The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-09
OUR CONSULAR SERVICE
IN MANY PARTS Of THE WORLD 1T
BRINGS SHAME TO AMERICANS.
The United States Government 10
Rich. hut Asks the Standard OIL
Company to Help Ii Ont.
Julian Ralph. in Harper.s weekly.

Julian Ralph, in Harper's Weekly
We were in Bombay. and We needed ad-
vice. 1t occurred to us that the American
consul would be the best man to go to for
it, Bombay is large and very important
city-of that can assure our government.
If IL does not realize the fact. AS the gov
ernor of the presidency said. when no
man from Glasgow is by. we call 1t the
second city in the British empire
1t naturally occurred to US. under these
circumstances, that We would readily find
our country's consul. and that he would be
a man OF distinction in the city.
At the office of our hotel (Watson's
Esplanade) we asked for the address of our
consul. Nobody knew it. He used to live
at the hotel, they said; or perhaps 1t was
another one, who came before this present
one-they were not sure. Does he not have
an office? Oh, yes, he must have an office,
but nobody knew where.
We went into the street and hailed
"garry''-pigeon-India for carriage-and
asked the garry-walla, or driver, If he knew
the way to the American consulate? He
said he did; but he lied in his throat.
per the custom Of his kind, who think 1t
polite always to say yes to whatever you
say to them. He drove us up the Queens
road and along the bay shore past the pyres
where the bodies of the plague-stricken
Hindoos were blackening the sky with their
smoke. We felt that he was wrong, and
said so. He called to passing white man.
who said, HE is taking you to the French
consul We said we wished to be taken to
the American consulate. II am not sure
that country keeps consul here" said the
white man.
Back to town went we, and presently
stopped at a grand bungalow with a double
headed eagle Oh the gates, and funkies m
livery lowering about the veranda- 1t was
the house of the Austrian consul. We
alighted, and asked fiunky where was the
American consulate. He replied in the ma
tive tongue to Our driver, and again We set
off. We were now carried to the heart of
the business district of the city-among the
offices cf insurance companies, exporting
firms, wholesale stores and the like The
driver stopped the carriage and looked at
US. We saw no American consulate, no
United States fiag-nothing suggestive of
ticed the sign of the ubiquitous New York
Life Insurance Company, and climbed the
stairs of building to ask for information.
Indian clerks, who speak English. When
ever L asked one where the American con-
suate was he invariably looked perplexeo
and stopped the next baboo to ask him.
A HUNT FOR THE CONSUL
ard Oil Company" said one man. but he
was not sure. and he did not know where the
Standard Oil Office was. A dozen who fol-
lowed said frankly that they did not know
there was any such consulate.
Inwardly 1 boiled with indignation at the
shame Of having to search so hard for my
country's representative, where 1 had seen
the Austrian consul nobly housed, and where
only the day before had seen the French.
lean consuls-riding on the Queens road
with great pomp and display. Presently
down came my companion.
Our consul is in the Standard Oil Com
pany Office said he. What do yon
think of that? Coming over from New
La Rochelle. in France, and he was also in
the pay of the Standard Oil Company.
And at Bahu, on the Black sea, where i
was last year. said i, ''our CONSUL was
Standard Oil man, sent there to keep an eye
on the Russian oil wells. whose owners are
the greatest competitors of our gigantic oil
company. Out there nobody made any
bones about the consurs connection with
the Standard Company. The other consuls
in Tifis told me about him, praising him
his interest in the consulate was left-hand-
ed; that. in sober fact, he was simply a pc
troleum expert.
Curious said my companion.
1T would be interesting to know how
many consuls the Standard Oil Company is
supplying" said 1; and ordering the garry
walla to make for the Oil companys office,
away we went. On the main business thor
oughfare, above the Bombay Club and on
the opposite side, was large building
with offices. On one of the posts support
ing the arches were two signs thus: