Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-12-09

II SCuLaTI. REpEaLEU also
obtained by our envoy at Constantinople that
similar institutions maintained and admin
| istered by our countrymen shall be secured
/ in the enjoyment of all rights and that our
| citizens throughout the empire shall be pro-
| tected.
| The government, however, in view of ex-
| listing facts is far from relying upon such
| assurances as the limit Of its duty. Our min
lister has been vigilant and alert in afford
/ all possible protection in individua%
where danger threatened or safety
perilled We have sent ships as far
the points of actual disturbance as 1t
slble Tor them to go, where they oner T.
| to those obliged to flee, and we have
promise of other powers which have ships II
the neighborhood that our citizens as well
as theirs will be received and protected on
board those ships. On the demand of our
minister. orders have been issued by the Sui
| tan that Turkish soldiers shall guard and es-
| cort to the coast American refugees. These
| orders have been carried out, and cur latest
| intelligence gives assurance Of the present
personal safety OF our citizens and mission
aries. Though thus far no lives of Ameri-
can citizens have been sacrificed, there can
be no doubt that serious loss and destruction
! of missionary property have resulted from
riotous conflicts and outrageous attacks.
! By treaty several of the most powerful Eu-
| assumed duty, not only in behalf of their
| own citizens and in furtherance of their own
interests, but as agents Of the Christian
| world Their right is to enforce such con-
| duct Of Turkish government as will restrain
fanatical brutality and if this fails their
| duty Is to interfere to insure against
| such dreadful occurrences in Turkey as have
/ lately shocked civilization. The powers de-
| clare this right and this duty to be theirs
| alone, and it is earnestly hoped that prompt
| and effective action on their part VIII not
| be delayed The new consulates at Erzeroum
| and Harpoot, for which appropriation was
made last session, have been Professionally
| filed by trusted employees of the Depart
ment OF State, These appointees, though now
in Turkey, have not yet received their exc
quaturs.
| The arbitration Of the claim of the Vene-
zuela Steam Transportation company under
1 120D hptWnAn
United States and Venezuela resulted in an
award in favor of the claimant.
The government has used it's good ondces
| toward composing the differences between
/ Venezuela on the one hand and France and
Belgium, on the other growing out of the
! dismissal of the representatives of those
powers on the ground of a publication deemed
| offensive to Venezuela. Although that dis
missal was coupled with cordial request
that other more personally agreeable ENJOYS
| be sent in their stead, a rupture of intcr
course ensued and still continues.
| Improvement Of Consular Service.
| In view of the growth of our interests in
| foreign countries and the encouraging pros
| poets for a general expansion of our COM
| merce, the question of an improvement in
| the consular service has increased in impor-
lance and urgency. Though there is no
/ doubt that the great body of consular officers
are rendering valuable services to the trade
and industries Of the country, the needs or
some plan of appointment and control which
would tend to secure q higher average of
| efficiency is not denied.
The Importance of the subject has led the
| executive to consider what steps might prop
! erly be taken without additional legislation
| to answer the need of better system Of
! consular appointments. The matter having
/ been committed to the consideration of the
secretary of state in pursuance of his rec
/ concentrations an executive order was issued
on the Goth of September 1895, by the terms
of which it is provided that after that date
any vacancy in consulate or commercial
agency with an annual salary or compensa-
1 ton from official fees of not more than
| $500 or less than $1,000 should be filled
either by transfer or promotion from some
other position under the Department of State
| of a character tending to qualify the incum-
| bent for the position to be filled Or by the
appointment of person not under the De
| partment of State, but having previously
served Hereunder and shown his capacity
/ and fitness for consular duty, or by the APP
pointment of a person who having been Sc,
] lected by the President and sent to board
/ for examination, is found upon such exami-
nation, to be qualified for the position.
Posts which pay less than $1,000 being usu-
| ally, account of their small compensa-
! ton, filled by selection from residents of the
! locality, it was not deemed practicable to put
| sation of 81, 500 was adopted the maximum
limit in the classification for the reason that
consular officers receiving more than that
sum often charged with functions and
| duties scarcely inferior in dignity and i'm
| portance to those of diplomatic agents, and
/ it was therefore thought best to continue
/ their selection in the discretion of the execu-
! tive without subjecting them to examination
before board. Excluding seventy-one places
| CANSOAAN
i and ffty-three places above the maximum
in compensation, the number of positions re-
naming within the scope of the order is
1876. This number will undoubtedly be in
creased by the inclusion of consular officers
whose remuneration in fees, now less than
/ $1,000, will be augmented with the grown
! of our foreign commerce and return to
| more favorable business conditions.
In relation to the executive order referred
! a board to conduct the prescribed examina-
| tons, the third assistant secretary OF state;
/ the solicitor of the Department of State and
the chief of the consular bureau and has
/ specified the subjects to which such exarnl-
nations shall relate. 1t is not assumed that
this system will prove a full measure of con-
] sular reform. 1t is quite probable that the
| actual experience will show particulars in
which the order already issued may be
| amended and demonstrate that for the best
results, appropriate legislation by Congress
is imperatively required.
In any event these efforts to improve the
| consular service ought to be Immediately
supplemented by legislation providing for
consular inspection. This mas Ireqgen,siy
| and again urge such action by Congress
| as will permit the frequent and thorough
inspection of consulates by officers appointed
for that purpose, or by persons already in
the diplomatic or consular service. The ex-
pense attending such plan would be IN,
| I hope the legislation necessary to set 1t on
foot will be speedily forthcoming.
Official Residences for Ministers.
am thoroughly convinced that in addi-
ton to their salaries, our ambassadors and
ministers at foreign courts should be pro
vided by the government with official resi-
dences. The salaries of these officers are
comparatively small and in most cases in
J sufficient to pay, with other necessary ex-
! penses, the cost of maintaining household
establishments in keeping with their impor-
/ tant and delicate functions. The usefulness
! of nations diplomatic representative unde-
niably depends much upon the appropriate
ness of his surroundings, and a country like
ours. while avoiding unnecessary glitter and
\ eLO cIn no lin hot
suffer in it's relations with foreign nations
| through parsmony and shabbiness in its d.
| plomatic outfit. These considerations and the
other advantages of having fixed and some
! what permanent locations for our embassies
| would abundantly justify the moderate ex-
/ penditure necessary to carry out this sug-
| geStion.