The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-21
Guayaqull, Ecuador, FEB. Z

tudEdQui, Ecuador. Feb. r.
IT WOULD seem that CuayaquH de-
serves to be uicknsmed "the fever
port On account of the ravages
Of this disease, the Omitted States gov
crnment has had three different con-
sullr representatives here inside or
twelve months Mast died Of fever.
Sayyter gave mp the place on account
of being afraid of il. and now Dietrich,
a Missouri editor. is holding the JOB
Along with his consular duties he is
posting himself on the science Of es-
Gaping fever, OF Of getting or easy If
hc has it,
sawtsr's Quick Retreat.
The natives thought it was a good
joke when Sawter backed cut. hui
there are other people who think it
WAS the sIuartest thing he ever did i'm
his life Guavaquil is not inviting ut
its best and SaWter struck It al
particularly bad time. II was not loDs
AFTER the last big fire. and one pecu-
liarity Of these CONGREGATIONS Il that
an epidemic OF fever always follows
them Every week for months there
had teeu from forty &c ninety deaths
IN the town That fact was not COM
fortiug. to say the least. Jones, the
vice consul arranged the reception for
The now consul lie greeted him WaTm-
lv and took him at once 10 his quar-
tsrs-thr place where Mast had died
The deceased CousuTs empty hammock
was swinging across the room, his
coat hung upon the wall. and his slip
pers were in the corner
Savter knew when he started that,
D. i N a
a dead mans boots, but all this grus-
some detail was too much for him. 1t
is not 10 be wondered that q shiver ran
up his spine. Jones, the vice consul
draws the regular consular salary
when there is no one in office, and,
with an eye TO business. he saw that
Savter was weakening. ana began TO
talk gioOmily. The new incumbent was
soon inquiring about a return ticket
20 New York. He held down the job
lust one-helf day. a Guayaquil poet
has written some verses, telling how
cute Jones was in soaring SawteF out.
The latter may console himself with
the thought that it is always best 10
make "a good retreat rather than Il
bad stand.
Uncle Sans Consuls.
in connection with this incident It
VIII be timely 10 say that the average
American consul does not have an
easy OF desirable job. The service
has had a peculiar history. In the tine
of jefferson it was practically ana hon
orary werk. Weli-to-do land holders.
OF lawyers Of promise. went abroad in
the service merely to acquire the eX-
perieEce and the travel. practically
paying their way out OF their own
pockets. The business was not looked
upon as a career. In those days Amer
lean commercial interests We're not inn
portant enough to warrant a trained
consular corps and the whole effort Of
our government was expended I'm OF
ganizing Is diplomatic service. Our
Diplomats have always given a good
accouif' of themselves. When the time
came for organizing a consular serv-
ice j. was created out of nothing Men
we've sent 10 places OF the theory that
someone should be stationed there but
with no thought TO the qualifications
OF the incum oents. Tt was all matter
of political patronage. Prior to 1895
no examination WIS necessary at all
As result of this carelessness. the
fitness of the men i'm our service. when
compared 10 those of other nations.