Evening star., 1922-06-07
WATSON ST|RS Up
DIPLOMATIC CORPS
Indiana Senator's Speech
Gives State Department
Problem to Solve.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Senator James Watson of Indiana,
republican leader and mouthpiece OF
President Harding in the upper house
of Congress, has stirred up the dip
lomatic corps and given the Depart
ment of State a delicate problem TO
solve.
The Indiana senator's speech critl-
cizing the diplomatic representatives
of foreign governments for making
addresses relating to the tariff on the
ground that they 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 or the
charges made by an American sena
tor and If the charges are wen
founded the recall of the diplomats
must be asked.
No Action Expected.
But nobody supposes for minute
that the Department of State Will DO
any such thing. Officially the depart
ment will take absolutely no cogni-
zance of the speech and will so along
as if 1t had not been made. This is
the only course that will save it from
embarrassment And as for the for
eign diplomats they will undoubtedly
take the hint and avoid assuming re-
sponSibility for their own utterances
by submitting their speeches TO 'he
Department of State.
1t is difficult to muZZle an ambas-
sador or consul on the subject of
trade and commerce. That Is his
paramount thought i'll peace time. He
must keep the subjects of his own
country who live in the United States
constantly advised the erect or
new laws or proposed laws. American
conSuls and diplomats are doing the
same thing abroad-informing Amer
lean citizens of the possible effects
of foreign laws pending or passed on
their own interests. Somewhere be-
tween proper advice and improper in
fiuence there is line. Heretofore
the diplomats have drawn this line
for themselves Senator watson
thinks it has been drawn too far
toward the latter. To avoid misun-
derstanding diplomats will ask the
state Department to censor their
speeches The word censorship" is
perhaps misleading. The official way
the department of State if it has any
objection to its publication.
Reason for speech Mystiies.
No one at the Department of State
today seemed to know the reason for
Senator WatSon'S speech. So far as
could be learned. the circumstances
complained OF have not been made Il
subject of correspondence between
the Department of State and the
White House. Yet Senator Watson
is Il frequent caller at the Executive
Mansion and is too old hand at
Washington procedure to take fling
at foreign diplomats without weigh
ing the desires of the administration.
The White House may deny all con-
nrctiun with Mr.. WatSon'S utterance
and the Indiana senator may insist
that il was his personal observation
Uninspircd by the President. hut the
general belief is that he did not make
the speech without the knowledge of
Mr. Harding and that the purpose
sought to be accomplished was to
keep ambd SSadOrS from expressing
themselves on domestic matters. and
since there We're several ambassadors
and ministers and ConsulS involved t
was deemed best by the powers that
De to have Il speech made in the Sen
ate on the general subject so that il
might serve as warning to Others
who might have inadvertently made
the same miSta he or otherwise might
be likely 10 do it hereafter. Some
times rOunda bout ways have To be
chosen, and while the Department of
State is i'll more or less awkward
position by having its task of ham
ding foreign diplomats handled by
another branch of the government
thechances are the department will
not go OUT of its way to make
point of the episode.
Copyright, 1927