New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-05
WILLING PATRIOTS.

WILL1NG FdIHiOic'
The readiness of the average American clti-
zen TO dare any danger and brave any hard
shin i'm the service OF his country was beautl-
fully illustrated in the case of the consulate
at Iouiaue. Peru, which has been left vacant
by the death of the present incumbent. FOR
4S hours the report of the death was
alternately received and contradicted. In
those fruitful 40 hours Of doubt ten
patriots sat calmly down and enumerated
their qualifications for the vacant post, and eX-
pressed their willingness To be put upon INC
pay-rolls of the Government and proceed at
once 70 Iquique. Ii began to look like great
uprising of the people. If i'll IS hours ten able
bodied citizens found time to pull them
selves together and prepare and forward
brief autobiographies to the State Depart
ment. there must have been hundreds who
started in to do the same thing and were
overtaken by the correction before they had
finished the work Then 40 doubt there were
thousands who would have FASTENED to
fling themselves upon the altar OF country
if the varying reports had not reached
them simultaneously and possibly hundreds
of thousands who would have been similarly
ready had any sort of report OF any sort of
vacancy ever come to their knowledge.
And all this goes to show that there is no
people on earth where such constanC readiness
TO enter the service OF the country exists as
among our own For lquique il post OF dan
GEL 1t has tidal waves, and fevers, and an
unhealthy climate and revolutions, and Is sub
iect to earthquakes. Ii is on the shore OF
sea that on one occasion, few years ago, TOOK
up an American man-ofwar in lis arms,
bounced 1t several miles inland, and left it
there, so far ont of anybody's reach that even
Mr.. Robson was unable to recover 4 cabin
window out of her to build another vessel on
and charge to Repairs What such a
caprciOus ocean might do with IN American
consul if it once got after him, nobody knows.
And yet it seems there are scores ana nun
dreds of American citizens ready to dare all
the peris of the consular service ut that port
rather than that the interests Of the Govern
mcnt should sulitr for want OF consul. NO
doubt many of these daring spirits are just
tbirsting for adventure, and, if necessary,
would confront "a tidal wave or beard an
earthquake TO show their devotion to free in
stitulions. 1t is quite likely that some OF
these eager applicants heard with feelings of dis
appointmcbt and regret the intelligence that
the consul at that port was not dead after all,
and that consequently there was nc vacancy.
For these men are not made OF such weak
stuff AS the man who had so much trouble
settling his brothers estate, that sometimes, as
he said. he was almost sorry his brother
"dicdp These are men who would never i'll
dulge in such weakness. Once installed In the
consulate, no peris of fire or water or civil
disturbance or earthquake or disease or any
thing except official rotation would eXtort
from them an expression of regret ior the de
parted.
And if there is such readiness Of self
sacrifice under an Administration which has
announced that it will make 40 call Tor yOiun-
teers nor order any draft to fill the ranks OF
the civil service, what would il have been If
Mr. Tiden had come in and created several
thousand vacancies to be TILED The rash for
a Mace on the countTy's altar at lqulque
would have been hardly circumstance to the
universal uprising that would have taken
place. Let us be very thankful that
the condition of the country has not
been such IA to demand the sacrifice OF
so many willing patriots. And "a for the
successor to the consul at lquiqae. bis VIII
he the satisfaction of knowing that should
any earthquake swallow or tidal wave
engulf him, thousands of his countrymen
stand ready to fling themselves into the
breach in the consular service and take
his place upon the payroll This great
Republic is not going to dwndle and decay Tor
lack of consus, at present.