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Show Uncle Sam's "Shirt-Sleeve" Diplomacy administrations, but were retained by President Harding. Four ambassadors, sixteen ministers, minis-ters, two agents and one minister resident resi-dent and consul general appointed by President Harding, the report says, were persons without any previous diplomatic experience. "While many of the 23 appointments made of persons without previous diplomatic experience operated as a recognition of political obligations," the report states, "the evil of such appointments Is largely abated by the present administration and contrasts favorably with the records of the first year of other administrations, For this record, President Ilardlng and Secretary Hughes are to be commended. com-mended. President Harding Is furthermore fur-thermore deserving of commendation In that he had selected for secretary of state a mnn of the highest qualifications qualifi-cations and one devoted to the merit principle. The committee reported a still better bet-ter showing, "an unequaled record of adherence to the merit system" In Its examination of appointments . In the consular service. There Iihb been during the first 15 months of the present administration, tho report, states, "not a single exception to the rules requiring appointments through examinations In the consular service." "4Xf A SHINQTON. Long strides to-ward to-ward removing diplomatic posts from rewards for political service have ' been made during President Hardlng'a administration, according to , a report Issued by the committee on foreign service of the National Civil Service Keform league. i The report says the first year "seems to Indicate that an earnest effort ef-fort has been made to retain the services serv-ices of men of experience and to appoint ap-point to diplomatic posts persons with qualifications In diplomacy." The committee reports that five of the nine . ambassadors appointed by President Harding were men with previous pre-vious experience In diplomacy. Six of the thirty ministers now Serving In the diplomatic corps, the committee found, were appointed on the basis of their experience and eight were men appointed during previous |