The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-12


called the State Department. Al
handling of our foreign affairs til
made itself, while the general sch
zed, and while billions have been
voted by congress, the one de-
partment charged with preserv-
ing peace has remand unchang-
ed, unnoticed and almost out Of
the headlines.
The majestic complacence of
the state department, the sweet
imperturbation of its diplomats
despite the ward clouds of Eu-
Z rope-is perhaps the most tragic
sight in Washington today.
While the armed services
have doubled their expendi.
lures, ordered the latest
bombing planes, developed .
new poison gas, and invented
q secret machine-gun capable
of hitting a lady's handker.
chief three miles away, the
state department has remain.
ed static.
Not one silver from the lus-
cious appropriation melons cut
on Capitol Hill has come its
way.
Serenity
Aside from the retirement of
Eddie Savoy, handy legged
Negro guardian of the secre-
tary's portal; aside from putting
cream colored Venetian blinds
on the secretary's waiting room;
and aside from promoting the
portraits of bygone secretaries
from cellar to corridor, state de-
partment halls are as somnolent,
as serene and as unsullied by
the realities of life as they we're
two decades ago.
A fortnight secretary of state
easily could have sold congress
on the importance of the peace
arm of the government of the
peace arm of the government In
these days of emergency; could
have secured almost unlimited
appropriations.
But Mr.. Hull has been content
to limp along with neither in
creased personnel nor increased
expenditure. No examinations
have been held for entrance into
the foreign service for three
years, simply because there was
no money even to pay the
meagre salaries melted out to
apprentice diplomats.
Antiquity
The result of this and other
factors has been freezing OF
personnel, a congealing of view
point, a fixation of methods
which leaves American diplo-
macy more antiquated than
Civil War cavalry against mod
ern tanks.
Most top-notchers in the
American diplomatic service
today got their training In the
days of landing marines 20
protect big business, or OF
sending vehement notes to
Britain to uphold cOntraband-
carrying vessels, or of lisping
sweet nOthings to the wife OF
Those days are now over. But
the same diplomats have stayed
on.
Efficient Bureaus
There exist, Of course, one or
two pleasant cases in the state
department where brains rather
than precedent prevail. The
Latin American division, after
years of bungling below the
Rio Grande, is one of these;
while the near eastern division,
now one of the most important
because of its handling of Ethio-
plan affairs, Is also, strange to
say, one of the most efficient
divisions of the department
Its chief, Wallace Murray,
is intelligent, though slightly
Over.stuffed, slightly Oversold
ON his own importance. Once
a great believer In protecting
the rights of American cOrpO-
ratiOns abroad under Harding
and Coolidge, he Is skilled,
like most of his colleagues, In
the art of ut-facing ON q
tcn-cent piece and casting the
same rights overheard without
cOmpunction under Roosevelt.
Its Ethiopian expert, Paul
Alling, is comparative young
ster, who has roamed the
temples and the fish-markets
of the near east until he can
forecast down to the last T the
conclusions of the Oriental mind.
Western Europe
If Ethiopian experts were all
Mr.. Hull had to worry about, life
for him would be easy. Unfor-
tunately, however. it is the
much less tractable problem OF
Italy and the much less eff
cient western European division
which are chiefly involved.
Chief of the western Euro
pean division is Jimmy Dunn.
Jimmy, as Mrs. COrdell Hull
puts 1t, is a "dcar boy" And
that is how Jimmy got his job.
Jimmy once wore tight-blue
pants as a sailor boy, until ne
married Mary Armour and the