The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-13

ana indexlng Their TILES; the custody 1T ths
seals Of the United States and Of the depart
ments; the Authorization of papers presented
for that purpose; the preparing and recording
Pardons and rcmissions, and the registering and
ming the petitions and papers on which the
same are fonndeds the making out and record
ing commissions, letters of appointment, nomi
nations to the Senate, exequarters on forcigl
commissions; the receiving the returns Of pas
sengers and seamen from the various custom
houses; the collection Of information respect
ing changes and notifications in the commercial
systems of other nations, and tho commun Gu
ton Of annual reports of the same to Congress
Ii All these, and other duties too numerous to
mention here, are devolved on the department
Now, the question arises: Has the increase Of
clerical force in the Department kept pace with
the increase OF its business! Not at all. In 1889,
when the present government went into opera
ton, the force employed in the "Otfice Of Foreign
Affairs" consisted of fre persons, including the
secretary: our population at that date being
less than four millions. The present force en-
ployed in the same department in conducting
the diplomatic and foreign business of the Union
consists OF ten persons, our population being
now near twenty-five millions. Again: in e.,
the force employed in the department, including
the secretary, consisted Of eleren persons; our
missions abroad at that time being seuen, and our
consulates sirfy-seren Now, in 1851, the force
. in the same department. including the secretary,
consists Of fifteen persons; our missions abroad
being t,centyeight, and our consulates one hun
dred and ninetyttOo, whilst the resident missions
in the United States are nineteen and the foreign
consulntes in the United States are about three
1 hundred
But, sir, this is not all. The clerical force in
the Department Of State has not only not kept
pace with the rapid expansion Of our national
relations, and with the vast increase of our for
eign intercourse, but neither has it kept pace
with the increase of the like force in the other
departments Of the government. | am not pre-
pared to state ut this moment what was the
number Of clerks employed in the other depart
ments in 1885, but am satisfied it bore very
malkproporiion to the present number. Ac-
cordshg to the Blue Book for l849, the number
of clerks employed that year in the Treasury
Department was -. 1872
The number in the War Department . Ga
The number in the Navy Department +. 30
The number in the Post-Office Dept. 30
The number in the Interior Dept. !. 1876
Whilst compared with these, the number en-
ploycd in the Department of State is only four
icen
This comparison exhibits results both striking
and interesting. 1t proves that whilst there has
been an extraordinary, and almost an alarming
increase of the clerical force and expense of TIE
other departments, there has hardly been any
relative increase of either in the Department of
State--a circumstance which, of itself, is highly
crcditable to the economy of that department,
and which, in fairness, ought to commend its
claims to Legislative aid to the favorable consid.
Grafton Of Congress. Aud whilst this is true
in regard to that department it is no less true
TINT it's achievements have been quite as valua-
bic and brilliant as those Of the other depart
ments: for, it will be recclected that it vas
1 through the agency OF this department that
t Louisiana and Florida were successfully nc
f quired from France aud Spain: and that New
+ Mexico, and California with her mines of gold
: were lately acquired from the Mexican Repub'
lie as a browning act of peace, terminating ar
' expensive and painful war. Nor will it be for
: gotten that it was through the frmness and pa
= triotism of minister amenable to this depart
h ment, that the freedom of the seas and the in
t. volatility Of the American flag wns saved from
70 the domination of daring and menacing com
e bnaton of crowned heads-I refer 10 the lu
y mnous and justly-celcbrated protest of Genera
a. Cass against the right of search professed b
is certain European cabinets. Norris it less like
Dr. to be forgotten that it was through the instru
mentality of the present Secretary of STATE
,s that tle noble principles of our government,
f. and TIM still broader principles of humanity
1t were upheld by giants strength, in late cor
respondence between Dir. Webster and thu
e Austrian minister at this government. The re
e ply Of Dir. Webster to Mr.. Hnlsemann, vii
7: probably be considered by his countrymen n.
# the chef Faurre of his distinguished public ca
r, reer. 1t is noble act nobly done.
1t has already been stated, that fourteen clerk.
y in all were employed in the Department of State
r but it is proper to explain that sir of this mum
Der are employed on the miscellaneous business
l. Of the department-one being disbursng agent
another translator, third clerk of appointment
e ments and COMMISSIONS fourth clerk Of the
d rolls and archives, fifth clerk of authorization,
and copyrights, and the sixth clerk of pardon,
e and passports. Besides these there is the chic
8 clerk, who superintends the business Of the de-
$ partment generally, under the direction Of the
e secretary, and who, in the absence of the latter
@ receives persons having business with it--leav
: ing, after this deduction, only clerks ir
d all, in charge of the diplomatic and consular
q branches of the department.
This small force is applied, as far as possible
by the secretary to meet the exgencies of public
! service; but of course without attaining the
.. fullest success. To one of the seven clerks Is
assigned all the diplomatic correspondence with
the nations on the continent OF America, and nj
business incident thereto such as answering
letters from individuals, replying to inquire,
: from committees, and collecting and arranging
the materials for responding to the calls Of Con
gress; to another, all that with Great Britain
France, Russia, the Netherlands, and China; ant
, to the third, that with all the remaining nation!
of the world. The two latter are assisted b,
two copyists, who are also required to perform
other service The remaining two are placed il
charge Of The business of the consular section
of the department. one having charge of thu
correspondence with, and relating to, our consu
lates on the American continent and some Q
9 the islands, and the other Of that with those il
Europe and the rest of the globe. Hence i
follows, that only fire clerks are employed in thu
diplomatic branch, two of them are copyists, ant
two only in the consular branch of the depart
ment; the whole making up the entire machiner,
9 engaged in conducting the business arising on
y Of our foreign and commercial relations with al
Of c.I