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Show Gossip of Washington Not Lcsc Majesty to Decline Informal Invitation to White House Din. ncrs The Big Market in Central and South America To Maintain the Dignity of the United States Abroad The Summer Somnolence of Washington. Ill' 1 a WASHINGTON. There were few presidents ( i who cared less for conventionalities than does (((II 9 Mr. Hoosovclt. Where theso conventionalities ) -J 1.1 8 menu national dignity or havo any particular II ( I illplomntle Klgnlllcuuco Mr. Hoosovolt wantB to ft ) Imvo them observed, but ho Is not a stickler for ' jX 'I ' '"rl" '" 'llH l,r'vatu "f" I" t'l Whlto House jSjxy s j goes a good deal on tho plan of n genuine old- - fashioned American homebody. With some presl- (i 7 I gsf dents an invitation to take dinner ut tho While i3- IIoubo took tho form of a comufnnd much as l-3! . would 11 slmllnr Invitation from ono of tin I7 ffft 1 s" crowned heads of Kuropc Anyone receiving A j 'Mi 1 such nn Invitation would never have thought or III ' chL derllnlng It unlcHS inovouted by sickness or some I I I TS. providential Interfeienco. I VT. Mr. Hoosovelfa Invitations to dinner have m riii iii'TrSiniJrgL.' sometimes declined, but only .such us have been extended In 11 generous sort of "come and take pot luck with us" way. Not long ago one of his old ranch comrades from Montana called at the While House anil tho president asked him to tuko din nor with him that night. The old cattleman declined on the ground that he hnd no evening dress nnd In fact had never woin that sort of togs. Mi. Hoosovelt pressed him, but ho was firm In his resolve that he would not sit down among lot of other folks without being dressed us they were. There havo been others who have good-naturedly declined tho president's Informal Invitations and their excuses have been Just ns good naturally accepted. On ono occasion Speaker Cannon bad an engagement lo dine nt n cabinet dinner where tho president was the guest of honor nnd ho liegg'-il oh In order to attend 11 gridiron dinner. Tho mutter was compromised by u postponement of the cabinet dinner. It does not constitute lose umjesto to decline nn Informal Invitation to tho Whlt House dinners. A PRECEDENT FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY. . Secretary of State Hoot Is now on n mission p"!? that promises to bo of great Importance to tho 4VQs (fs-l United Stntes und to nil the Republicans on tho u VvL; I western hemisphere. It Is n great departure from j J&ff Jong established custom for n cabinet olllcer to .'pjftc JP- visit neighboring countries und discuss with their -A f N L administration International affairs, hut tho pres. ij Vlf'l firVx ent administration nt Washington cares vry lit- ' P IS MlYsLj ' tie about precedents so long as tho thing con- i s 'A-1 !?C35 templated lo bo done Is for tho good of tho l Is'Cx ?S country. . A'l J y Mr. Root Is n man of practical Ideas and f ft lMf W since he becuuio tho premier of tho ntlmlnlstrn- TT'' IT-3P--. Hon ho lias been looking Into tho mattor of ox- I k 1 sY) l- ,K -lending United Slates trndo to tho countries to A,l?5 U; rx"2 tho south of us. Ho has been Impressed with tho f7 jiUS- R5t Idea Hint there Is a big ninrkot in Central and ) Kv'. South America that Is In danger or being monop- t ftnl lif- ' ' pllzed by foreign countries nnd which naturally ought to belong to tho merchants and manufacturers of this country. One renson Hint the peoplo of tho United States aro not getting tholr shnro of that market Is a prejudice that exists nmong tho Central and South American republics against this country. Mr. Root has gone dow'n on a visit to our sister republics for tho pur-jioso pur-jioso of persuading them Hint wo aro their best friends, und Hint thoy should loo.t to tho United States rather than to old Kuropenn nations for commercial commer-cial as well as political friendship. It will bo Mr. Root's purpose also to nnulro as to whether CJcrmuny nnd Great llritaln nro trying to tnako any headway In tho politics of thoso countries ns they uro doing In their com-merco. com-merco. Ho hopes by porsontil contact with members of tho administration to strengthen tho old-fashioned American Monrou doctrine which denies tho right of lCuropean governments to acquire nny moro territory on this hemisphere. hemis-phere. SUITABLE LEOATION AND EMBASSY BUILDINGS. now tjml tl0 unt., suxlca government hna m mndo a stmt In tho direction of erecting sultablo eUf I legation and embassy buildings for our rcprcscn- y X. tntlves abroad It Is hoped that bofore many years "v tho United States Hag will lly over proporty that im jtL- fcrt tn,B Kovcnment owns In every prominent capital flMHVciSjK. abroad. Tho fact that American umbassudors nnd 2HPBl2KMB ministers have had to rent their tinrtors abroad vJWLjJWJ luis Jieen u illsgraco to tho United Stntes dlplo-' dlplo-' cSTl - U " mntlc service. ieGlj?K T1, experience in Peking during tho lloxer jr-lBt::r ' j-'1 tnmbles in 1000 mndo It Imperative that this gov- U I . eminent erect Its own legation building In that 1 ' t city where a proper guuiM could bo placed. A hnndsomo ministerial residence nnd guardhouse havo been provided there nnd now that tho precedent prece-dent Is established, congress will bo nppealcd to, LwnmJ as It was In this last session when an appropriation appropria-tion wns mndo for tho purchase of nn ambassadorial ambassa-dorial rosldonco In Constantinople. Minister John G. A. Lelshman, who hns been In Constantinople for a number of years, spent his leave of absence In Washington, and through Senator Knox, of Pennsylvania, and Secretary Root, had llttlo dllllculty In persuading congress that tho diplomatic post at Constantinople Con-stantinople should he mndo an embassy and that a sultablo residence should bo purchased for the ambassador. THE PERSONNEL OF OUn CONSULAR SERVICE. Thoso who havo had occasion to observo tho 1" " United States consular bci-vIco In recent years jus. consulate havo noted a distinct Improvement In Its porson- nol. Now that congress bus passed n lnw reor- 1 -j -j v gaulzlng this service still greutor things aro ox- V-svC!W iiected of It. In tho old dnys ono of tho standing pi Ji jokes nnd constant sources of amusement when vJJ-t- ' Jik. thoro was a change In tho administration wns 'LZ'XJ afforded by tho horde of politicians who ennio to rsMl Washington soliciting appointments to tho United OtSWtm Stntes consular service. It was almost tho oxcop- MF 1 & tlou to Hnd men urged for these places who wore W KltfW In any way fitted for them. Tho Btory Is still told 'Mk , rJ of u man during Clovoland'H first administration , jTBt-- who wus on aiipllcant for a consular post of great JrV yJrWCT Imiiortnnco in Geriuuny. Whon Clovoland usked JL him if ho could speak German, ho said: "No. but fn gfWnrr r ' ' I havo a brother who plays tho Gorman llute." Tho consular posts wero regarded ns so many plums to bo distributed among political workers who had aided In tho election of a now administration. administra-tion. Tho places paid both talarles und fees and It was reckoned that a shrewd man would bo nblo to mako u protty good thing out of tho latter ovon If tho salary wus not very high. Then tho sorvlco was nlso regarded as n convenient placo to dump political workors of the "has been" typo who would bo stowed uwuy In some fnr off corner of tho world and forgotten. Thoro havo boen cusos where men woro sent to consulnr posts and only hoard of by nn occasional report and left there for years nnd years until tholr vory names almost wero forgotten. This order of things hns been changed under tho prosont administration of President Hoosovelt und Secretary Hoot. Under tho operation of tho now Jnw thoro will bo constant changes nnd promotions on civil sorvlco principles and no consular ofllcer Is likely to bo forgottou no mutter how far ho Is awny from Washington. SUMMER IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAT- IL., "I H In midsninmor tho great national capital at Atv ' y I Waahlngton Is llko nn ovorgrown country village XSr5! QO" I r'10 'lulet of its streets and Its general 3omnolont i'1' Koflilrirlf I clmrnt!tor nr remarked by visitors from nil parts H'pi'r Tl lU' f ' I of tho country. Thoro Is no rush, no crowd oxcopt "M ilt"T3-'CC- I nt vory brlof periods during tho day. From eight I wilHM' t.' uut" Illno o'clock In tho morning tho street cars J " aro crowded nnd a good many peoplo nro scon '.t nnf on tho sidewalks, hut thoy composo tho nrniy of """1-J "G.000 government omployeB thnt Is nwallowed ""Vi' v up behind tho doors of tho big murblo und grnu-f- tr w lt0 Kovornment buildings upon tho BtMko of nlno. 'v'iSr-' Again from -1:30 until 5:30 thoro Is unothor -j-eiiv. llttlo bustle on tho street ns this Ink-stulnwl XCli " crowd of clorks como out of their oulco buildings m I nna E MonM'' 'rlint 18 about all tho oxcltument k yijf US I 5 thoro Is during tho daytlmo. Thoro Is n gontlo 1 llttlo stir later In tho evening as n fow hundred of Washington's citizens go to tho wharves and taka tho bout for un ovenlug rldo down tho Potomac or board tho trolley cars for a trip to tho Biiburbs. Aftor this crowd has gone Washington goes to Bleep until iibout 11 o'clock whon theso ovonlng pleasure Benkors return homo. Ily midnight, nn hour when Now York Is Just got'lng nwako, Washington Wash-ington has Its shutters closed and blinds drawn and anyone found on tho street Is looked on with susftulou by tho pullco. |