The San Francisco call., 1904-06-29


Of the United States.
CONSULAR SERVICE.
IN this connection il may be noted
again that the United States of Ameri-
can consular service-as you will
which sometime was held in very
slight esteem at home or elsewhere,
is so distinctly on the uplift as to have
been responsible-at least this is as
close as IL may be traced-for having
given Mr.. Bryan that new idea which
he acquired while abroad. He was
so impressed that he was going
TO see TO it that the Government
owned It's legation premises wherever
they are established and add all that
1t might to the dignity of its repre-
sentatives in foreign lands. Not much
progress has been made in this.
The United States owns such prem
ises in but four cities. and these all
in the Far East. Two years ago prop
erty was purchased at Peking and a
building constructed at a cost alto
gether Of 500, 600. In 1892 a legation
was purchased at Toxic, Japan, By
virtue Of an act of Congress appro-
priating money therefor. The Siamese
Government in 1890 made the United
States Government a present of
handsome house at Bangkok for use
OF its representative TO that coun-
try. The other. the fourth, was the
first establishment of the kind to be
got up by Uncle Sam. It was
in Seoul, Korea, and was pur-
chased in 1856. In these several
houses reside representatives of this
Government amenable no more TO the
laws Of the land in which they are
than If they were in Washington
City. The houses and the lands upon
which they are situated belong abso-
lutely TO the United States, and
those who reside there are required
to obey only the laws of the United
States.
LAWS ARE IMPOTENT.
Similarly in Washington there are
ten of these foreign embassies or le-
cations against which Uncle Sam
may assess no taxes and his laws are
impotent as against their occupants.
A few days ago several lads were
rounded up by the police. caught in
the act Of bathing in the Potomac
EA A4AlAAAA AAAE lily AAA-A-N~f ~N--N- O. =
TO law in any case, and especially so
as they were sans even a breech-
cloth.
Who is your father?" asked the
officer Of the ringleader. and by way
Of sending the man word that his boy
was in the lookup.
He's the Minister from -"
said the boy.
oh" said the officer. and with
word of advice not TO do so again he
turned the whole party loose. test,
equally as interesting as TO the ex-
emption of legation property from
taxatior-fs now being made. The le-
CATION property Of Sweden and Nor
way was assessed for taxation on the
ground that it was owned not by the
Government represented, but by the
representative personal or indi-
vidual property. The representative
protested and, as he went away for
the summer, referred the matter TO
the State Department.
This exemption from taxation and
control Of law extends to all the per-
sonal property and effects of the
foreign representatives. Children
born within the premises are as dis
tinctly alien as If born in the distant
land Of the flag that flies over them.
GERMANY'S PROPERTY.
Prussia, only so short a time ago
as 1864, was the first to establish its
own legation here. 1t has since be-
come that Of united Germany. 1t was
originally located on Fifteenth street,
but the property was sold recently be
cause of the encroachment of business
houses, and is now established in
handsome brick and stone on Massa-
chusetts avenue. 1t was in this house
that Prince Henry was entertained
during his stay IN Washington.
Great Britain owns some 10000
square feet Of the triangle bounded by
Connecticut avenue, Nineteenth and n
streets. The Embassy building is
mansion containing more than fifty
rooms, cost 1925, 600 and was built in
1876. The property is surrounded by a
high iron fence, and, together with the
English ivy that has spread over the
building. lends ii an air Of exclusive
ness. The building is Of red brick and
its furnishings are elegant and costly.
Mexico established its embassy in
1887, building a handsome establish
ment on I street, between Fourteenth
and Fifteenth. Opened with a magnif-
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