Evening star., 1922-03-26
GERMANy'S ENVOY
CHOICE OF TWELVE
Or. WiedfeIdt Carefully Sc
Iected for Post as Ambas-
Sador to United States.
SANE, ECONOMIC THINKER
Title and Krupp Connections
Should Be No Cause for Alarm,
Harden Declares.
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.
Germany's Foremost Publicixt.

11dIucU UcCldTcS.
BY MAMMALIAN HARDEN.
Germany's Foremost Publicfxt.,
By Cablet to The Star
BERLIN. March 25-The great I'M
portance of the Washington ambas-
sadorship has triumphed over the
enormous financial sacrifice necessary
and Geheimrath Doctor Otto Wied-
feldt, the first director of Krupps.
Will accept the post.
DO not let his title or his previous
occupation frighten you. The Ger
man love of titles has resulted in
every third man over fifty being
called Geheimrath, but it simply
means privy councillor. The Fried
rich krupp Company is a family af-
fair and there are no shares of the
corporation on the market. 1t never
mas been exclusively a cannon fac
tory. Even before the war it's mill
tary department was smaller than
Its industrial. while since 1919 no war
materials have been constructed
there.
Close Student.
Dr Wiedfeldt has been govern
rnent official and an earnest student
of politics and economic statistics
He met Lloyd George in Essen when
the latter was there years ago study
ing German social legislation and
was highly esteemed by the Welsh
man. Afterward he was called to the
nome offices. where he displayed much
energy and initiative. After a brief
service as counselor of ths ImperiaI
Japanese state railways he returned
10 Essen where he was named to a
post under the municipality.
ihe doctor finally was lured by the
3ler OF the chief dictatorship to the
hrupp organiZati This is one of
the greatest Industrial positions in
Germany. whose incumbent is selected
only after close scrunity and who
must have demonstrated exceptional
Qualities. Wiedfeldt has been re-
nowhed Tor these at all of his posts.
ana the serious politicians of Ger
many have been very anxious to put
MN on the road to the imperial
chancellorship.
Declared to Know World,
He knows the world He knows
fermany's business and government
ofhces. their strength. as well as
their weaknesses. He never has been
a bureaucrat. He will work in WASH
without the slightest symptom of
propaganda. His appearance is that
or a learned man who is used to
hrain work: May this be a good omen
n khoWledSe of economics now is
more important than ever before. VET
beyond the crude material econom ic
world there is another. too often for
gotten. which alone makes life worth
living in the highest sense
II is interesting to recall that a
dozen impossible candidates for the
vacant ambasSadorShip were mem
toned before Dr. Wiedfeldt was ner-
Suaded to accept the vacant post. The
imperial embassies in the past most
~ We're occupied bv princes. counts,
litied nnlionaires. who for the glory
ana prestige accompanying the pos
gladly spent 100000 to 800 900 marks
yearly IN excess of their salary.
1t is too bad that Germany at this
time does not boldly change the
standard Of its diplomatic missions.
For myself. J believe that the Amer
leans and the English would respect
an aintaaSSador who frankly would
state that he was unable to give
state dinners costing millions of
marks, while so many Germans were
IN misery at home. nor could accept
them, and must beg even the box
holders of the Metropolitan Opera
House to allow him to entertain
them with tea and lemonade.
Unless the mark improves in value,
which is not likely. to maintain the
embassy at Washington on its for
nnr scale will cost at least 100. .00O-
200 marks yearly: probably much
rnorcI with wireless ard cable tolls
added. The rcjchstaG was ready to
grant whatever money was neccs-
sary, provided the right man could be
found. a certain American diplo-
mat. often mentioned in President
WILSON'S time, suggested sending the
world-renowned scholar and great
economist, Luigi Brentan, or the
theologian, Adolf Harnack, but they
declined on the ground of advanced
Years. Then the pcrpleXed govern
mcnt asked Walter Nerns, the inven-
tor Of the electric lamp which bears
his name. but he considered himself
uqsuited for the position.
Other Candidates Astonfshcd.
trist deputies, far less modest. of
fered themselves as candidates. They
all We're aStonished when the gov
crnmcnt replied that, despite their
unquestioned personal charms, the
United States probably would not
clan. while it certainly would refuse
the claims of social democrat, mas
much as the European brand of So
cialism is unknown in America,
where it is considered bolshevism
America never has seen a socialist
rise to power and then turn man
DARN.
Since 1918 we have had a whole
series of this kind here in Germany.
The foremost was Herr Ebert who
as social leader. organized
countless strikes and cursed all
rulers from the tribune of the reichs-
tag. AS president he called a general
strike when fleeing before Kapp and
I.uttwitz. yet now he tyrannizes with
injunctions, ukases and death sem
tcnceS against the strikers, to the de-
light of the tories. while the workers
call him a turncoat. All our expert
ence has shown that those in power
must. be conservative. Not nearly so
many rebels were executed in the
half century of kaiser rule as in a
year under socialism.
Copyright 1927