The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-21
This Country Has More Than
Three Hundred of Them.
ARE NOT ALL AMERICAN CITIZENS
Consuis Have Troubles of Their Own, Even
Can speak English aud Some Can't
They Have to ka0w a Little of Every
thing and BE Ready for All Corners
DO Not Always Live in Healthy Place.

I hundred different ways Ii is not the pol
| icy OF the government 10 own its Consul
late buildings and grounds. but in one
way and another half a dozen have fallen
! into its possession They are in Tahiti.
the Society Islands. Tangier. Morocco,
Annoy China, Bangkok, Siam; Seuol, no
rea, and Toxic, Japan.
In these places the consuls Of course
have their rent free, but provide their
own furniture. Everywhere else they rent
such quarters as they may need for Of
/ fees, and in most cases are allowed a
small Office rent. Usually this is used by
the consul to pay house rent. if he has a
| family. and then his office is in his resi-
| dence-
| One could not imagine the commercial
| representatives of any country in the
! world living in a greater variety Of homes
than do the consuls of this country.
| Neither could one imagine a greater va
| Tiety in the personnel of any consular
service than can be found in the Amer
lean. Representing the commercial inter-
| ests of this country there are Irishmen in
| France, Frenchmen in Germany. Germans
| in Italy, and so on, men born in foreign
| countries, but generally naturaliZed
| Americans. In fact there are more natur-
| allied than native Americans in the ser
vice. There are also men in the service
| who never saw America. TO say nothing
| of their citizenship. Some do not even
| speak the English language Quite fire.
| quently in the very out-of-the-way places
| the United States Consul cannot converse
| with the citizens of the country he repre-
sents without the aid of an interpreter
1t may be said, though. that as a rule,
| where the American Consul does not
| speak English. there is no money in the
| post, and he is d native merchant holding
the office merely for the honor The posts
which pay the incumbent nothing at all
are scarce, but still there are few which
/ never yield a cent to the incumbent or
| to the government.
In great many of the posts cholera.
smallpox, and fever are the American
| Consuls next door neighbors the wear
round, and are apt to call on him officially
at any minute If one of these diseases
does not visit him or some member of his
FAMILY, then ii is almost sure to catch
| his native servants.
| If trouble or disease is raging in the
American colony of his post the Consul is
| expected to do what he can for the vic
| tins. He is a sort of Governor over the
| colony of Americans within his iurisdic-
| ton, and the people who come under his
| wing rush To him upon the slightest prov
| ocatlon. ImpostOrs swarm to his door.
/ no matter whether he is in an important
or an out-of-the-way place. Beggars work
| upon his sympathy and his salary, and if
| there Is any social life in his colony 1t
soon eats the very lining out of his pock-
| et-book- If there is no social life in his
/ colony the Consul is very apt to tire of
| the natives about him, and grow home
| sick The Consuls to very strange
! and distant countries generally advise
! those seeking these offices not to marry
/ If they are unmarried, and not to bring
/ their wives along if they are married. If
| the post is a healthy one, and it is possible
| to buy comforts which the average Amer
| lean man and woman going out to for
| eign land would deem indispensable. il is
all right for a woman TO go along, but in
very distant places the necessities of life
are often hard to get at any price.
| Has to DO Everything.
An American Consul is given to under
| stand, when he hangs out the Stars and
| Stripes for sign, that he represents the
! individuals" of the United States and
| their commercial interests: also, any
| other interests that they might
| have in his jurisdiction. This makes him
( liable TO be called upon 10 do almost any
| thing, and when he has been in office a
| year or more he is generally prepared to
do almost anything at almost any hour
of the day or night for almost any kind
| of an American citizen.
Aside from doing anything which comes
| his way to 90. he has routine duties laid
down in the consular regulations, large
volume in small type, which would keep
| the most energetic of men going about all
, the time in a moderately important place
| In Chinese posts the Consul is the spe-
! cial protector of the missionary, and is
| often called rpCn in the middle OF the
night to run to the celestial authorities
and secure an injunction to prevent some
outrage upon the American missionary
workers. Where there is a prison for the
confinement Of American prisoners the
Consul is the jailer. Besides this, he is
| judge, jury, and exceutioner of offending
| Americans. He must try all criminal and
civil cases in his Jurisdiction, where the
/ defendants are citizens of the United
States. He performs marriages and grants
| divorces for citizens and also p-obates
wills. He ships home bodies Of dead
| Americans. looks out for mail matter TO
and from Americans, investigates Amerl-
can shipwrecks if his post is on the coast:
| helps stranded seamen hack TO the Unit
! ed States out OF his own pocket ard runs
the risk OF the Treasury Department in
Washington diSsllOwing the seamans
claims, in which case the ConsuIs never
get their money back. He settles all dis
putes between mariners. prevents pau
4 pers md Mormons from emlgrating 10
/ this country; promptly reports all inven-
| tons and discoveries within his territory,
| a nd rerartS aVielyIv 49,,
| anything which would be Of the least
value 10 the American commercial world.
| OF Value to Commerce.
| Hardly day passes that something not
! only interesting to the public. but OF great
/ interest 10 the American business men
! seeking TO enlarge their foreign trade. is
not taken from the advance sheets of the
| consular reports by the Washington cor
/ respondents Of TIE great newspapers of
| the country and published in every State
/ This information is generally right up
| 10 date, because our COnsU!s are instruct
/ ed 10 send In all commercial facts as
soon as they get them. Every day these
| reports are printed on advance sheets
for the newspapers and given out broa !
| cast. Later they are printed more care
| fully and bound for the chambers OF
| commerce, boards OF trade and Other
business organizations Throughout the
| country.
| while the reports upon all commercial
( matters about him form large part OF
a CoEsUl's duties his biggest Job is the
| recording OF invoices. He has 10 make
| three invoices OF every shipment OF goods
| from his post 70 she United States. one
Of these invoices is retained by the ship
per OF the goods. who pays the Consul
/ fee, one IS sent by the Consul to the
! American port for which the goods are
| bound. and one he retains.
| All the fees taken In al salsried posts
are returned 10 the Treasury Department
al Washington. where Trey are placed 10
| the credit 81 the serVtce, witch used 10,
be- self-suppoTtirg. but Of late years h
has cost the government as high as S9og
ora. ana a complete reorganization Gems
likely within a short time. II is demand
| 81 by business men az over the COUNTY,
| They object 10 the hlhnE % eDnsu.afes
With politicians and for political pur-
poses The Adams Dill. now pendlne In
| congress Is faVOrded by most business
1 flxr h.