El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-23
CONSULAR REFORM.
The Demand Is Growing, And The
Recent Serious Dispute In Mex
leo Has Served To Increase
It.-Secretary Hay Makes Some
Excellent Suggestion.-It Is
OF Vital Importance That This
Country Be WorthlIy Represent
ed Abroad.

The department of state Jan. IL de.
D. Barlow, consul general of the Unit
ed States at the City of Mexico and
Mr.. Jos. F. Bennett, formerly vice-con-
sui general, by approving Mr.. Bar
lows provisional suspension of Mr..
Bennett, and directing him to no.
inmate Q suitable person for his sue
cessor. The action is taken without
rejecting upon Mr.. Bennett but is bas-
ed upon what the department thought
to be the best interests of the service
in view OF the apparently irreconcil-
Washington dispatch in the Two Re-
publics.
Pressing Is the need for the reforma.
ton of the consular service of the Unit
ed States.
It is the desire of administration of
ficials and of friends of the service that
some action shall be Immediately taken
which will place consular persons out
eide of politics and make promotion
and permanency depend upon merit and
good behavior.
Influence has much to do today with
consular appointments, the result be-
ing that men are sent abroad to repre-
sent the interests of the United States
who are unfit to do so.
A case which has caused considerable
difficulty is that between Consul Cen
eral Barlow and Vice Consul Gen.
Bennett, in the City of Mexico. An
investigation made by an officer of the
consular bureau has resulted in the
submission of a report, which leads to
the removal of Mr.. Bennett and it is
said suggestion to Mr.. Barlow to be
more careful of the prOprieties In the
future.
The trouble between these two Of
ficials eliminated in q refusal on the
part of the consul general to permit
Mr.. Bennett to enter the consular Of
fee and he gave instructions, it was
reported at the time, to the ]anitor of
enter the building. Quite deal of
talk naturally followed the difficulty
between these two men and department
officials feel that it Isl discreditable to
this government for its representa-
tives abroad to engage in public quar-
rels, scaudalOus to the participants and
to the government.
Many other cases have occurred
which show the need for reform in the
consular service. A step in this direc-
tion was taken several days ago, when,
under an order issued by President
Cleveland, all candidates for consular
positions selected for appointment
were required to undergo an examina-
ton as to their fitness to perform the
duties of the Office before their nomi-
nation could be submitted to the senate.
The candidates were examined by
board of three officers -one of the JUS
tices of the court of claims, the as
sistant secretary of state and the chief
of the consular bureau. These exami-
nations have been continued under the
present administration, but so far as
can be learned they are not as strict as
they were when the plan was inaugur-
ated.
A bill for consular service based
1pon merit was prepared many years
'go by the state department., but has
never been vigorously pushed. though
he need of its adoption is more appar-
mt today than ever before in the his
DRY of the country. It has been tina