The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1905-01-27

distinguished reforuier. Appropriate ex
ercises will be held in Statuary Hall of
the Capitol and speeches by some dis
tinguished men will be made. There
will be a large representation of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union of
which Miss Willard was an enthusiastic
supporter and other clubs working in the
interest of women's right to enfran-
chisement.
~
Consular officers abroad were consid-
erably startled Friday by the Geographic
reports of the Presidents message to the
Senate recommending favorable action
on Assistant Secretary Loomis suggestion
for the appointment of six special agents,
to be called commercial attaches to visit
the different countries to which we send
consuls for the'purpose of studying COM
mercial and industrial conditions with a
view to making necessary aud salutary
changes in our foreign commerce. This
is the substance of the message but those
on the inside know that the six CONNER
cial agents are recommended to be sent
abroad not so much to study conditions of
trade, which is really the work for which
consuls are appointed, but as matter Of
| fact, to inspect our consular offices and to
report on the work of our consular agents.
That there was to be general stirring up
of consular affairs if Roosevelt should be
reelected no one has doubted, and even
the most enthusiastic republicans in Con-
sular chairs have been ducking whenever
reforms are mentioned. President Roose-
welt, who speaks French and German
| fuently'aud who has spent so much time
abroad, realizes better than any of our
Presidents have the necessity for more
intelligent and better equipped consus
than we have beeii in the habit of send
| ing out. The State Department which
has kept in fairly close touch with the
service by means of the reports, has long
| recognized the necessity for some sweep
| ing reforms, but not until the present
tlibS lag IL OSSH IL &C " udNC
dations touching them. BY the sugges-
| ton of Assistant Secretary Loomis the
agents of Commercial attaches" will be
selected from among the consuls known
as consular and commercial experts, who,
it is presumed will be better able to re-
port on trade conditions as well as the
work of the consuates 1t is estimated
that the expense of the test will be about
$50, 600 per annum, and any one who has
had business with an inefficient agent in
a foreign city, consul for example who
did not speak the language of the conn
try to which he has been sent or his own
tongue without murderous attacks upon
its grammar, will not think the sum too
much. Your correspondent while in
Paris last winter had occasion to visit the
Consulate and while waiting his turn be-
came interested in the applications that
came before the then acting consul. This
gentleman spoke French and with so
much delight that a French woman mar
ried to an American and desiring infor-
nation as to how she could obtain her
children from him could by no apparent
means find chance to relate her story
| One or two words from her were sufficient
to throw the French speaking consul into
lengthy and wholly iuappropos discus
sion of French and American law, to
which, round eyed and bewildered, the
woman listened uncomprehendingly
Finally when he had fully delivered him,
self the woman was dismissed and told
YEARLY to write the case in full and sub
nit it to him. She protested that she
could not write and he gave her the adj
dress of a notary who, for the sum OF
twenty francs five dollars) would do it
for her. The woman. who wore a shawl
over her head and to whom, doubtless,
twenty francs meant q months support,
retired with many protestations of graft
tude but wholly legible despair written Oh
her face. Five others were called to the
naughty presence of the acting consul and
in each case similar assistance was offered,
with an equal exploitation of the acting
consul's French. 1t will be seen that cases
of this sort of ineficiency and indiffer-
ence were difficult of discovery by the
State Department but may come to the
attention of the Commercial attaches"
or detectives" as the consuls will call
them.
~
Nearly every great railroad company in
he country has representative in Wash
ington now and the amount of wining
and dining that these attorneys are doing
among the Interstate Commerce com.
mitteemen who have charge Of the prep
aration of the railroad freight rate bill, is
the Joy of all the hotels. The idea that
good wines and dinners have lost their
influence on our legislators is a prevalent
one but they are still employed and ONLY