Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-15
THE CONSULAR SERVICE.
Views Of a Georgia Congressman Oh
Foreign Trade Relat tons.

Views Of Georgia Congressman on
Foreign Trade Relations.
Representative LIVINGSTONE of
Georgia, a member of the house COM
mittee on foreign affairs and appro- |
priationS, since his recent visit toI
Venezuela has become a convert to the |
cause of consular reform, and is now
anxious 20 help it by supporting legis-
latlon such as was proposed by the
last congress, or the plan which Secre-
tary Olney is reported to be consider {
ing for putting the consular service On
business basis by executive action. |
Representative Livingstone is quoted
as saying: The contrast between thel
average British consul anu the aver
age American consul is so marked as
to be apparent even to the most
prejudiced American who goes abroad
The EngliShman is constantly seeking
to divert trade to his country and to
secure the importation Of English
goods. He is business first, last and
all the time, and everything he does is
for the good Of England. Our cOnsuls
want society, and they sit around,
drawing their salaries. There are
some exceptions, of course, and l am
not mentioning names. If we could
have our consuls appointed because
they are qualified, and if, after app
pointment, they could be sure of pro-
motion for services rendered, we
would see the trade of this country
increase wonderfully. Our consuls
would be alive to American CONNER
cial interests to a degree which is not
now apparent, and l believe that, in
South America especially, we would be
able to build up an enormous business
for American goods"
1t is the history Of the state depart
ment that 80 per cent. of conSuls are
changed with every administration.
| The few who are retained either Oc-
cupy places that nobody wants or else
| they are fortunate in having sufficient
! influence with the incoming president
! 20 remain undisturbed. Frank II.
! Mason of Ohio, who has been in the
! service since 1889, and who is now con-
sui general at Frankfort, is generally
regarded as one of the best consular
! officers in the service. 1t is doubtful
j however, whether this record would
. have saved him from official decapita-
ton if he had not had good democratic
backing William j. Black has been
! consul at Nuremburg since 1880, but
L, ~
of Delaware, while William +. Grin,
! nell. consul at Manchester since 1889
- is the brother-in-laW Of eX-Nice Presi-
dent Morton. All these are good Of
.; ficials and 10y long acquaintance with
their duties have become especially
valuable. The cOnsulS who have been
in office longer than four years, how
ever, can almost be counted on ten
fingers, and the retention of any con-
sui Old account of his good record is
extremely rare.
! An attempt was made many years
ago, in the time of Secretary Seward
to improve the consular service by the
appointment of consular clerks, with
the view of establishing permanent
consular force by the promotion Of the
: clerks. AS a matter of fact, the plan
, so far as it had that object in view
has been a complete failure. Not a
single consular clerk has ever been
made a consul. There are now thir-
teen of them in the service. Joseph A
Springer, of Maine, at Havana, and
: Charles p. ThiriOn and Edward p
MacLean, at Paris, have each been il
the service over twenty-five years
and they receive today the princely
salary Of $1,000 a year. When they
were appointed they received $1,000
Charles M. Wood has been at Rome
since 1873, and is said to be better
equipped for the position of consul
than anybody who could be appointed
and he gets $1,000. The total absence
Of promotion and the inadequate sal
airy would make it impossible to retain
the clerks, if they had not, by their
long residence abroad, built up for
themselves a private business which
enables them to live. AT the same
time, not one of these clerks would &C
cept a consulate, because that very
act would place him in line for re-
: m0val.-BOStOn Herald.