Evening star., 1902-03-25
OUR CONSULAR SERVICE
SOME REASONS WHY IT Is NOT
MORE EFFICIENT TODAY.
Selections Based Upon Wrong Qualifi-
cations-Instances Of Bad
Choosing Given
20 the Editor Of The Evening Star:

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
The presentation of the views Of Mr.. Will
liam Dudley Foulke. civil service commits
sioner, regarding the needs of our consular
service in your issue of Thursday last were
both interesting and timely, as well as to
the point. His Illustrations of just how un-
fit some consuls are for the discharge of
their rather varied duties were especially
entertaining. and, believing that other illus
trations Of like kind will be appreciated
by your readers 1 contribute the following
for the good of the cause
The height and front of the offending In
consular appointments was probably reached
under Harrison and under Cleveland. One
of the principal islands to the south of us
during that time was one in which Amer1-
can commercial men were most anxious 70
stand well and be well represented. My
life as an exploring naturalist at that time
took me frequently to that region. In four
years l found there three consuls Ine
first was chronic drunkard of long stand
ing habit; the next had a serious physical
deformty, which compelled him to depend
entirely on his clerk. young brown man
of the island, of poor social status and
worse mental outfit, and the thlrd was an
ignorant farmer. entirely new to any life
but that of a small village. and whose fla
grant sexual vagaries were soon the talk
of the island The latter was promoted to
a far better government position and a still
more unfit man sent In his place.
Illiteracy and Bad Manners.
In one of the British West Indies 1 kept
house bachelors headquarters) on shares
with the consul who ratified around in that
position. l still treasure one of my most
valued trophies of travel the book in which
he kept our dual expense account, and In
which such entries as "fifteen yards of
roap," SO much "hamb three and one
half yards of unbleeched musslin.' etc.
ll,rriy thn nfcpht Y1{n NM
we were partners in single blessedness he
contributed number of papers to the con-
sular reports on Caribbean-Americant trade
relations. After left the island those reports
suddenly came to stop / could name nu-
merous cases where unfit cOnsuls. enjoying
the reputation for able reports. have thus
borrowed thunder
Happening to be in certain island when
new consul arrived. his predecessor
having left before his arrival, and being on
calling terms at the governor generals
residence, / presented the new incumbent,
at his request. to the governor. Afterwards
we were both requested to dine with Sir
-, the governor and his wife. a woman
of great culture and very eminent scientific
attainmentS. 1t the only dinner inV1-
tation extended to that consul. Later l
was very feelingly told that, however per-
missible it might be in American official
dom, making whistlng sounds as the soup
was gulped, or eating peas and mashed
yams with the knife were scarcely en-
regale among European gentlemen, and
certainly not likely to be repeated at that
gubernatoral residence.
Prejudice and Ignorance.
1 stopped over night in one of the Haitian
ports some years ago, on my way into the
interior. Calling on the American consul.
who was one of perhaps fifteen or twenty
pure whites in a town of as many thou
sands Of blacks. I was surprised to find
that. although resident in the island then
some months, he alluded to all the inhab-
itants. Partisan graduates and barefooted
louts alike, "niggers." 1 was not sur
prised, on returning some months later, to
learn that he had asked to be recalled. "be-
cause the climate did not agree with him.
and also to hear that had he not gone
about when he did some of the townspeople
would have given him the scare of his
| life"
Another of our consuls, at port to the
south of us, some years back. was called
| upon by two OF us to examine three tin
| trunks which we had packed full Of insect
| specimens intended for northern museums,
| and which. If he would certify to their con-
! tents museum specimens, would not need
to undergo the rough usages OF custom
/ house inspection on their arrival here. This
he fatty refused to do. declaring frankly
| that the specimens of dried butterflies in
! papers, beetles and spiders in alcohol and
| flies and true bugs carefully mounted on
pins were. in his opinion. medicinal sub
| stances of value which We desired him to
| aid in smuggling into this country. He
| came from one of the Dakotas. l think 1t
| was, and positively assured us that he had
never heard Of collecting such material
/ Just to look at," and did not for moment
| believe in it, His job lasted about six
| weeks after my return home.
A Sample Of Official Selection.
| Mr. Foulke's alluson to Josiah Quincy as
| the watchdog of Cleveland's consular
regime Uhe term Is mine. however, re-
| minds me of the case Of a young man. we'll
| known to me. who put in at that time an
| application for a consulate In one of the
| British possessions His 'backing' was ex-
| celent. but he declared to be weak
| languages and hardly up to the Quincian
standard, l believe. He was a university
man. a better educated man than Quincy
| Of English composition in print is any
| criterOn). ard, though asking only for an
English-speaking berth, was fairly the mas
| ter of French and German. The man ap-
pointed to the place held the position for
| nearly two years, and the mayor of the
| town wrote me afterward that he did not
| think that particular American consul had
gone to bed sober two nights in succession
| during his incumbency. The rejected one
F, is now principal editorial reader and trans
| lator for one Of our leading reviews; the
successful one is keeping saloon in -.
New York. He knows no word Of any lam
| guage but English, and has but nOdding ac-
| quaintance with that.
| The Salary Question.
| 1 must not tire your readers nor exhaust
| your pdtituCe. having Deeu CoiieCtluS udtd
| for book on American politicians and
political understrappers for many years. L
| could fill several chapters with such ac-
| counts, giving names. places, subsequent
| histories. &c l only wish to add that. in
my opinion, Mr.. Foulke entirely misses the
| main point. however, when he ignores the
| fact that the men he thinks ought to be
| selected cannot be had for the money offer
| ed. Take Jamaica as an example. I can
| rent here for $40 far better house than /
| gave ed ($46) a month for there. In that
| island entertaining, especially in the winter,
| must be a considerable item Of cost to the
| man who wants to be we'll thought of as the
| representative of the great United States.
| The salary is 5000 and some fees. 1t
| ingtOn. A well-to-do man can take the
| position and hold 1, until the newness wears
| off. The man who Is likely to want to make