The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-06-07
WATSON'S REbUKE
TO DIPLOMATS
Believed He Represented
the Presidents Desire
They Be More Quiet
LESS INTERFERENCE
ON TARIFF DESIRED
Matter Not Taken Up By State Depart
ment = Probably Speech Is General
Warning - Watson Well Informed of
Administration Desires.
! BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Administrations Desires.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, June 7.-Senator
James Watson of Indiana, Republican
leader aud mouthpiece of President
Harding in the upper house of congress.
has stirred up the diplomatic corps and
given tie department of state a delicate
problem to solve.
The Indiana senator's speech criticiz-
ing the diplomatic representatives of for,
eign governments for making addresses
relating to the tariff on the ground that
theX-were assuming to dictate to an
American legislative body through public
opinion ,is-no casual affair. Under the
usual rules of procedure, the department
of state cannot help taking cognizance Of
the charges made by an Americans SEN
ator and if his charges are well founded
the recall of The diplomats must be
asked.
But nobody supposes. for a minute
that the department of state will do any
such thing Officially the department
will take absolutely no cognizance of the
speech and will go along as if it had not
been made. This is the only course that
will save it from embarrassment. And
as for the foreign departments they viii
undoubtedly take the hint and avoid as
summing responsibility for their own ut
teranccs by submitting their speeches to
the department of state.
Hard to Muzzle Foreigners.
It's difficult to muzzle an ambassador
or consul on the subject of trade and
commerce. That's his paramount
thought in peace time. He must keep
live in the United States constantly adj
vised of the effect of new laws or pro
posed laws American conSuls and dip
,OmatS are doing the same thing abroad
informing American citizens of the
possible effects of foreign laws pending
or passed on their own interests. Some
where between proper advice and I'M
proper influence there's a line Hereto
fore the diplomats have drawn this line
for themselves. Senator Watson. thinks
it has been drawn too far toward the
latter. To avoid misunderstanding dip
lomats will ask the state department to
censor their speeches. The word cen
aorship" is perhaps misleading. The Off
cial way will be- to submit a speech and
ask tile department of state if it thas
any objection to its publication.
| No one at the department of state to-
day seemed to know the reason for Sen
ator Jim Watson's speech So far as it
could be learned the circumstances com
! planned of have not been made a subject
| of correspondence between the depart
ment of state and the White House Yet
| Senator Watson is a frequent caller at
| the executive mansion and is too old a
hand at Washington procedure to take a
| ding at foreign diplomats without weigh
| ing the desires of the administration.
Think Harding Knew.
Tie White House may deny all con-
| nection with Mr.. Watson's utterance and
the Indiana senator may insist that it
was his personal observation uninspired
| by the President but the general belief
is that he did not make the speech with
out the knowledge of Mr.. Harding and
that the purpose sought to be accom-
| plished. was to keep ambassadors from
| Expressing themselves on domestic mat
| ters and since there were several ambas-