Evening star., 1926-09-17
ENJOYS MUST DIG
INTO own POCKETS
Johnson's Suit Over Allow
anCe Puts Uncle Sam on
Grill as MiggardIy.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Robert Underwood Johnson. Amer
ican Ambassador to Italy in 1920 and
1921. is suing the United States Gov
ornment in an action that involves
Uncle Sans niggardly treatment of
his representatives abroad. While
the poet-author-di diplomat was station
ed at Rome. he was in receipt of
special allowance of $4,000 a year. in
addition to his Sl7500 salary. for
representation" purposes. During
the four years following our entry
into the World War, American Am
baSSadors in Great Britain. France
and Italy received these allowances,
TO cover the extraordinary expenses
which war eXigencies imposed upon
them.
In his 1927 income tax return. Mr..
Johnson, then retired from the foreign
service. deducted a proportion of his
$4,000 allowance, claiming it repre-
scented the cost of his ''inescapable
OBLIGATIONS and lodging while serv-
ing the United States at Rome. The
collector of internal revenue. sustain
cd by the Treasury Department, dis
allowed the deduction. The former
Ambassador paid an additional tax of
S10N.54 under protest, and is, now
suing in the United States District
Court at New York to recover that
amount.
ENJOYS Must Pay Own Way.
.lt present this :'richcSt nation on
earth pays none Of its amba SSa
dorS. minister's or consul5 abroad
q brass farthing for living expenses.
They get their salaries, and in
few cases where the United States
owns its own diplomatic or consular
premises, free rent. But for upkeep
of American official establishments
abr ad the Government which has
ST. 900, 900, 900 mortgage on Europe
pays nothing whatsoever.
When Ambassador Houghton on
October takes possession of our
stately new aforementioned en-
hassy opposite Hyde Park in London,
he will move into a mansion equipped
at Government cost. But for the
array of servants required to keep
II busted and swept or for the con-
Stant official entertainment the Am
basSador must provide. or for the au-
tomohile he uses to drive to the Brit
ish foreign office Or the American
embassy, Mr.. Houghton will bave
to dig, and dig deep, into his own
pocket. 1t happens to be a we'll filled
pocket. But that is merely Uncle
Sans luck. Throughout the world
L
must count every penny to make
both ends meet and who make a
correspondinGly poor show among
foreign colleagues richly endowed by
their governments.
A Staggering Comparison.
The new foreign service law Rogers
act), in force since June, 1924, ma
telially improved the status of our
diplomatic and consular personnel
abroad But it leaves wholly unpro-
vided the Wherewithal to carry on
those expensive social obligations
which are Indispensable in world capi-
tails. The United States long has been
the only country that ignores these
responsibilities and expects it's repre-
sentatives to finance them out of their
own purses. Mir. IIoughton in Lon
don now has a free house and $l7,500
salary, but Sir Esme Howard. British
Ambassador at Washington. in addi-
ton 70 a free house and a salary of
$4,000, receives Il representation
allowance Of approximately $4,000.
In other words, John Bull gives his
envoy at Washington roundly $4,000
and Uncle Sam gives his envoy at
London $l7,500.
Our Governments parsimOny is
even more Glaring in light of the sums
paid by Great Britain to her repre-
kentatives at other capitals. While
we give all our Ambassadors S17,500,
two of our Minister'S $4,000. and all
other Ministers $4,000, with no al
l0wanceS whatever, Great Britain'S
remuneration of her representatives
tn the following countries is as fol-
lows:
France, S72 500
Germany. Sal ,250.
Italy, $40, ,000.
Brazil, $35 600.
Japan. $31 800.
Argentina. 100000.
Spain, 100000
Eel:Aum. 81.
Netherlands. S26.250.
Portugal. 5000.
Poland. $23,750.
Sweden. SO 500.
Switzerland, S1S,750.
British representatives in Rumania,
Bulgaria. Greece, China and Chile are
all paid more than any American for
eign representative.
The State Department has always
favored the principle of making our