The Cordova daily times., 1922-11-13
COLONEL HARVEY AND HIS CRITICS


 by the light minded press, continue to amuse themselves by batting our ambassador to the British court The fact that upon occasions |of ceremony Colonel Harvey wears the dress. prescribed by custom-not, we suspect, from choice and assuredly not from vanity-is re- garded as proper subject for hilarious ieer- ing we'll seasoned with sneers This is far from being harmless fun, since there is involved Tn 1t belittlement of an official who has ser lous and difficult work to do and whose digni- ties as q representative are affected by what lis said of him at home. The truth is that Colonel Harvey has made and is making highly creditsble representative of his country l at the Court of St. James. Whether or not President Harding might better have made another selection is beside the point What. lever else may be said of Colonel Harvey, he lis beyond question man of great mental brilliancy; and it may be further said that he lis intensely and entirely an American in his sentiments and general attitude That he has won respect Tn the country to which he is as lsigned is the testimnoy of every observant American who has recently visited England, including Chief Justice Taft.
 The basis of Colonel Harvey's success lies primarily in sympathetic social instinct com bined with very unusual powers of expression and exposition. No man better than Colonel Harvey understands the American mind; and no man who has ever represented the United States officially at London has beens able better to interpret the American mindato our British cousins. The very lack of formality or of pose which characterizes Colonel liar very's addresses has commended him to the Du.4 4.oI ofP, ,o,o o1, lo l, 4o loo 1 It is not easy for the British mind to take in the conditions of American politics which diff ferentiate our system from theirs; and not every American ambassador has had the art or the essential American self-respect to in |terpret effectively the atmosphere of Ameri can political life with the reasons why some things may be done and why other things may not be done. It is at this point that Colonel Harvey has achieved a notable success in his personal contacts and in his public addresses He goes straight to the mark, and in the slang of the day he unfailingly "puts it over" Where concession in minor, including ,cerenon- |ial, matters is a point he comedies; where straight talk is necessary he has the force lrequsite to the situation. Speaking broadly, | he is making of his mission an absolute sue lcess; and this being so he merits respect at home as he has won respect abroad.
 | It is perhaps well for his American critics that Colonel Harvey's official position debars him from retort-retort whether with bud geon or napier. There are few capable of meeting the Colonel in intellectual combat certainly none of those who find amusement in persistent course of pin-pricking. We can but suspect that day of retribution is com ing when the Colonel, freed from official re- straint, shall put aside his famous ''knee pants'' and roll up his sleeves for action against certain of the more impertinent of his critics.
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