Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-07
Insufficiency of the Pay of
Foreign Representatives.
DIGNITY OF OFFICE
CANNOT BE MAINTAINED UNLESS
INCUMBENT Is RICH.
Some Facts as to Salaries and COM
Parsons With Those Paid by
Other Nations.


ing the United States consular service"
said government official this morning.
calls TO mind a fact or two concerning our
diplomatic service which will serve as a
general answer 10 the many Inquiries We
receive from the public
The salaries paid our Diplomatic repre-
sentatives are incommensurate with the
dignity and the official and private den ands
Their positions carry. though they may be
considered liberal in some quarters at home
when 1t is considered that we pay our rep
| resentatives in both branches OF Congress
| but $1,000 a year and the justices OF our
| highest federal appellate tribunal $1,000
! There are five ambassadorships which pay
salaries of sl7.5oO a year-Great Britain,
Germany. Russia, France and Mexico. In
asmuch as one of our former ambassadors
to Great Britain told me that during his
term he had spent $4,000 over his salary
| II is safe to say that not one OF our present
representatives at these important posts
well spend less. and In one or two instances
| probably more. with the exception of Mex
| leo, where the ambassadors salary may be-
| said TO be double In the purcha sing value
| OF Mexican silver. In fact. IL is quite posi-
| bic that several Of our representatives TO
London and Paris who have been wealthy
| men have spent In a year the amount the
| representative in question spent during his
| entire term, as he not what may be
| considered a rich man. a poor man may
come to Congress and to the Senate. hut
| he should not accept a foreign mission IL he
would preserve his self-respect and uphold
| the dignity of his country among the rep
resentattyes OF the other great nations.
Itemized Information of Interest.
From time to time have made a note
of things of interest, which l Will give you.
| For instance. We are often asked If a per-
| son born abroad may serve his country in a
| diplomatic relation. and the answer is IN
| the affirmative. provided he be citizen OK
| the United States
Thus, DIR. w. ~. Hunter, our minister
| to Guatemala. and who is also accredited
| 20 Honduras, is appointed from Kentucky,
| but he is native of Ireland. Herbert g.
SCuires. minister to Cuba, Is a native Of
Canada, having been born in the dominion
| of American parents temporarily residing
abroad. r 5. Reynolds Hit, third secre-
! tary at our embassy at Paris, was born in
France under similar conditions,
| also William Corcoran Eustis. who occupies
similar position with our embassy at Lon
| don. and who Is, by the way. a resident Of
| the District of Columbia. stanton Sickles
| secretary of our legation at Madrid. is a
native of Spain having been born in the
| land of the dons while his father. Gen
Sickles, was minister. Hamilton King
| minister resident and consul general at
bangkok, Siam. is native of Canada, ap-
| poined from Michigan. Joseph Muir. sec
| rotary of the legation To Norway and Swc-
| den. and consul general. is a native Of Rus
| STA, and appointed from New York while
William Heimke, second secretary Of our
Mexican legation, Is a native OF France,
! and appointed from New York
There are six diplomatic positions which
pay Sl2.eD salary a year-AustTia. Brazil
| China, Italy. Japan and Spain-and OF these
Italy Is already an ambassadorship and
Austria was recently elevated to that rank.
"A dozen Of our legations pay salaries OF
$1,000 year-Argentine. Belgium. Chile
| Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala. Neither
LANDS. Nicaragua Peru, Salvador, Turkey
| and Venezuela.
1T will be seen from the last paragraph
| that We pay our diplomatic representatives
in some of the Central and South American
| states about a hundred times more I'm pro-
| portion to their Importance and size than
We pay our ambassadors to England and
| France and third more In actual salary
than to some of our representatives in the
smaller European countries. Thus. our
| ministers to Denmark. Portugal Siam,
Sweden and Norway and Switzerland re-
ceive but s. 800 salary.
Features of Our Diplomatic Service.
In short, compared with its Importance
| and the standing of the country 1t repre-
! sents. our diplomatic service may be said to
be extremely inexpensive not to say cheap
ly, too cheaply. run. especially when the
expenditures o. the other branches of the
government are considered England pays
her representative IN washington a salary
of $4,000 year, with everything furnished
and allowances of all kinds as far as known.
and her representative In Paris receives
81. 600 a year. and is likewise We'll pro-
vided for. out of lump sum which IL
much too curtailed our State Department
has to fall in line with the economies II
Congress and make the allotments for
rent, fuel furniture, etc, so as far as pos
sible among the different legations. Per
haps the American people who would like
to see our legations abroad raised to the
importance our country warrants may feel
glow of sarcastic pride when l say that
the modest home OF their representative in
London on Victoria street. has been newly
furnished this year. for the first time in
several years The case is hopeless. how
ever until Congress undergoes a change OF
mind and makes more liberal appropria-
tions and then the service can be improved
and touched up all along the line. when
We feel good over such a trifie as refurnish-
ing legation you may know how badly on
We are for money to cover all contingent
expenses. but our history shows that Con-
gress has never given Full recognition to
diplomatic Service.
I'VE pay $500 salary TO our minister
at Greece who Is also accredited to Rou-
ma mia and Servia, and s, 800 to our repre-
sentative at Korea. Paraguay and Haiti.
the last two ministers being accredited to
Uruguay and the Dominican republic. re-
spectiyely.
Our 5000 a year diplomatic stations arc
Bolivia, Ecuador. Persia. Egypt and Bull
garia the latter country being represented
by diplomatic agent who resides IN Con-
stantinople at which place he IL consul
general. Our minister at Liberia receives
the lowest ministerial! salary paid In the
servicc-NoOc.
'-Our secretaries to the legations receive
from s1,ayo to 81 G25 n year salary, most
of them receiving si.J1 $500 and S2.opi.
those who receive SLIGO being third secre-
taries. These are salaries paid TO clerks
in the departments In Washington. and
how our diplomatic friends manage 10 live
abroad and maintain any style at all has
ever been a mystery to me. though peru
sal of the diplomatic list shows that many
of the secretaries and attaches OF our le-
cations are the sons of rich and we'll
known families. Military and naval az
taches receive their own pay and none
from the civil list.
IF our diplomatic and consular services
are not in most instances adequately paid.
the personnel of the latter branch has vast
iy improved within the past few years since
preliminary examinations are required.
The day when senator with the necessary
influence could take a rough diamond from
the plains, or mining camps. and secure
his appointment to "a consular position Is