The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-01-14
our CONSULAR SYSTEM. PUBLIC AGENTS AND


fees to ministerial officers. There class in be-
tween the two who were allowed per diem compeE-
sation and another class still who were paid alto
gether in the honors and dgnities of official life.
Latterly there has been growing disposition to
strike down the fee and per-diem system and to FIX
salaries to all public employment We see it Is pro.
posed in the city of New York to adjust the payment
of several municipal officers the specific principle.
OF course there is no difference in point Of econ
omy between adjusting the salary of an Office at a
given rate and authorizing the incumbent to collect
the same amount in fees But il is said that few OF
the large officers under the fee bill secure large in
comes, while the small starve in poverty,
Such was the argument made use of to justify the
passage of the present consular law--perhaps the
most absurd and -digested law that was ever en-
tered upon the statute books II, however, substi
tuted salaries for fees That is point of little mag
ntude. 1t is desirable that agents abroad should
be fairly paid and we not prepared to say that
under tho old consular law they We're 80 paid.
large majority OF them received nothing at all few
of them were justly compensated, while two or three
of the whole list got more perhaps than they
Iy entitled to. The new act gotten up apparently
on the idea that inasmuch as the big fish had been
eating the little ones the former should be Gagged,
and the latter should in turn at least have
the right to feed ON their offspring. ALI the
frstclass consulates were punished by sentence
to hard labor the principle announced by
the first Dutch Governor Of New York in the Of
WandeI Schoonhoven Us. Burent Blocker, that the
accounts Of the parties, having been weighed in the
scales we're declared equally balanced that Schoon-
hoven should give Bleecker receipt and Blocker
should give Schoonhoven areceipt and the constable
should nav the costs. The amount OF service and
records were multiplied at rates sufficient at least to
absorb the consuls salary, and then his country was
degraded by requiring him TO go before foreign
magistrate and swear that he had not cheated his
government! This we suppose was intended to re-
leve the President and Senate Of all responsibility
for appointing honest to consular offices. Every
incumbent is required to mantain his character
on his own testimony duly authenticated before the
magistrates Of the country which confers upon him
an exsquatur
The salary system, applied to the consular de-
partment have no hesitation in saying is a fail
ure 1t may, however, be an Improvement on the
old fee law. 1t is certainly more just to large
number of the officers. But the of Congress in
NIT framing fai-i~ ass IS A.. s.s ~Prre
hend that their legislation conducted far more
on the idea of adjusting compensations than of
ranging appropriate and effective consular sys-
tenn The present law requires vast amount of
service which is purely unnecessary Itsrecords look
more to idle curiosity than TO useful results II
fI,a ,oua of1ir a city of
duties which are of no possible benefit to anybody,
and serve only % cucumber him with expensive
corps of clerks ana Aependants and to charge him
with the cost of maintaining them.
ConsuIs are, of course mere commercial agents.
They possess no diplomatic They required
20 see that the contracts between ships and seamen
are faithfully performed and extend the protection Of
the government to our distressed countryrnen con-
nected with foreign commerce Their duties are
simple, but useful and necessary An intelligent,
well-disposed consul is the most important agent
that The government maintains abroad. lie is en-
ployed IN the affairs. of practical fea magistrate
required to adjust differences settle quarrels, en-
force laws protect the injured and the unfortunate
and he should be paid reasonable compensation for
his services. All Offices which the government can
not afford to support should be abolished We can
imagine nothing more miscellaneous than the employ
snent of an individual abroad at his expense
and nothing more absurd than to compel him to
swear before foreign magistrate that he had dealt
fairly by the government receiving his services
without compensation There is economy in
by whomsoever practised If the gov
eminent has work to be DONE they ought to be will
ling to pay for it at fair rates.
1t is no easy matter properly to appreciate the
magnitude and Importance of the relations of great
nation with foreign States and it is
exceedingly difficult to adjust consular system so
as to be economical and efficient in the discharge Of
the duties assigned its agents. We maintain squad
ron in the Mediterranean. We have no hesitation
in saying that efficient, intelligent and qualified con
suls supported by the government would be able to
do quite much for shipping and our countrymen
an our shps-of-war. We need more naval visits and
fewer naval residents in foreign ports 0nr navy ia
too small for display II is proper that national
flag should be present here and there to make visits
OF courtesy. and perhaps occasionally to punish an
arrogant city or people; bat even this service may
in another way be performed in most cases by judi
eious consuls. Bat they must not appear as meudi-
cants, should their position be estimated by the
Importance of the business of the place When the
government sends its citizens abroad they should be