Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-06-07

states at Paris-While the Ser
vice is Not Ideal, Measured by
Results Accomplished, 1t Is the
Equal Of Any Other in the World
Paris. June 6.-Mr. Samuel E. Morss'
who has just completed a service OF
about four years as United States
consul general at Paris, was asked to
give his impressions Of the consular
service of the United States; to say
how. in his opinion. it compared with
that of other leading commercial ma
tions. such as Great Britain, France
and Germany, and what measures were
in his Judgment desirable for its i'm
provement.
1T would be difficult" replied Mr.,
Morss, ITO answer very satisfactorily
these questions within the limits of
an ordinary newspaper article. The
subject is
A VERY LARGE ONE,
and I should require considerable time
and space to discuss it adequately.
Since / entered the consular service of
the United States in the summer of
1898. / have studied it's practical
operations pretty closely, and have
availed myself of such opportunities
as presented themselves, TO compare
it with that Of other countries. While
1 am free TO confess that our consular
service is not in all respects what ii
ought to be. and that there is great
room for improvement in many ways,
it is still my deliberate opinion that,
measured by the results accomplished,
it is at least the equal of that Of any
other consular service in the world.
This statement Will no doubt seem
surprising to those who have been lei
TO believe by American critics Of our
consular service, that it is
UTTERLY BAD.
The tone of much current newspaper
discussion Of this matter is reflected
in a clipping 1 have before me. credit
ed to a Chicago paper, in which
statement alleged to have been made
by a paper called The English and
American Register. that our consular
service is the laughing stock of the
world. is indorsed. Such characterize
ations Of the service, which are very
frequent in American journals and
magazines. and are sometimes heard
In Congressional debate, are rarely, if
ever. made by American citizens who
have had an opportunity TO know how
the service is actually conducted. /
may say. in addition, that so far from
the service being the laughing stock
Of the world, frequent testimony to its
efficiency is given by eminent states
men and publicists in Europe. I'M
portant British journals have often
compared the work of American and
English consuls to the disadvantage of
the latter. In a German official docu-
ment recently communicated to me by
Consul General DeKay, of Berlin,
A HIGH COMPLIMENT
is paid TO our service. coupled with an
expression of surprise, entirely nat
ural. that such good results should he
produced in view Of the manner i'm
which our consular officials are Sc
lected. Similar testimony has been
repeatedly given in leading organs Of
French public opinion and in discus
sions I'm the French Parliament The
fact is that most of the wholesale de-
nunciation directed at our consular
service comes from those who know
least about it, 1t is sometimes the
product Of honest ignorance, and some.
times. fear, of pure cussedness.
"A comparison of the consular reg
ulations Of France, Germany, Great
Britain and the United States will
show that the duties imposed upon
American consuls are more arduous
and more varied than those eXacted
Of the consuls Of other countries. For
instance. the work connected with the
certifcation Of invoices, which at all
our consulates at manufacturing and
commercial centres is very heavy, and
lakes precedence Of all other consular
duties. is not imposed upon the con-
sular officers of other countries. Our
system Of consular certifcation of in
voices
Is PECULIAR
TO the United States. Some other
countries, I believe, require certain
consular formalities in connection
with some invoices, but these formali-
ties involve very little tax upon the
attention of consular officers or their
subordinates. In the principal Amer
lean consulates. such as London, Par
is Liverpool and others, the clerical
force is largely occupied with this
work. other duties are necessarily
trade secondary and are performed in
lAe intervals that can DE snatched in
or out Of office hours from invoice
work.
..The revenne from the fees for the