New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-07
THE CONSULAR SERVICE.
DEFENDED BY SAMUEL E. MORSS
AGAINST UNJUST CRITICISM
uIouGH POORLY PAID AND OvERwORKEp'
AMERICAS REPRESENTATIVES, ABROAD ARE
NOT INFERIOR TO THOSE OF ANY
OTHER COUNTRY

OTHER COUNTRY.
Paris June 6-Samuel f. Morss, who has just
completed a service Of about four years as Onited
states Consul General at Paris. asked TO give
his impressions Of the consular service OF the
United States. to say how. In his OPINION 'o"
pared with that Of other leading commero'a' ma
lions such as Great Britain. France ana Gerha.!
and what measures were IN MS 1uus'"e'''
for It's Improvement. m
"r. would he difficult" replied Mr.. Morss 10
answer satisfactorily those questions W'h'h 'he
limits OF an ordinary newspaper arucie' i"e
"a large one, and should require co''',ue'"''1
time and space to discuss 1t adeaua.eH' "oe
entered the consular service OF the oI''eu "'a'e.
n, 49, ,,r,,ror az 1sas have studied its practical
onerations pretty closely, and nave aNa'ieu ih!se
OF such opportunities as presented themsenes ~
compare IL with that OF other COUNTRIES """o
am free to confess that our consular Sei'N " nv
IN all respects what 1t ought TO be- and that there Is
GREAT room for Improvement IN many ways !" 10
s,m NV deliberate opinion that. measured by the
results accomplished II is at least the eq""i VI -
of any other consular service III 'he wiz -.
statement will no doubt seem surprising 10 'iose WI.
have been led TO believe by American CRITICS VI
orr consular service that It is utterly pad Inc
80 =, r,,cb newspaper discussion of this matter
&, roeoc,ad IN n clipping ! have before me- creo'eu
N a Chicago paper, in which statement aheeeu ~
bave heen made by a paper called Inc Eis'' o.
American Register that our consular eei ''.. :.
no lauChing-StOck
cbaracterizations of the service. which are "
go, IN American Journals and magazines ana are
sometimes heard in Congressional debate are i"e'!
~ ever made by American Citizens WIN nav -,
on opnortunity to know how the service Is "0''
conducted I may say in addition that SO la' i'o,,
the service being the laughing-stock VI '"e ,
frequent testimony to its efficiency Is given y!
-, sta+osuen and publicists in Europe important.
British Journals have often compared the WI %
American and English corsuls TO the oisau'e
~ tho latter In German official docuihe''.
81, communicated 10 me by Consul-Generai De
Kav Of Berlin, high compliment Is pau " ~
service. coupled with an expression OF sur VI
-, natural that such good results shouid DC PIo
duced IN view Of the manner In which our oo ,
officials are selected. Similar tes'lmol! " .
reneatedly given in leading organs OF rrehoi D. D.
No oninion and in discussions in the fre"."
~ 'p ~ ct &c that most of the whoiesaie
s,,,o,o,,or directed at our consular service '
So,, ,hose who know least about 1t. II Is so'
times the product Of honest ignorance
times | fear Of pure cussedhesS'
DUTIES ARDUOUs AND 'AiiHD
-. ,,,rtsor Of the consular regulations OF
France Germany Great Britain anu 'he nou
ctotes will show that the duties imposeu upo
e'"'e ns,,Is are more arduous and more
1911 ,hon those exacted Of the consuis OF o'hei
oo,n,r,es For instance, the work connected VII"
tho certhcation of invoices. WHICH al Az W.
su,ates AT manufacturing and cohheioa'
o,sular duties is not imposed upon the coisu,'i
co.''u' 80 countries Our system Of consular
.,eoo,ion If invoices Is peculiar TO the oI'i'eu
states Some other countries pehe'e. iet -.
certain consular formalities IN cohhe0'io" ,'..,
oroa invoices but these formaht,es hVoi'o .,
tax upon the attention OF consular oi'iceis u .u
hora,notes In the principal American coii'u
80 s,ch os London Paris. Liverpool and others
49, ,oricai force is largely occupied win .iis "oiN
go duties are necessarily made secondary anu
are performed in the intervals that can DC '""
IN or out OF office hours from lhVoice WI
.Tba revenue from the fees for the cei 'iii' w.,
,,o. o,a other official services, all or whlch
60 noid into the Treasury Of the Uhi'eo "'av'
nracticaIIv maintains our consular service. 49,.
consu,ar service Of other countries Is ho' ~
contrary disappearing. but Is maii'"'eO "
Whole or In large part at the charge OF the IAN
payers thereof. 49,, .ha, tho
"rha leading commercial nations other than the
I-nited States maintain larger ana pet,e pl.1
personnel at their important consu'" -,
AZ For instance at the British Consula'e"i1'"
In New-York which is not charged Win an! 'a'
4, connection with the certi1cauoh Oh '''oiOe''
- ore a consul general, a consul ana '"o
.,caconsus in addition 10 an ample ciercal III.
A, each Of the American consuiales-eeie''i Va Wv
voted States at Paris and London theIe are
uIgeneral a vice consul-general and Dep
u,v consul-general. The two latter are unueipu'
-, Tho work which devolves upon them IN con-
no,ion with invoices alone is suffclent II cure
tul,v and thoroughly done to occupy ai 'n.n
working hours. If the present system Oh coI.u s
autbentication Of invoices Is 10 De pe'Pe'u :,
I'D 7 mink IL Is at least questionable whether II
ought 10 te-Congress shouio plo'iuo ~
larger staff at our leading consuiates.
THEY HELP THEIR COUNTRYMEN.
..s,so from the invoice work, American consus
avn c.1,ed unon TO perform many duties ana rehoer
NAVY services 20 American citizens which are "o'
expected from the consuls OF other couh'ii'' ~
rule This is true In Europe, at ieasl' anu "'i'e
IN mart from the great volume OF American uaVei
IN England and on the Continent FOR efeiS
Francbnan who travels in the United states there
are l suppose at least one hundred Americans "no
travel in France. 1t is the duty Oh d" 'o"'U''
and believe it is the pleasure OF most Oh 'hei' "
render every reasonable service to ther IRA eis
feIoU-ci,izens This involves heavy oeihallus utUl
the time and considerable ueIHa!.u "p p on
o. Paris Berlin Rome and other centres Q!
American travel 1t HAPPENS hot InneptGeneyai at
parts taken up in esSi4g @q la%eers' Com
r r.y him 10 perform the routine work OF ms
position outside OF office hours ne sam" nt3er i'm
course true Of our consular officials at o'ier iii
1T is Conceded by those best qualified d 70 5pd rye
nous Of American consuls compare IaNoIaoi! W
Say the least. with the reports maae ny wil take
suis of other countries Any person Wo VIZ h ihe
occasion to examine the reports pnbsneu ny me he
Bureau Of stastes r eaf'n nmber and variety
subjects treated tine intelligence with when ,hhey
are handled ana Sg is greatly enhanced by the
prOmptness with which such information - uSu'"'
furnished 49,, ...ro .ru,bfr,Iv 4, be-
balf of orr consular service 1t is certaIHy nol
nv wish TO exaggerate its merits or TO gloss over over
i,S shortcominqs 1 simply wanted 10 point OUT
that the service although far from ideal ana sus-
ceptibe OF great improvement IN many IVsp's
everything cons!deied. reasonably credi'aple ana
efficient ,. .. h ,raa,l, i'm
nrovcd The nrescnt system or lack OF system. or
Selecting consular officers should be changed Sc
lections should b made with a view 10 tHe
acter and qualifications of the appolntee rdther
than on political grounds There shoula De a
greater permanence Of tenure. ana system OF
promotion and preferment should be adopted Whch
would operate a constant incentive 10 suDordls
nate consular officers render the best service OF
which they capable. would not go so far as
70 advocate life tenure of any post In me service.