Evening star., 1895-06-12
|E CONSULAR SERVICE
Ex-Representative Coombs Thinks It
Should Be Reconstructed.
He Believes That Such Officers Should
He Under the Treasury
Depa artment.

N, I.,
ment could reorganize its consular service
with great advantage. Were you pleased
with the appointment of Mr.. Olney as Sec
retary of State:' Mr.. Coonbs was today
asked by Star reporter.
Yes, am quite sure that the selection Of
Mr.. Olney will prove to be a good one. 1t
certainly indicates a continuance of the
same foreign policy heretofore. While
the selection Of Mr.. Carlisle would have
met with an equally good reception. 1t has
doubtless been on all hands considered good
policy to continue him in the Treasury De-
partment His recent speeches on the sill
yer question have done much to add to his
reputation as inancier, and 1t might nave
been uTwiSe to have Withdrawn MIN from
the contest in which he is doing such mag
niIcent work. Then, again, 1t might pos
sibly have been thought that the changing
of the Secretary of the Treasury IN the
midst of the fight against silver would have
weakened the confidence OF the foreign
holders of our securities.
The Dutica Of Consuls.
"rhe State Department has never been
fairly treated by Congress in the way Of
appropriations" continued Mr.. Coonlbs, In
referring to the need Of the government Tor
a REORGANIZATION of it's consular service
'eThe work of the State Department has not
been of that SNOWY character, except IN eX-
trsme cases, that would appeal TO the aver
age Congressman. This doubtless was un.
avoidab!e, as a great part of its work Is OF
the class which necessarily cannot be mace
public. The department also has been very
much embarrassed by having ass,gnea 70 II !.
a class of work in which 1t really had no
interest, but which legitimately belonged TO
the Treasury Department. l refer 10 the
consular service.
IF you will look for e moment at the
duties Of a consul you will see that they
have very little relation to the State De-
partment-that they relate almost exclu-
sively to the business of the treasury. Let
us see. One of the most important duties
of the consul is to certify the invoices of
goods shipped from his port; this certifi-
cation TO be used in the collection OF
duties. Another is to protect US against
hurtful immigration and to assist in en-
forcing our immigration laws. Others are
to sign bills of health for vessels sailing
from their ports, to protect our merchant
marine, as well as to look after sailors
who may be stranded in foreign ports.
Every one of these duties belongs TO some
department of the treasury. and it has al
ways seemed to me that the consular
bureau, being in reality branch of the
treasury service, should have been man
aged by that department
Should lie Reconstructed.
1T is very seldom that consul is called
upon to sustain the dignity of the govern
ment or to resist the aggression Of for
eign powers-those duties devolving upon
the ministers of the government. There is
no manner of question that the revenues Of
this government suffer to the extent of
mAlions of dollars per annum from under
valuation of invoices, caused in the main
part by the incapacity or lack of informa-
ton by the consuls who certify to the in
voices.
81 believe that no branch of this govern
ment so imperatively demands reconstruc-
ton as the consular service, and when
that reconstruction comes l sincerely hope
that it will be done under the auspices Of
the Treasury Department, and under such
conditions as will divorce 1t from politics
and secure efficient business service.
We can very well afford to spend two or
three times much as we do On our con-
suls. in order to secure the best men. Too
much economy in that direction is waste
full prodigality. AS merchant doing bus-
Tess in foreign markets l know from eX-
perience that no frst-class nation is so
badly served by it's business representatives
as is Cur country. The consuls of Eng
land. France and Germany, owing to long
residence in the markets ard to peculiar
fitness for their positions, are of great as
sistance in enabling them to maintain their
hold upon the trade of the various pur-
chasing countries. 1t is extremely rare to
find an American consul who can be of any
assistance to the merchant or producer in
his fight against the competition of the old
world.
The Greatest Sufferers.
"Our large business houses are. through
their organizations and agencies. in a great
treasure independent of government help in
that direction, and the greatest sufferers
are the producers and smaller dealers who
would like to do a direct business in the
foreign markets. There has been what
seems to me an unaccountable prejudice on
the part of Congress against assisting in
the development of our foreign trade. Any
ore who will take the trouble to look into
the figures will see that nearly one-seventh
of our people find their support in the prod
ucts OF the staples and manufactured goods
that We export to foreign markets, and it
would seem to me that patriotism and
craftsmanship would combine to use every
reasonable effort to increase that trade"