The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-25
Deksas OF Our Consular System.

ratio
Dfksts or Our Consular System.
The chairman of the House Committee of
Ways and Means has reported to Congress bill
making appropriations for the consular and diplo
matte service.
The connection which this phrase expresses
between the consular and diplomatic service
and which was established Ivy the present law
regulating those branches of service, is an i'm
propriety in fact, and inficts a great in sii.c
upon one of the most useful classes of our public
officers. While The diplomatic scryice is one of
limited labor generally, the consula i ole Of
active employment. Onr ministers abroad with
few exceptions, and particularly in Europe, have
little to do but study the inc arts an & OK llr.r
thumbs Our consuls, on the contrary arc the
active servants Of our commerce. Wherever an
American ship goes she has calls upon our con
sui for both service and protection. As natu-
IA consequence the labofs Of any consul are
great or small, according to the magnitude Of
our trade with the port where he resides. Under
| our O. consular system, which appropriated the
fees of Office 10 the pay Of the consul, that Off
poi!i % the labor he peri rmed bu, cen
tain wiseacres in Congress, in the fullness
Of their wisdom. insisted that they could
improve upon this equitable system of remu-
neration, and the present consular law was
enacted. The great working consulates were
cut down, and the multitude Of little idle ones
were lifted up by schedule Of fixed salaries
,o;tn L., r. 4.
working coDsulates to show the effect Of this
ridiculous alteration. London is one Of these.
The work which the consul there is obligated to
perform cannot be done with less than three
clerks and the necessary Office room. The official
fees for this labor amount to about $4,000 a
year, and yet the salary is cut down to $500,
with an allowance Of ten per cent on that for
Office expenses. As natural consequence, Gen.
Campbell, after paying Office rent and clerk hire,
has to look TO his plantation in Texas for bis
own living. The consulate at Liverpool was
formerly estimated as equal to or better than the
London consulate. II is now cut down to
81 500 and ten per cent for expenses. When
the law was passed, Mr. Hawthorne, the incum-
bent, wrote to Gen. Cas- that he could only send
there as consul "a rich man or rascal
None other could pay the clerks, Office ex-
penscs, and live out Of the salary. Mr..
Hawthorne resigned and considerable diff
fculty was found 10 get successor
who would promise 10 work for nothing
ard find himself At last Mr.. Beverly Tucker
agreed 10 accept 1t; but as he was neither rich
man nor rascal" his friends made up a purse
Of $4,000 10 enable him to do his duty TO the
government and our commerce without plunging
himself over head and ears in debt lie is now
filing the Office but how long be will continue
to do so for the poor pay Of more kicks than
coppcrs," depends upon bis own good nature.
But the most fragrant case Of al Is the consul
late at Havana, The salary there has been cut
down 10 10000, and ten per cent; but 10 make
the pill more pleasant the incumbent is raised TO
the grad Of consul general. The number Of
American vessels that clear annually from IIa-
,ana Il onehalf greater than that OF those clear
ing from Liverpool. II is true that their aggre-
gate tonnage is less but this does not in any way
diminish the labor Of the consulate. Besides
this, while the labors Of the London and Liver
pool consulates are transacted entirely in our
own language, the necessities OF the Havana
consulate require lis clerks to be well
vcrsed In two languages Spanish and Eng
lish. Besides the increased expense Of clerks
from this cause, Havana, In comparison
with any city in England, is doubly as
expensive as they. The price OF living, rents.
and every concom,ant Of social intercourse,
bears the same increased proportion; and, In adj
dition g. an this, the incumbent j. Obliged to
perform much diplomatic duty and to keep up
semidiplomatic state.
The consequence Of this state OF things has
been that We have not for some time been able
to retain consul there for any long period
Bitter experience soon drove them away and
the duties Of the conguia,c iapscd into tho hands
Of clerks. who were unequal To the charge IL.
volved upon them. The records we're not kept
up. the public documents we're scattered and
lot. and the business finally got into such a
snarl that public outcry was rs,iscd against is
condition TN throwing up the Office . year
ago, Consul Blythe wrote to General Cas-. "lhc
compensation provided for this Office Is mean,
contcmptiblc aud unworthy o. our government.
After paying The expenses of the oficc the ba-
lance Of the salary Is insufficient to procure
food In fact. the necessary business Of that
Office cannot be performed with les than three
clerks and when these and the Office rent are
paid. the only resource for The consul general
for livelihood IA to suck bis own thumbs
This state Of things i disgracetul. and should
not be permitted to continue. Our legations
with nothing to de- have better salaries and
further allowance for secretary aud ofIiCs ex-
penses. Our consuls arc necessities for our
ships ard merchants. and their duties increase
with the increase q our trade. Tie number Of