Career Men

Along shaded campus walks of Washington University, St. Louis, last week strolled a procession of St. Louis notables, of university professors, of college-departing seniors.

On every head but one rested a flat-topped, tasseled cap; all but one pair of legs marched swathed in the folds of the academic gown. The lone exception was Vice President Charles Gates Dawes, who, with silk hat, striped trousers, frock coat and pale blue, pearl-studded tie headed the parade.* He was to deliver the Commencement Address to the 1927 Class of Washington University.

Platitudinous, innocuous as may be most commencement speeches Vice President Dawes observed not the bromidic tradition. Mounting a platform fringed with potted plants, he put his manuscript on a pedestal before him, gripped the pedestal with both hands, read. Soon those members of his audience who may have been acquainted with developments concerning the appointment of U. S. delegates to the Geneva Conference, sat straight up, leaned forward or otherwise shifted their persons to positions indicating close attention.

For the speaker was saying: "War lessons should make us distrustful of too great an extension of the policy ... of educating and using career men for diplomacy. For the routine diplomatic work in peace time it may be well enough, but the psychology engendered by a peacetime career in diplomacy is often fatal to diplomatic emergencies. Career men, capable of a career, can be and now are being used in our diplomacy, but care must be taken lest the development of a right of seniority in promotion . . . does not have its dire result on the future of American diplomacy. . . .

"We need to be cautious about putting up career men, simply because they are career men . . . against the able negotiators in first authority now practically conducting the diplomatic negotiations of European countries. ... I do not have individuals in mind. But . . . any custom of appointments and promotions involving career men must never dull the sharp discretion which the appointing power should employ in selecting our best men for our most important diplomatic work. . . ."

Having finished his speech, the Vice President attended a luncheon, then changed to a brown checked tweed suit and grey fedora hat, watched a ball game in which the Boston Nationals defeated the world's champion St. Louis Nationals, 12 to 5.

Next day Washington fussed, buzzed. For had not Ambassador (to Belgium) Hugh S. Gibson just been appointed to head the U. S. delegation to the approaching Geneva Arms conference? Is not Mr. Gibson eminently a "career man"? Both England and Japan have appointed "able negotiators of first authority" to attend the Conference. The very question discussed generally by Mr. Dawes had been discussed specifically with regard to Mr. Gibson for weeks preceding his appointment. It had been rumored that Charles Evans Hughes had been asked, had refused, to take the post.

In view of these circumstances, had not Vice President Dawes selected rather an inopportune time to debate career men v. special emissaries? This question, impertinent, found no official answer.

* Many honorary degrees have been offered to the Vice President. He has refused them steadfastly.