The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-08
The Service Is One Of Great Honor
and Also OF Considerable
Profit.
There Are Two Who MAKO Hsttsr Salaries
Than the Ambassadors-Ths Gov
ernmont Nothing Ont.

adler general. Whom a United States
squadron visits q port whore there 10 an
American consul. the regulations require
that . boat shall be sent to offer an invita-
ton to como aboard the flagship. He Is
expected to accept tho courtesy, and whom
he leaves the ship for The shore. . salute OF
seven gums is fired In his honor. In re-
sponss to the compliment he must turn his
face towards tho vessel and take of his hat.
The same rules apply to other consular off.
GERS, except that q consul general Is enti-
tied to i've guns, a commerce. al agent five
guns and q consular agent or vice consul to
three guns.
In the middle ages, before permanent le-
cations were established, consuls enjoyed
privileges and immunities which now are
accorded only to diplomatic officers. Their
persons were inviolate. They could not be
arrested or imvrisoned by the authorities
of the country wherein their functions were
exercised, and they we're not subject to that
country's laws. In non-Christian and
semi. civilized lands these privileges are
still retained to a great extent by sanction
OF treaty md custom. But ordinarily a
consul is subject to the laws Of the nation
within whose boundaries he resides. The
archives and official property of his Office
are exempt from seizure. and soldiers can
not be billeted In his residence. However.
these regulations are subject to all sorts of
variations in accordance with different
treaties. In som countries the consul may
grant asylum to refugees.
Fifty years ago American merchants do
ing business In foreign countries were often
salaries. In time of trouble such an official
would hoist the American flag over his
shop. and sometimes would act as United
states minister plenipotentiary. That sys-
tenn was put a stop to. and now peither a
consul general nor a consul is permitted to
made. however, in favor of any consular
officer who is paid by fees only, or who gets
a salary of less than $1,000 year. Consuls
and consuls general are appointed by the
There are thirty seven consuls general. sta
toned at the chief cities of az many differ
ont countries. who do duty ms %consuls. and
at the same time supervise by CORE
%spondence the various con0ulates dis
stiHnssd over w, tbs t territory ye,, Of ' n
least two consular ohices-those at Lon
don and Liverpool-get bigger pay than
any ministers or ambassadors Of the United
States. Their salaries are nominally only
5000 a year. but the fees which each o OF
them pockets are reokoned at from $500
to $4,000.
Tho consular services costs this govern
ment less thnn nothing. The entire ex-
pense of 1t is more than liquidated by the
fees which are turned into the treasury.
J here are two OTIS of fees, the official and
the unofficial. The latter. which are chiefly
received by the officer in his private capnc-
.ity 10 q notary. he is permitted to retain.
In official fees London alone yielded $62,-
500 Inst year. Manchester was good for
$20.5 $3.50. Bradford for SIG. SO4. Lyons for
$13. 463. Birmingham for $9,942. Bordeaux
tor $4,000 and Hamburg for IS. 637. The
total fees paid into uncle Sans golfers an
nually through consulates run mp into the
millions of dollars. The president of the
scribe the rates of official fees. This means
that the department: Of state regulates the
matter. Consuls used to get fnttsr during
a term of Office than they have a chance to
nowadays. Formerly they were allowed to
keep the 81 charged fos ench bill-of-ladin1.
tho tteasury.
One duty of consuls is to prevent fraudu.
lent goods from being'sent to the United
States. If such goods Rre shipped they re-
which publishes them. In this way such
officials have frequently laid themselves
o. on to suits for libel. This happened in
the case of q consul at bordeaux, who
transmitted q very interesting essay on the
business of fetching California wines to
l. w SAc ohAboA
States as Fiench wines. This industry is
said to be conducted on q considerable
scale at the PRESENT day. In like manner
cotton seed oil in great quantities 10 ex-
lotted from America to Italy and brought
back in the guise of pure olive"
Consuls have become weary of calling
attention to frauds dangerous to the trade
of the United States. which are conducted
on a gigantic scale in Europe. The Ger
mans reproduce American sewing ma
chimes, stoves and all sorts OF tools. substi-
tutinR i on for steel. They mnrk them
with tho names and brands of Yankee man.
uflcturers and send them to South Amer
ica. Africa and all over the word. Though
of wretohed quality they are cheaI. and nc.
tuully crowd ont the reul American goods.
In this fashion iron machines are subBti-
tuted for our own steel ones in Central
America. and Colts and Kemington's TO-
volvers arc burlesqued, ms one might cav,
in tho cheapest possible materials. Amer
loan machines are taken npnit. and the
pieces are copied with iGon castings, which
are put together to form clumsy counter
1eits. This ~ done with all of tho finest
agricultural instruments. The limitations
lead the observer to speculate rs to the
probable period OF time du ing which the
world would have boon without such useful
inventions If it had been left to Europeans
TO discover them.
Ingenious Britishers nre making counter.
feits Of Yankee textile fabrics, and the
looms OF Manchester arc turning out mil
lions of yards of cottons annually which
boar the numes and brands of American
manufacturer These cottons u o ma, keted
in China, because the Chinese hive q liking
for products of this sort from the United
States. They are very heavily ''sized'' with
white-of- egg. to give them u good appear
ance. OF course the ''sizinR" does not stnnd
a wash. One consul in China has suggested
that an umbrella should be sold with each
bolt OF such %cottons. i%noslnuch as a lady
who happens to be caught By u shower in 4
nice cotton dress too often comes home
wearing a mosquito-bar. In the same way
American sheetings, mualins and c~alicoss
are being driven out Of Central American
markets by the wretched goods madc from
East Indian and Egyptian short staple
cotton and bearing the trade marks
of the boat American mills. SINH
lnrly, South America, Africa and
Asia are flooded with Gsiman clarcts
bearing the names of the best California
wine q Iowcrs, md bottles with the labels of
he great beer producing Establishments of
81. Louis. Milwaukee and Philadelphia are
fllod will foul deooctions brewod in tho
Vaterland. Perhaps the doadliest of oil
those countorfeiting beverages 10 tho
Kentucky bourbon whisky" distilled in
Germany. The American consuls canpos
exercise any control over tho expectation
pf such counterfeits. because the exporters
apply not to them. but to consu!s rsvre-
senting other countries, for their pape ..
special agents ought TO DO sent abroad by
his government Ia exnoae tbesn abuees md |