New-York tribune., 1896-12-07
CONSULAR REFORM.
-,-rvrr OF RECENT EXECUTIVE ORDERS
-sALARIES AND EXPENSES OF
THE SERVICE.
London. November .


-.,,or service into a clearngho use for the liq-
,,,on of politcal debts. has closed his Ad-
illustration by introducing a substantial meas
49, NJ Consular reform. Most of the Consular
Sos have been brought under the Civil Service
,es nv an Executive order. which applies to all
.o.,tions with salaries not exceeding $1,000 nor
fu,c below 81 600 exclusive of notarial and
- unofficial fees Under the new regulations
a,cies in these offices are 10 te filled (a) by
,or mr. nromoticn from some other position
..o saryice of the Department Of State; (b) by
,o,,.rnent Of a former official of the Depart
-. or (r) 'bv the appointment Of person
~ having furnished the customary evidence
', character responsibility and capacity and
tive thereupon selected by the President for
..omiration Is found upon such examination
=. he oualifed for the position" The Civil Ser
A.e examination will be conducted by Board
',,bree commissioners, appointed by the Secre-
,ary Of state
The effect Of this order. in the judgment of ex-
,or,enced officials like General Collins the
f-n,,ed states Consul-General in London will
- % nrotect the rank and file OF the force against
o,ol The Consular offices with salaries
ohove 50 800 are few in number in comparison
-. ,hosa with salaries below that limit. In
c.oo, pritain there are only six which
.,rded from the operations Of the order, namely.
80. bradford. Glasgow, Liverpool, London
-a manchester There are two in Austria,
,hrao in France five in Germany, two in SwitZer-
,ond and one each in Belgium. Russia Italy and
Co,stantinople II the Executive order of the
r,o,.o,o,d Administration be respected by the
nov, President there will be only twenty-five
Co,s,,ar appointments TO be made in Europe,
exclusive of the sem-diplomatic offices at Bu-
o,orest Belgrade and Athens To these twenty
era offices may be added ten in the British COL
,r,es three in Cuba and Hayti. eight in Mexico
ond South America ten in China. Japan and
corea. and six in Honolulu Samoa Liberia,
pongkok Teheran and Cairo. making an aggre-
rota Of sxty-two Consular appointments FOR
Offices with salaries above $1,000. All other
Offices will be filed by promotions. reappoint-
,nents or Civil Service eXa Xaninations unless the
Executive order of September 20 lS9J be re-
voked by the incoming Administration.
Loud complaints have always been made by
no,jtioal spoilsmen whenever certain Depart
nent officials custom house clerks and post
Office eulployes have r. ceived security of tenure
under the operation of the Civil Service rules;
but il is a matter of history that each succeed
ing Administration. instead of revoking orders
for the extended application OF the system of re-
form has hailed them with relief. because the
pressure of office-seeking was diminished by
them. The progress Of Civil Service reform at
Washington has not been rapid but no Admins
tration has vet taken a backward step. Hence
II seems probable that. whatever may be said OF
The sharp practice of the Cleveland Administra-
ton in filling the Consular service with Demo-
Gratis and then locking the door behind them,
the incoming Administration Will he likely TO re-
srect the Executive order now in operation. ana
10 leave the main body Of Consular officials IN
endowment OF their positions If the precedent
Of the Cleveland Administration be followed, the
only appointments apart from those involved by
RESIGNATION or death, or discredita5le character
will be those for offices with salaries ABOVE
SO 800: and nothing would be more natural tnan
a subsequent extension Of the Civil Service rules
10 all Consular offices not Of semi-diplomatlc
character In this way the Consular service
can no taken entirely out of politics during the
Incoming Administration, without legislation
ard solely by Executive order. A system OF pro-
motions will be provided; security of tenure VIII
te obtained, and the service VIII be open not 10
potical favorites in search Of foreign adven-
lures and experiences. but 70 men OF capacity
and character who have passed Civil Service ex-
aminations. and are looking forward to careers
OF permanent usefulness In the Government
employ.
SALARIES OF CONsULS.
There arc many Illusions among office-seekers
IN the United States respecting the value or these
Consular positions, and there are exaggerated
ideas Of the fees and perquisites with "hich the
salaries are supposed to be rounded out. AS
matter Of fact. the invoice fees are turned over
N the United States Treasury. and serve TO rem
der the Consular service nearly self-sustanng
Amounting 10 5000 900 or 81 O00. 900 annually,
and leaving deficiency OF something over
100000 to be provided for meeting the expenses
of salaries and maintenance. one OF the richest
couEtries in the world is represented abroad py
a Consular service which virtually costs IT httie
II anything; and this is because salaries are io"'
allowances for office rent and clerk hire are IN
adequate and the invoice fees are paid into the
Treasury at Washington. There are notarai
and few other unofficial fees when Cohsuis
are allowed 10 retain. but these offer meagre
additions 20 salaries. out OF when portion VI
the office rent and clerical hire must be paid
There may have been time when the Consuiai
Offices al London and Liverpool were worth
$1,000 year. but II passed long ago
mcose table OF incomes from salaries ana
noterial fees for the six Offices in Great Britain
which are excluded from the operation OF the
Civil Service rules The notarlal fees are esti-
mated because all unofficial fees are not re-
turned 10 the Department The London return
is made from the book, but does not reveal the
precise conditions Of the case. since large por-
ton OF the income OF the Consuar-GeneraI Is
required for Office and clerical hire, the ap-
preparation for these purposes being grossly mad
equate. The following table includes the SIX
so-called prizes Of the Consular service:
INCOME OF SIX CONSULAR OFFICES.
Noaral
saiary Agencies Total