The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-18
He Returns from Tour of Euro
pean Consular Stations.
SYSTEM is CONDEMNED
All Government Representatives
Should Be Native Americans
And Should Be Given Salaries
and Hope of Promotion.


consulates of the United States in
England, Holland. Belgium; France
and Germany. Third Assistant Secre-
tary of State Pierce has submitted to |
the secretary a report on the general
condition as he found it.
In no case. he says was the consul
forewarned of his arrival. He says
that our consulates in Europe are on
the whole IN excellent condition, and
that the service compares favorably |
with that of any other country. The |
system of remuneration of consuls he
found to be unequa1ly distributed. but
on the whole he finds that our consuls |
are inadequately compensated. The |
fee system of compensation he regards
as an unfortunate feature. introducing
an element of uncertainty into the
consups remuneration, which is en- |
barrassing and disquieting to him in
the performance of his duties. How |
ever remote may be the temptation to
abuse the privileges under what con-
sui retains for himself certain fees"
says Mr. Pierce, still the existence of
such possibility cannot be beneficial
to the morals of the service
He says there is no strife among
neighboring consuls for the inclusion
of territory into their respective dis
tricts in order to secure notarial fees.
the result being that in place of har-
mony and esprit de corps and the salu-
tary exchange of views between con-
suis which should exist, he found the
consuls not only out of harmony but
hardly having relations with one an
other. This he says acts pre1udlc1ally
| to the interests of persons for whose
| benefit the consulS have been given
notarial authority. In the settlement
nf business r,
Pierce says, the temptation exists, and
not infrequently is yielded to, for the
consul to supply or recommend legal
counsel, receiving a division of the
fees, and thus placing an additional
tax on the client He therefore recon-
mends the abolition of all compensa-
ton 10 the consul by fees of whatever
sort or nature. that all fees be con-
verified into the treasury, and more
adequate salaries be paid consuls.
| Mr.. Pierce regards as unfortunate
| the appointment Of natura1iZed Amer1-
can citizens to the country of their origin
| in a consular capacity not alone from
the point Of view Of the government to
whom they are accredited, which seldom
regards such appointments with salts
faction, but from the point of view OF
efficiency. The employment of foreign
clerks to consulS he regards as unwiSe
as it is highly probable that such b.
| clerk owing allegiance to another gov
| eminent and recognizing none to our
own, other than that of a tasKmasteI,
would find the temptation to reveal
matter which might be of the highest
| Importance a strong one if inducements
were offered him. He suggests that at
the rate of $1,000. and in some instances
somewhat more. we could fill all these
positions with bright young American
citizens if they were encouraged 10 feel
that they had a reasonable prospect OF
promotion to the position of consu1.
Mr. Pierce thinks that q considerable
class of Americans look upon the con-
sui as having been sent to his post to
serve their convenience and obey tneif
behests. While he found consulS ready
and willing to oblige American tourists,
often at great inconvenience to them
| selves yet he says he discovered cases
where demands on the consul have peen
most unreasonable and not Always
/ eOurteouSly presented
Mr.. Pierce calls attention to an abuse
which he says has grown up in the
| certification of invoices of merchandise
shipped to the United States under the
law which limits the necessity of
certified invoice to a shipment of goods
amounting to 500 more, whereby
what really constitute single shipments
tare split into many of less than 800
leach Another abuse complained Of
and which is extensively practiced. is
that forwarding houses and agents of
| American firms unite bills of goods
/ into one Shipment, attaching the va
rious bills into one invoice, which is
| brought to the consulate for certi1ca-
ton. In this way, he says. for the
small fee of $3.50 consular services are
obtained consuming considerable
part of the officials day. In fact, he
says the shipper of goods invoiced at
$1O1 pays the same fee as the shipper
of goods of the value of $1,000 He
therefore suggests that the minimum
sum requiring an invoice to be certified
should be $25 instead of $780, as at
present, and that the fee charged
either should be upon sliding scale,
with a minimum fee of 25 cents and
a maximum of $50 on invoice of $1,000
or more. or that the system of CONSOLE
dating invoices into one should be dis
continued, but a regular fee or a re-
duced one be charged on each separate
invoice. In this way he SAYS the con-
sular revenues would be doubled. In
the interests of protection to our GUS
toms tariff, Mr.. Pierce urges that the
system of our treasury experts be ex-
tended all over Europe to facilitate the
work of preventing under valuation.
The report deals with the subject of
immigration and the duties of consuls
in connection Herewith. saying they
are excessively arduous, involving ir-
regular hours and exposure not only to
the weather but to contagious and in
fectious diseases. By the terms of the
recent law, Mr.. Pierce says, the emil
grant passenger manifest is no longer
signed by the consul or by anybody at
the post of embarkation. but by the
immigration inspectors at the port of
arrival. The actual labors, however, of
the consul, in connection with the bill
of health and the inspection of immi-
grants remain the same Consequent
ly, he says, after delivering to the cap
tain of a vessel a clean bill of health.
it is entirely possible for rejected innmi-
grants or others who have not been ex-
anined to be taken aboard after the
consul has left, thus vitiating the entire
bill of health. He says that when the
cost of bringing emigrants to the United
States is considered. steamship COM
panies can well afford to take the risk
OF rejection of immigrants by the au-
thorities on arrival in this country He
concludes by remarking that the condi-
tons in Germany with regard to emf
grafton offered greater protection to
the United States from the importation
of emigrants than do those of Russia,
Poland and Oriental countries