Worcester daily spy., 1871-07-13
Letter from Washington.

commissioners.
Letter from Washington.
| FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENCE
| WASHINGTON, D. c., July IL, 1871.
THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.
This body has now been in session about ten
days, and has generally discussed the question
consigned to them. Their province, they have
| decided, is merely advisory. Hence, of course,
much will depend upon the president. He can,
it is decided, under the law either put their
suggestions in force or submit the sub.
Ject TO congress. The latter course will prob.
ably be adopted, with a strong recommendation
for its adoption. Two legal questions meet the
commission at the outset. list. Whether the law
under which they are sitting does or not give
the president full power over all appointments
not defined in the constitution, and ID. Wheth-
er the appointment, as is proposed by some, of
a permanent board to examine and appoint,
would not be the creation of power unknown
and unrecognized by the fundamental law. From
the thoroughness of the work the commission
proposes, there is little doubt that their report
will be a valuable addition to the discussion of
this important reform. The basis suggested by
the Nation seems to me, however, the most un-
just that could be suggested. In its paragraph
cal diSjecta styled "The Week." it discusses the
commission, and says:-"The true plan is to
leave every chief absolute power of dismissal
without cause, but not allow him to fill such
vacancy except through a competitive exami-
nation No one who understands practi-
cally the workings of an Ameri-
can public Office, would have ever
written that, unless indeed the writer
would establish tyranny as a system. The
Nations "chiet" would be a politician, aud
could readily have the examination manipu-
lated. Such things have been and can be
again. Even if neither of these things should
be true, why must the clerk be subject to his ar
bitrary will? Department "chiefs," even if
ndorsed by the Nation, might easily take
prejudice or have worse reasons for the laying
hold of any poor wight they might dislike.
The clerk in his degree is as much of a public
officer as his "chief," and the absolute power of
disgracing should not rest, in any well ordered
civil service system, in the hands of one who
would be probably the result of political acci-
dents. This power is largely exercised now,
and could cite numerous cases of wrong per-
petrated by the "chiefs, which are its result
The best Ithing for the civil service, and the
people whose administrative hand it is, would
be to so arrange it as to make a career of en-
ploynent therein.
THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE.
There is No branch nf adm 1uhicb
requires overhauling and reconstruction so
much as this. There are no offices in the gift
of this government which, properly arranged
and having q decent tenure, would afford as
much in the way of Career as the consular
appointments especially. Its capacity in this
| direction may be seen in part from the fact that
it now supports itself, or nearly so-that is, the
fees cover salaries ETC. There are 662 consulates,
vice consulates, commercial agencies, etc., on
the blue book. Of these 25S are full consulates,
and twelve are consul generalcies. These are
London, Paris, Frankfort, Florence, Con-
stantinople, Alexandria, Beirut, Montreal,
Havana, Tampico, Shanghai and Calcutta.
of the eonsulates proper about One-third are of
the highest class, receiving S2500 or $4,000 per
annum salary; one-third of the remainder are
of class "B," and the balance are paid from the
fees-salary limited, however, to $2500 per an
mum. These are often the most profitable posi-
tions. There are a number of desirable changes
needed in the tenure, the classification or grade
in the salaries, and other matters connected with
the service. The smaller offices ought to be
abolished or made into commercial agencies.
The leading ones ought to be better paid. The
number of consul generalcies might be advan-
tageously increased, while the number of those
who play ministers resident might be equally,
well diminished. Some changes in location will
be demanded next winter. The Berlin con-
sulate Will have to be made of the same rank as
those in London and Paris, while the Frankfort
office should be in grade that of consul. The
consulate general must be removed from Flor
ence to Rome-the old, yet still the new, capital
of Italy.
OUR DIPLoMATs-THRIR NUMBER, &C.
The blue book shows thirty-five appointments,
eleven being of the first rank-that of "envoy
extraordinary and ministerI plenpotentiary."
They serve in London, Paris, Berlin st. Peters
burg, Madrid, Florence, Vienna, Rio de Janeiro,
Mexico Valparaiso and Pekin. All but two of
tuO lull lulilSbtIS TtsueQL,
while those two lin Hayti and Liberia) unite the
functions of consus general, with their purely
diplomatic duties. Fourteen of these function
aries are sent to American countries Three
of them are of the irst-class-those to Brazil,
Mexico and Chill. The most absurd thing in
these appointments is the fact that countries
which do not send us representatives, as
Paraguay and Uruguay, Bolivia, Costa Rica,
Venezuela and Honduras, are furnished
with full fedged ministers resident.
Hayt, whose commerce is worth more
to us than all the South and Cen
trail American countries outside of Brazil, the
| Argentine republic and Chilli, has to receive a
third class diplomatic official. We would, with
great proprety abolish all or nearly all the South
and Central American embassies and appoint
consul general instead making them of
second class too, as TO salaries.
The money thus saved might, with the
| greatest propriety, be used in increasing the
efficiency of the larger embassies, and of adding
to our consular service on the Asatic side of the
Pacific.
There are fifteen American embassies in
European countries, one more than is repre-
sented here. Switzerland sends us consul
general to our minister resident. We might
dispense with aught but officers of the grade of
Mr. Bassett at Port au Prince, in either Dem
mark or Greece, and probably in Portugal
We have one plenipotentiary in Asia--Mr
Low, at Pekin-though the "Son of Heaven
has not yet coudescended to send an official of
equal rank. Japan, with which we are yearly
becoming more intimate, is the first Asiatic ma
ton to have its regular representative here
THE FOREIGN MINISTERS.
There are, in all, twenty-seven diplomats rep
resenting foreign powers at this government
Of these only ten are American, dye less than
we send. There are fourteen European renre.
sentatives, one from the Hawaiian islands one
from Japan and one from Liberia (Africa) Fif.
teen rank as "envoys extraordinary" seven a.
ministers resident" three are regular cbaroe
d'affaires, and two are acting as such. As a
class these persons are, intellectually and other
wise, not at all remarkable. OBSERVER.
~