The Washington times., 1935-10-05
Sound Advice
For State
Officials
BY James T. Williams, Jr.

President Roosevelt's eloquent
and timely pledge to keep the
ship of State on the course
charted by the Father Of His
Country in The Farewell Ad-
dress will be welcomed and sup
ported throughout the "house-
hold of the Nation" It might
well be reinforced by an in
struction to the Department Of
State at Washington, reading
substantially as follows:
Let every official Of the De-
partment charged, under the d.
rectiOn Of the President, with
all correspondence and negOtia-
tiOns relating to the foreign af-
fairs of the United States, read,
mark, learn and inwardly digest
the advice and cOunseIs, the
warnings and admonitiOns Of
The Farewell Address.
Let the course there charted
for the conduct Of foreign re-
latiOns be faithfully followed, as
another foreign war begins
across the Atlantic.
George Washington's immOr-
tai valedictOry Is a safer guide
for an American Secretary Of
State and his subOrdinates, in
these periIOus times, than any
representations coming directly
from foreign chancelIerieS or in.
directly from their agents, tools
or dupes on American soil"
The occasion for the issuance
of some such instruction at this
time arises from the fact that
the Department Of State is large
ly manned today by officials
who, at one time or another,
have attempted to involve the
United States in the League Of
Nations or the League Court.
HALLUCINATION
These officials have, at one
time or another, deplored the
repeated refusal Of the United
States Senate to plunge the
United States into the league,
through the front door Of the
Covenant or the trapdoor of
the Court.
These officials have appeared,
at one time or another, to labor
under the hallucination that
the traditional foreign policy
of the United States is as "out-
moded" as the radicals declare
the Constitution of the United
States to be.
These officials have appeared
at times to think that they are
clothed with the authority and
responsibility to keep the peace
between foreign powers, instead
of confining themselves to their
constitutional task Of employing
American diplomacy to support
the rights and responsibilities
of the United States in the
field of foreign relations.
Owing to this attitude, which
is an evil inheritance from Re-
publican and Democratic ad.
ministrations in the last 20
years, officials of the Depart
ment of State should be on
their guard against Succumbing
to the wiles Of foreign influ-
ence, whether exercised directly
by Great Britain, France or
some other foreign power or
indirectly through a foreign
concert of power operating un-
der the firm name Of the
League of Nations, the League
Court or the signatories to the
Kellogg-Brian Pact.
Latterly there has been alto
gether too much prating in the
foreign service of the United
States about the alleged duties
of the United States as a
world power" Too frequently
some officials of the Depart
ment of State under recent ad-
miniStrations have seemed to
be the victims of the delusion
that the United States has
"only lately reached that emf
nence."
FAMILIAR ROLE
These officials should take to
heart these wise words of John
BaSSet Moore, than whom no liv,
ing American is better qualified
to speak with authority concern.
ing American foreign policy:
'The United States has al
ways been a world power. 1t
acted as a world power when,
on the outbreak of the wars
growing out Of the French RevO
luton, its first President, George
Washington, with Thomas JET
ferSOn as his first. Secretary OF
State, proclaimed our neutrality
1T acted as a world power
when. 1T suppressed the activi
ties Of the Barbary pirates
when, in 1912, it went to war in
defense Of neutral rights and
the freedom of the seas; when
it proclaimed the Monroe Doc.
trine; in extending its trade and
opening up foreign countries to
its commerce, as it so effectUauy
did by peaceful processes during
the presidency of Gen. Andrew
Jackson; when it refused to per
init the Intervention of foreign
nations in our civil war; when II
forbade the further mainte
nance of the European empire
set up in Mexico; when.