Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-13
NEED OF TRAINED DIPLOMATS
PLACED BEFORE COLLEGES
Daily Letter by Frederic j.. Haskin

WASHINGTON, July 7.-Secre-
tary of State Hughes, in addressing
a recent university commencement
gathering outlined to The graduates
the importance of the work of the
diplomatic corps and showed me
need of the country for trained dip
iomatic representatives of the high
est skill.
This has long been a debated ques-
ton in American government and
recently there has beer a growing
opinion h a the State Department
should be taken almost completely
out of politics and developed along
more scientific lines. more in the
manner of the army and navy. The
theory is that the State Depart
ment's staff which deals with for
eign relations should be somewhat
comparable to the army war college.
1t has been a legacy of the Ameri-
can system of democratic government
that change in office-holding comes
with change in political administra-
ton; that, to preserve the direct re-
sponsibility of all officers of the gov
eminent to the people, those elected
slNcuid dismiss the appointees of
the defeated administration and
name new mes of the victorious
political faith.
Scant objection, if any, ever had
been raised to this system until the
Peace Conference at Paris. Here
came ar occasion when the most
highly skilled trained diplomats of
the world gathered to determine the
destiny of nations. 1t was recog-
nized hat the United States was rep
resented by distinguished statesmen,
politicians and soldiers but hat the
other powers brought to the peace
table men with far more experience
in the wiles of diplomacy which.
row as much as in the DAYS of the
Medicis is a Machiavellian bust
ness.
Robert Lansing, the American
Secretary of State, was an interAa-
tional lawyer. and Henry White. a
member of the delegation. had
served as an American Ambassador.
The other members of the delega-
ton We're not practiced diplomats.
Indeed, Secretary Lansing and Mr..
White in point of experience fell
far short of the men they faced.
There has been no more criticism
of what the American delegation did
than of what was accomplished by
other national delegates. but the
Conference did strongly impress
upon the minds of all Americans
who saw it or participated even in
directly in it Americas need for
more highly skilled diplomats.
England Trains Them Young
In England, diplomats are trained
from youth. A Young man upon
leaving preparatory school is des-
tined for the diplomatic corps. Con-
sideration is given his youth whcn
he enters college and his course of
study is planned accordingly. Upon
graduation he enters the Foreign
Office which is equivalent to our De-
partment of State. At first he will
serve, perhaps, merely as a mes
senger, in no case as more than a
sub-clerk. Gradually, he works up
through the years and after a while
Is appointed as an underSecretary
or clerk in the legation of Great
Britain at some small foreign capi-
tai. Uusally he is approaching mid
die age before he becomes a full
f1edged minister. After yet further
experience, he finally achieves the
rank of Ambassador, moving by sue
cessive promotions to the more i'm
portant capitals. BY the time he
becomes Ambassador at a capital
like Paris, Berlin, of Washington
he is a diplomat who knows every
trick of the profession and is so
deeply versed in the foreign policy
of his country that it is second ma
ture for him to avoid pitfalls into
which an inexperienced diplomat
would fall,
The same scientific method of
training diplomats is pursued in
France, Germany and other nations.
The result is that when a great peace
conference comes there are men
ready to handle the large affairs to
be negotiated.
This system is being introduced
gradually in the United States. Pres
ident Harding has announced that
he favors the retention of capable
diplomats in the service and he has
promoted men who were serving
under the last Democratic admins
tration.
Only in one notable case did Pres
ldent Wilson adopt this system of re-
tanning a trained diplomat. DR..
Maurice Francis Egan was appoint
ed as Minister to Denmark several
years e by a Republican Presi-
dent. When a new President is in
augurated. it is customary for all
Ministers and Amba ssAdors to send
in their formal designations.