Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-22
Friday, December %, 1905
Improving the Consular Service.

Roosevelt to effect changes in our con-
suIar system which would further ad.
vance American business interests ir
foreign countries. No doubt these
ideas are embodied in the bill drawn
by Secretary of State Root and intro
duced in the Senate this week by Sena
tor Lodge of Massachusetts. The in
creasing Importance of foreign markets
to the manufacturers of the United
States arouses a very general inter-
est in this measure and causes WIDE
spread hope that the proposed reform
in our consular service and the great
err extension of the systems usefulness
may be brought about with as little de-
lay as possible.
1t is pointed out that under the
present system, consuls are nominated
by the president, and confirmed by the
Senate, for a particular, specified place
in some foreign country. They go to
their posts and there remain for a
longer or shorter period, many of them
being largely out of touch with the gov
eminent they represent, although regu-
lar reports to the department of state
are required of them. n memorandum
issued by the state department says
that. under this system, I'VE have many
square pegs in round holes. and round
pegs in square holes. There are
,onsuls not at all suited to the places
they are in, but suited to other places;
they stay where they ought not to be,
because they cannot be changed except
by the harsh method of removing them
from office. There are consuls capable
Of much better work than is required
in the places where they are,
and yet they are wasting their
good ability because they cannot
be moved to more important places
without turning somebody else out of
Office
1t is also very difficult, under the
present system, to arrange for deserved
promotions in the service. AS mat
tcrs are, consuls have little incentive
to do superior work. AS the memoran-
dunn none too sharply puts the facts,
zone Of the chief evils of the present
system is that elderly men who have
failed in life and whose friends have
to find some way to support them are
being continually showed into the most
important positions in the consular
service over the heads of the men who
have been doing good work. but who
are away from their own homes ana.
being out of sight, are out of mind.
A writer in the Springfield Repub-
lican points out that the proposed re-
organization seems to correct these
fundamental evils in an admirable way.
The bill embraces two vital features
classification of all consular offices
into grades and the system of original
appointments only to the lower grades
after examinations, which carries with
it, of course, the promotion of efficient
test of merit. In practice men would
be appointed, after proper examinations
by civil-Scrvice board, cOnSuls Of a
particular class instead Of being ap-
pointed consuls to a particular place.
The president would assign consuls
to their stations according to the re-
quircmcnts Of the service or shift them
about AS the interests of the country
or emergencies seem to demand. An
important feature of the scheme of re-
form is the creation of a corps of five
inspectors who would rank consul
general. who would inspect United
States consulates just as bank examin-
crs now inspect national banks. and
who could be temporarily put in charge
OF consulates going wrong or against
which complaints had been heard.
There is now no such inspection SER
vice, and the result is that the depart
ment of state is often ignorant of con-
ditions i'll American consulates
abroad until long after the time
for prompt action in remedying them
had passed.
Says the Republican in commenting
further on this matter: Give the
country a reformed consular service
OF this character and it's efficiency and
tone would be greatly improved. We
should then have as consuls in every
country men who could use the Ian.
guage of the country in which they
We're stationed. They would he com.
raratively young men in the lowe,
grades yet ambitious and watchfm i,
behalf of their country's interests be
cause of the knowledge that NOR,
would insure for them honorable a.,
o'sniiied careers in the higher nosts q
The consular service With tho .stah
hshment in the state department .
i e'ieiency records, which are abroad
"''a''e Tor use. the president woul
faty,