The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-17


out nowadays costs the government a
good deal of money to maintain.
In many forts, not least among the
cehsufs tribulations is the constant
DANGER OF death in the guise of yellow
IeVer' smallpox, leprcsy and local calen-
turas; and, like the mosquitoes, these
dreaded pests prefer fresh foreign blood
10 that of the natives. Many and many a
consul OF Uncle Samuel fills some neg
iected grave In a strange land who might
DE walking the earth to-day had he re-
NAMED In the safer environment OF home
Wnen disease is rampant In the Amer
lcan colony Of his post, the consul Is
expected to do everything In his power
Tor the victims. and certainly to attend
the funerals, regardless Of how many
germs he may carry home to his family.
In snort, he is a sort of patriarchal gov
onor over all Americans, good or bad,
within his jurisdiction; and the people
who feel they have right to come under
MS wing, rush to les broad shelter upon
the slightest prete&t. Imposters swarm
about his doors and waylay him in his
walks abroad. Beggars work nightly
Upon his sympathy and his salary; and
II there is any social life in his colony,
1t soon eats the very lining out of his
pocket book. If there is no American
social life, then indeed his lines have fal-
len In unpleasant places-for he is sure
TO grow weary of the natives, and of
ways he was not born to; and presently
develops a case of chronic homesIokness-
than which there is no suffering more in
tense, while 1t lasts.
Considering the small pay, the arduous
duties, the danger and discomfort m
VOWED, and the small honor In 1t, the
wonder is that so many people move
heaven and earth, fguratively speaking,
20 break into the consular service. There
Is no post so remote, so dreary and dead
ly and inhospitable, that it may not be
Immediately filled. Few die and none
resign" for one vacancy in the con-
sular service, Their are always a thousand
clamoring applicants. Senator and repre-
sentatives tell me that consular appoint
ments are the most sought and the hard
est to secure in. the whole range of off,
cial patronage. A man with ordinary
pull might aspire to be Secretary OF
State, or Supreme Court judge, with about
as good prospect of success, as to the
consularship in some remote fever-haunt-
ed hole, at salary of a thousand a year.
1t Is plainly to be seen-and foreigners
have seen and laughed at it this long
time-that Uncle Samuel'S consular SER
vice needs a thorough reorganization,
from beginning to end. Business men AL
over the country demand it. They object
to the filling of consulates with polite
ians-generally broken-down ones. at
that-and of using the offices as political
rewards, regardless of the fitness of the
incumbents. The Adams bill, which has
been enacting the part of Banquos ghost
through several sessions, is designed 10
provide for q better consular service, the
adjustment of fee offices, and the es
adjustment of salaried classes, with reg
ular grade promotions as at West Point
and Annapolis. To properly maintain the
dignity of our country abroad, the con-
sular service should be Just as much an
integral part of the nation as is the Su-
preme Court, and entirely independent of
politics.
There should be a consular college
where young men, selected from the best
walks of life, can be educated for the
service exactly as men are now educat-
ed for the army and navy. Promotion
should be the reward of length of SER
vice, and of merit; so that the man who
begins in his youth as commercial agent
at the Falkland islands for example,
may round off his dip omatic career as
Ambassador to the court of Edward VII.
All American travellers can attest that
many of our consu1s are lamentably
Short on diplomatic tact and train
ing-to state 1t in most charitable terms:
and now and then one is met regret
to add, who is downright disgrace to
his countrymen.
In the consular offices of other nations
where the service Is very differently man.
aged, one usually finds men of special
fitness for the posts they occupy-co,lege-
bred men speaking at least two or three
languages, representatives of the best So
ciety, and often of considerable wealth.
Every nation, except ours. allows it's rep
resentatives to give special functions In
honor of state occasions, and gracefully
foots the bill out of the public funds. But
If our representative hoists a flag on the
Fourth of July, and invites those who re-
spect 1t to Join him in a little jamboree.
ne must pay for it all out of his own
purse. or course the American consul is
a guest at every other consular function
often the guest of honor; and the fuuc-
tons are fine, because not paid for out of
individual incomes. but by rich and
powerful governments Seldom is Uncle
Samueis man able 10 return the compli
ment, out of his meager salary.