The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-10
ZANZIBAR AND ITS CONsULsHIP.

In his tour along the east coast of Africa,
as described in Scribner's Magazine, Rich
ard Harding Davis visited Zanzibar and fell
in love with the place at first sight. The
more he saw of it, he says. the more he
wanted to take his baggage Orchard really
Gays "luggage') out of the ships hold and
cable to his friends to try and nave him
made vice consul to Zanzibar through all
the succeeding administrations He de-
scribes it as an Arabian Nights city, "a
comic opera capital, a most difficult city 10
take seriously its charm lies in the fact
that. while white men have made II
healthy and clean, have given ii good roads.
good law. protection for the slaves, quick
punishment for the slave dealers, and a
firm government under a benign and gentle
Sultan, they have done all of this without
destroying one flash of its local color, or
one throb of its barbaric life, which is the
snowy. sunshiny and sumptuous life OF
the Far East" Among the people MI.
Davis met there were the members of "a
firm of dealers in ivory. being the largest
exporters in the world of that commodity.
This firm, of which ct least one member Is
American. has always. he says. held a
semi-oIncial position. for the reason thai
the United States consul at Zanzibar, who
should speak at least Swahili and Portu-
guese. is invariably chosen for the post
from a drug store in Yankton. Oak, or a
postofice in Canton, o.; consequently, on
arriving at Zanzibar, he becomes homesick,
apI hic fret official not ic 70 aohla bfc rocio-
nation, and the State Department instructs
whoever happens TO be general manager Of
the ivory house TO perform the duties of
acting consul until further notice. So, with
the exception of a month or two every
four years. the ivory firm has always held
the eagle of the consulate over its door
way"
This consulate talk is of some local m
terest TO Indiana readers. since the tvG
latest appointees 10 that important office
nave hailed from this State. and not from
dakota or Ohio. In fact. a feeling is be-
ginning to prevail that there is so close a
bond bet ween Zanzibar and Indiana that
the consulate in question is about to be-
come, perhaps is already. as much one of
Its vested political possessions as the per-
sion agency or customs collectorship. III
is true that the first of these Indiana
consuls did not remain long. Indeed. 30
soon after departure was he heard of on
his way home that some of his friends
gathered the impression that he never got
so far away as Zanzibar. This impression
was wrong: he did make the through trip
the round trip it might properly enough
be said. And 1t is no reflection upon his
judgment that he preferred a live. hustling
indiana gas town to an Arabian Nights
city. The latter is an acquired taste. and
must be acquired young. Besides. as every-
body and Richard Harding Davis ought TO
know. your genuine native Hoosier always
has political duties TO attend to. and wher
he realizes. as he does about twice a year.
that politics at his old home Is beginning
to sizzle. he is unhappy until he gets back
into his ward and takes a hand at things.
1t isn't really inconsistencies that draws the