The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-01-04
A CAUSE FOR PRIDE

w United States Congressman 1s called to the needs of Podunk Fonr Corners. where there are doz- en and a quarter votes it is easy for him to ste their needs and enthusias- tically vote the necessary funds to fill in inc local frog pond. or build a post office, large enough to more than take care of tht growth of the place for a century to, come even on the basis of a real estate dealers picture of ti.c towns prospect.
 When 1t comes to providing funds tries looking out for American in ferests. and trying to uphold the dig nfty of what these same Congressman eal1 the ~greatest country on Gawd's &tPeen earth" it is different matter and they can with no effort father q "penny-wI rpound-foolish'' policy that has no equal.
 Attention is called to this charac- teristfc just at this time by the rob- bery of the American Legation at Warsaw on Dec. 9th by some thief apparently familiar with the legation premises. Some <tight hundred and fifty thousand Polish Marks. four thousand French francs. one hundred and seventy dollars in American money. and all the personal funds of the legation fell into the hands of the thief by simply breaking two locks
 It now develops that the Legation at Warsaw had no safe in which to keep its funds nor the confidential codes of the Department. Worse than this, however, is the fact that the robbery in Warsaw could be sdu- r1fcated with ease in more than one post. It is said that in several coun- tries the legations have nos fase in which to keep the codes and valuable papers and to secure the thousands of dollars in cash paid in weekly as wise fees.
 Nor is this all. In Berlin the American mission is housed in a building where the paper is dropping off the walls because the water comes through and when it rains the staff have to stop the transaction of mat ters of state and rush up stairs to put pails under the leaks. Tn yConstan- tinople the American Embassy is housed in a building which is in a very advanced stage of deterioration, and in Tokio and Pekin mortifying conditions are said to exist which are actually embarrassing to the prestige of the United States. In Serbia the American Minister has to typewrite his own dispatches to the department because Uncle Sam can not afford him the luxury of a. stenographer.
 In Budapest the American mission is housed in the second story of a :, building the approach to which is through a court yard and up two flights of rickety steps and the of fees themselves are cramped dark boxes made almost uncomfortable by the smell of sewer gas The Ameri- can Charge d'Affaires at Sofia, Bull garia, is subject to ejectment proceed. fngs because he can find no suitable quarttrs for the American Legation
 
 afford to pay and his lease expired or the first ot January. So it goes.
 The possible complications and un fortunate results which might follow the theft the copying of the secre code of the department do not nee x to be pointed out nor the undesira bil ity of having the cash of the legation run away with. It is a shocking an disgracefuI condition of affairs du entirely to the regular stinginess Q Congress. It is a policy which ca not be too severely condemned Ther is no more important department c the government than this forcig service and it should not be strangled Sufficient funds should be provide to make it an object for the best me to out to these posts and the govern inent should own it's own buildings I each country and not be at the merc <,f dcf Ia nd