The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-13
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THE DIpLoMATIo sERYIoE.
From the N. Y. Tribune.

THE DlPUOMAIlC SERVICE.
From the NJ Y. Tribune ...tr..
Our new civil service commission, il it
ever gets into working order, may find some
thing worth reading in the recent report of
the committee of the House of Commons
which was appointed last February ''to in
quire into the constitution of the diplomatic
and consular services, and their maintenance
on the efficient footing required by the poll
tical and commercial interests of the coun-
try" The committee express their dissent
from the prevailing tone of unfavorable COM
ment upon the service They regard it as by
no means useless or retrograde. They find
that it is, on the whole, carried on with eco
nomy and efficiency, and that from time to
time valuable reforms have been introduced
by the Department Of Foreign Affairs. The
custom adopted of late years of requiring
from the Legations full accounts, not only of
the political, but of the commercial and social
condition of the countries in which they are
situated, is one which greatly enhances the
practical value of the service. r.
The recommendations made by the commit
tee are in accordance with this view of the
case. Recognizing the practical usefulness of
the diplomatic body and the rise in the prices
of living which has taken place of late years
in every capital of Europe and America, they
recommend a general increase of salaries ia
the subordinate grades, so that first secreta-
ries shall receive minimum pay of f500 and
second secretaries minimum of 1850, these
salaries being subject to a yearly increase
after stated time, and to additional allow
ances for the acquisition of Russian or Orien-
tai languages. They also recommend that
appointments of heads Of missions shall not
be made for longer period than five years,
and that at the expiration of this period it
shall be for the Foreign Office to decide whe-
ther the public exigencies make reap
pointment desirable. On the other hand,
it is recommended that a longer period
than two years be assigned as the duration
of the younger diplomatsts' term of service
at each court. They recommend the estab-
lishment of missions at the capitals of the
South American republics. They are deci-
dedly of the opinion that it is undesirable, in
the interests of the public, that the promo
ton in the diplomatic service, especially in
the higher and more responsible posts should
be by way of seniority, and recommend that
the Secretary of State should be allowed,
under his own responsibility, to fill all vacan-
cies by selection and not by seniority, and
that for all positions OF importance he should
not be even restricted to members of the SER
vice, when in his judgment he can find more
capable persons outside of it. 3.
1t is fact worth noting at this moment,
when there appears to be a somewhat indef-
mite tendency towards reforming the civil
service, and changing everything which now
exists in favor of something new, that all
these judicious recommendations of the Eng
lish committeeman are steps in the direction
of the system upon which our own service is
constructed. The increase in the salaries of
subordinates which makes it possible for
young men to live with frugality upon their
pay Immediately upon their entry into the
service, the shortening of the terms of Minis
ters and the lengthening of those of Secreta-
ries, the creation of missions in South Ame-
RIGA, and the abolition of the claim of mere
seniority to promotion, all bring the
English system nearer to our own.
They still retain those excellent
features which we would do we'll to adopt
from them, if it is possible to redeem this
shred of patronage from the bad uses to
which it is usually put in Washington. They
insist as q sine qua non upon thorough
knowledge of French, written and spoken,
upon good handwriting and a capacity for
precis writing, before entrance into the SER
vice. But these being given, the Secretary
of State is to exercise his discretion as to
other claims and qualifications, all of which
are to have their due weight. The system of
competitive examination is not considered
well adapted for securing the best class of
public servants in this department.
1t would require very little change to make
our service as efficient and capable as any in
the world. The system is even now very
nearly Objectionable. The salaries are large
enough for decent living, and not enough
to make them the object of pecuniary
ambition. The theory of appointment is
that the President is free to select from the
whole mass of cultivated and capable citizens
precisely those who are best qualified to re-
present the country with distinction and sue
cess. II is not a profession for a lifetime,
but there is never the slightest difficulty
found in obtaining for the important
posts the very best talent and culture
the country affords, and for the sub
ordinate places educated gentlemen who
are willing to devote few years to the
agreeable task of gaining knowledge of the
world under the most favorable auspices; in
both cases, with no hope of permanence or
of pecuniary gain. The only thing in the
way is the ignorant greed of the Yahoo poll
ticians, who threaten and bully these coveted
places out of the hands of President and
Secretary, and find them apples of Sodom az
soon as they have grasped them. If Con
gressmen would release their hold on these
positions, and if the Secretary of State, al
ways supposing him a capable and homes
man, should be left free to make the bes
selections in his reach for all vacancies, nC
further legislation would be required to maxi
our diplomatic service all that it need be.
THE PATH TO VICTORY.