they are accredited.
They are obliged In common decency
70 return these courtesies, and to re-
turn them costs money, and the money
must come out of the pocket of the
ambassador.
It Is said that the house In which
one OF our ambassadors lived in Lon.
don cost $30,0O0-a year for its mere
rental. 1t takes lot of door men.
maids and general factotums to run
house like this, and the wages OF the
whole STAFF must be paid, like the rent,
out OF the pocket Of the head Of the
mousse. The ambassador who balances
up at the end of the year and finds
that he hasn't spent more than $50,
Wy, IS accounted to be In great auck.
AZ takes a new ambassador and
new minister long time to know how
60 run things. While he is learning.
ms real work Is done> by some attache
VINO has been with thc., embassy for
yeers and Who could M the ambas-
saoortal job without the lenSt trouble
except Tor the fact that ms salary
probably does not exceed sS.5OO wear.
some Of The great natlons\ of the
world trntn all the members 9f their
oriplcmntic corps with view to nre.
mOttuS them when ,fhn <,,,,, -, IN .--.(