The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-16

thing but occasional draughts OF blood from q
pure plebeian source could keep them in exist
ence--so deficient in ability tuat they could
never carry out their own schemes without the
aid Of the class they oppress.so devoid of the
higher, nobler qualities of human nature, that
with all the advantages Of the highest culture
and commanding opportunities, not one out Of
! the number has ever risen to The front rank ia
| any single walk Of intellect. This, neverthe-
| less. is the class which, for u century or more.
with occasional interruptions. has governed,
and still continues to govern, the civilized
world.
The Consular System OF the United States.
To show the inequality of our present detec-
| tive consular system. as compared to that of
Great Britain, we have publised in another part
of this paper table (No. ~ of the consuis Of
both countries, with their salaries.
This table proves that the whole amount OF
salaries paid out to consular agents by Great
Britain in 1852 (as far as the same could be as
certained) amounted to the sum OF about
| $5G3,705, while the total amount of fees re-
ceived by about one hundred and seventy-tive
! American consuls amounted to only about
| Sill 900. The salaries proposed to be paid out
to the one hundred and twenty nine consular
agents, provided for in Mr. Campbell's bill,
referred to below, amounted to $50, 500; the
heaviest sums being embraced for consular
agents to Great Britain and her colonies
The British statistics given were compiled
from '.Dietrichsen q Hannag's Royal Almanac,
published by authority" in Londoni in 1852 In
making comparisons we have followed the
alphabetical order Of the English list instead
Of the American arrangement.
| In the British column will he found many
consulates which are not contained in either ofthe
American columns. Aud again, the American
catalogue embraces many not to be found in the
British enumeration. Hence the British column
| has been given es nearly entire as possible. and
the American given where they correspond. The
British list gives thirty vice consuls at large
for Italy, which were omitted, because no
salaries or fees were given, and we had moth
ing to correspond with them in the American
list. Were these added to the two hundred and
ninety-one consular agents given, they would
swell the number OF British consular agents to
three hundred and twenty-one. The compa
i
significance and imperfection Of our system
For instance, while England, through her
eighteen consular agents in China-costng in
salaries not less than $60,G00-is enabled by
extending their judicial and other powers to
give the greatest expansion to her political and
commercial influence in that vast empire, we
| have at this critical moment but three con-
sulste officers, receiving paltry fees for their
services, and leave the mission Of an ambassa-
dor open Tor months.
Still the spasmodic efforts which have been
occasionally made in Congress for the revisal
Of our present system, however well intended,
have uniformly and signally failed.
The bill prepared with this view by = COM
mittee Of the House of Representatives in 1916,
Of which Mr.. Campbell was chairman, and re
vived by the Hon John A. Rockwell in 1913,
contemplated some important changes.
| 1t proposed to reduce the number of consular
representatives, and to pay fixed salaries 1t
provided for the appointment of seventy-five
copsuls, the aggregate pay Of whom was to
be about 1888 500, xhd fifty -four vice consuls,
with an aggregate pay Of $4,000; or for one
hundred and twenty nine consular agents rail-
| Ends, at total cost of $l60,50O. The number
of consular agents would thus have been re-
duced from about one hundred and seventy
five to one hundred and twenty nine, which we
| think was O defect in the bill, and calculated
to injure the public service.
Instead of a reduction in the number of con-
sular agents, the growth and exigencies OF the
country require the consular force to be aug
mented.
But, while it reduces the number Of officers
employed, the bill proposes to increase the ex-
pense of the consular system by about $4,000;
the salaries assigned them exceeding the present
aggregate amount of fees by about that sum
The people would not object were the num-
Der of their consular agents Increased even
at cost OF 100000 OF 100000 per annum
over and above the amount of fees receiv-
cd. provided the duties of the consuls were
enlarged and enforced. Their services to the
| political, commercial. agricultural cad manu-
featuring interest Of The country, il properly
performed, would greatly e,:ceei the value Of
their sslasies.
| The salary q $3.50 per ann,im TO vice consuls
is too little. u should. in no case, be less than
from $1,000 to $1,000 otherwise the services Of
suitable men cannot be procured.
Consuls to the following places were to be
invested with diplomatic powers, viz.:-Tangier,
Tunis, Tripoli, Athnes, Alexandria, Leghorn,
Rome, Basic. Hamburg, Bremen, Frankfort
on-the-Main, Honolulu, Muscat, Bay of Islands,
Montevideo Guayaquil, Guatemala, and Port
au Prince.
II was provided that no person should hold
the Office Of consul longer than ten years. nor
he recalled under four years, except for cause
satisfactory to the Senate. No consul was
to absent himself from his post longer than
thirty days, without permission of the State
Department, and then not for longer period