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

! TWO latter are underpaid and the work
which devolves upon them in connec-
ton with invoices alone is sufficient,
if carefully and thoroughly done, TO
( occupy all their working hours. IT
/ the present system of consular anthem
I tifcation of invoices is TO be per
petuated-and l think it is at least
questionable whether it ought to be
Congress should provide a much
/ larger staff at our leading consulates.
aside from the invoice work,
American consuls are called upon to
/ perform many duties and render many
services to American citizens which
are not expected from the consuls Of
other countries as a rule. This is
true in Europe, at least, and arises in
part from the great volume of Ameri-
can travel in England and on the Con-
tinent. For every Frenchman who
travels in the United States there are.
l suppose. at least one hundred Ameri-
cans who travel in France. 1t is the
duty of all consuls, and l believe it
is the pleasure of most of them, TO
render
EVERY REASONABLE SERVICE
to their travelling fellow citizens. This
involves heavy demands upon the
time. and considerable upon the
purse. of consular officers ct such
cities as London. Paris, Berlin, Rome
and other centres of American travel
1t happens not infrequently thaJ the
entire business day of the consul gen.
eral at Paris is taken up in receiving
and attending to the various demands
of American travellers, compelling MIN
to perform the routine work of his
position outside of Office hours. The
same is. of course, true of our consul
lar officials at other important posts.
1T is conceded by those best quail
fed to judge all over Europe that the
commercial and other reports of Amer
lean cOnsuls compare very favorably,
to say the least, with the reports made
by consuls of other countries. Any
person who will take occasion to eX-
anime the reports published by the
Bureau of Statistics during a single
year will be impressed by the great
number and variety of subjects treated,
the intelligence with which they ere
handled. and the value Of infOrma-
ton they contain-a value which is
greatly enhanced by the promptness
with which such information is usual
~ furnished.
Il might say a great deal more very
truthfully in behalf of our consular
service. II is certainly not my wish
to eXaggerate its merits or to gloss
over its shortcomings. l simply want
ed TO point ont that the service, al
though
VERY FAR FROM IDEAL,
and susceptible Of great Improvement
in many respects. is, everything con-
sidered. reasonably crcditable and eff
fcient
But it can be. and ought to be,
very greatly improved. The present
system. or lack of system, of selecting
consular officers should be changed.
Selections should be made with view
TO the character and qualifications of
tine appointee, rather than on political
grounds. There should be a greater
permanence of tenure, and system OF
promotion and preferment should be
adopted which would operate as a
constant incentive to subordinate con-
sular officers to render the best ser
vice of which they are capable. l
would not go so far as to advocate
life tenure of any post in the service,
because l am not sure it would con-
duce TO the public interests. Nor
would | be understood as admitting
that because political considerations
cut so large a figure at present, as they
always have, in the selection OF consul
lar officers. character and competency
are ignored As matter of fact, they
are seldom disregarded. l make the
broad assertion that the consuls of the
United States in Europe, as general
rule. and making due allowance for
exceptional cases, will
COMPARE VERY FAVORABLY
I'm point of character and capability,
with their colleagues of other nations.
The great majority of them are men
of education, knowledge Of affairs,
and all-round capacity. When
branch of the public service is charac-
terized as beneath contempt and as
the laughing stock of the world
which includes men of character, at
tainments and capacity of Patrick A.
Collins. late consul general at London;
Charles DeKay, consul general at Ber-
lin; Wallace 5. Jones, consul general
at Rome; James E. Neal, late consul
at Liverpool: Frank H. Mason, consul
general at Frankfort; and w. S. Car
roll. consul general at Dresden, not
to speak of scores of others of similar
standing, an affront is offered to the
intelligence and common sense of the