The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-06-04

much more willingly avoided Than sought after,
by the traveller The Consuls not at all to blame
this wretched state of things but rather the ers
tive body in Washington, who by their incessant ne
elect Of the ameorations required in this abominab bic
system force them to lay the heavy and unlawful
tax of two dollars upon every American who arrives in
order to themselves from bankruptcy and perhaps
starvation The lawful Fees upon which Congress expects
the Consular corps to live do not amount IN many
places dollar bill To sustain themselves then
recourse must be had to charges upon their fe!lowc
the justice OF which has been satisfactorily
established. How humating and painful it must be,
to find themselves forced in order to subsst to
poor Jack of his hard wages The poor sailor
on being discharged In port not only forced by Con-
grcss to pay two and half per cent on his tring
gss, to the Consul, bat the Captains compel him. in
addition to pay the fee for the certificate of discharge
and all the expenses Of consular stamps required for
shipping another which amounts to several dol
lars All this must come out of the poor weather
beaten mariners pocket and the 2 cent by order
Of Congress Again, passport is, for example,
in every ry respect; great nu;ancto traveller
route obliged to take it out and show It At
every little turnpike gate and feeling the officer for
looking at it, to be forced and above to pay an
American consul two dollars for merely writing his
name upon It, Is an unworthy aggravation Of the nui-
sance which prompt law of Congress should obviae
by according them triaing pittancc upon which to
live decently, as American represe natives ought to
live and thus prevent respectable body from bel
obliged to have recourse to such undgnihed and
popular means Of gaining a subsistence At this pre-
sent mt the eyes Of all Europe directed
country some for the purpose of studying and ad
mirng the principles of our organization but many
others and much the larger class with the sole view Of
searching out its faults and exposing its weak points
with the hope of thus being able to depreciate
uence and operate against the progress Of republican
principles throughout this Continent How necessary
Is it. then by improving what is really unworthy of
as nation, by introducing proper amelioraens in
system Of foreign intercourse to deprive enemies Of
the pleasure of finding fault and continually trowi ng
the insnuation In faces Of the clese scdness
Of our Grand Republic. country is often and with
reason judged Of by its represe natives abroad How
all important Is T. then particularly at this present
ment, TO have a refined polished well educated well
paid ndcpc ndcnt set Of at the head OF the various
copsulaes capable Of we'll and efficiently reprcse
their country it really is and sustaining themselves
face to face with John Bull who towers us
with his usual supercilius pride because Her British
Majesty's Government sends abroad picked men and
cmunerstes them we'll while sends the first who
beg for 1t and forces them to pay their expenses
When a. American arrives in Europe, and sees that
the English, Russian and French pay their coDsuls
from three to five thousand dollars year besides
tributing contingent fund for Office expenses postage
&C Il Is longer any wonder TO him that those
tries everywhere ably represented. and that
their consuls capable oftakng and occupying such
respectable positions aud thus do honor to their
pectiye governments For the honor Of the American
republic, Congress ought seriously and in earnest to
take this question from under the table. and that i'm
medistey and place the consular system beyond the
reach Of the chuckng smirk of rdcue and nferiorty
with which y 10 viewed by Eurcpesn nstionr