The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-11-07
OUR CONSULAR SERVICE.
Suggestions by Congressman Wiley Of
New Jersey for Adding to its
EMcfemry.


/ ly contributed a very interesting article
In The New York Tribune on our Con-
sular Service, making some valuable
| suggestions to add to it's efficiency. As
the South today Is very much interested
| in Oriental trade, we reproduce Mr..
Wiley's article for general information;
and in this connection IL has been sug-
gested that the Southern States should
see to it that our progressive business
men. cotton growers and manufacturers.
| should give some attention to the mat
ter of having the Southern States
| properly represented In the Consular
| Service in the East, particularly in
Japan and China.
| To the Editor of The Tribune:
Sir-Every American who has been
| in foreign countries and observed COM
| mercia1 matters must have been I'M
/ pressed with the attention the consuls
/ of other nations give to questions at
| fecting their interests. and also IL he
| comes in personal contact with them,
how carefully they seem to have been
| trained for their work II he investi-
gates further he will find many of them
have been for years holding various
positions in the consular service and
have been promoted for merit. IL he
pursues the same investigation in the
case of our own representatives he will
1
| true. 1t is for the purpose of call
| ing attention to these matters which
are of such grave import to our ma
| tion this article Is written. in the hope
of agitating the question and thus
leading to some remedy adequate to
change these conditions, and add to
the efficiency of our consular service.
| The writer has been to Europe fire.
quently. and this last year visited some
eight foreign countries, saw the con-
| suls and talked with several American
| Ambassadors. One instance will suf-
| flee to show the above statements as to
consuls are not simply personal opin-
| ions. Two of us being anxious to
| obtain some statistics as to the con-
sumption of ferromanganese. went to
an American consul general and were
told without a blush on the face of our
Informant that he had not these statis-
| tics, but we could get them at the
German consuTs; and we had to conceal
our bushes and ask a favor of that
| gen tleman, who gave us the desired in
| formation quite cheerfully.
The writer has thought much on the
| remedy for this evil, and 1t is a grow
| ing one and while he has some ideas on
/ the subject. does not claim he can solve
the problem. but hopes the various
boards of trade and chambers of COM
merce will take the discussion up and
| arouse a public sentiment which will
make itself heard and felt at the ma
tional capital 1t Is not partisan
matter, but one in which the whole
country is vitality interested
1t would seem that our consuls should
be trained especially for their duties.
and should at least have the command
of more than one language They
should also be familiar with inter
national law with questions of political
economy and thoroughly equipped for
their work This is really matter OF
several years training. and demands a
college of diplomacy on lines similar to
those OF the war college. No one
should be appointed to even subordi-
nate position until he has either the
degree from this institution or has
passed its examination. Then he
should be promoted as he shows capaci-
| ty and fidelity. In other words, men
| should go to the consular service be-
cause they are fit for such work, and
not receive an appointment as reward
for political services, or because OF any
influence their friends may possess.
The consular pay should be such as
to enable the recipient to live properly
and respectably. At present this SER
vice is most inadequately paid, and the
| result is competent men refuse to take
the place very often, and we find rich
mems sons. or their poor relatives &C.
cupying positions demanding great
| ability.
| Now. this article must not be constru-
ed as a wholesale condemnation of our
| consular service. We have In many
places most competent men. and some
| who have been in the service for years.
The writer stayed ten days with one OF
these He has been in the consular
service fourteen years. and speaks FOUR
l h,1f
| case, and in his very district was a
| sub-consul who could hardly talk Eng
lish. In one instance the consular
agent. who was found after two hours
hard work could neither speak nor
understand English, and only spoke his
native tongue. I am glad to say we
are better represented there since my
| visit.
Our consuls, in addition to obtaining
in formation of use to business men of
this nation. not infrequently represent
| IL on official occasions, and our country
is Judged by the impression they pro-
duce on the foreigner: and this brings
up another question. Our consuls
| should all wear uniform. varying
with the grade they represent. 1t
should be unostentatious, but should be
distinctive, and worn on diplomatic oc-
casions Even our distinguished AM
bnssadors have been taken for attend
ants because of severe black dress
| suits. Republican simplicity" sounds
4 we'll but, 'in Rome do as the Romans
do" and as other nations prescribe a
| consular dress, we should certainly
range ourselves alongside of them if
we are to compete with them.
| The President and the State Depart
ment should have absolute control over
tha annointment or removal of all con-
suls. and over their promotion. AS
we'll expect an army to be Differed by
nol,ttcians and its affairs conducted by
them as TO have this great army Of
dtnlomats thus conducted. Many an
occasion may arise where tact and
dinIomacy may prevent the need of in
| voking the army or navy. The nation
annIied the political methods to the
army of "'61" and learned most costly
lesson. and one never to be forgotten,
enforced by defeats and unnecessary
Iioss ~ valuable lives, due to the COM
mand being given to political soldiers.
Rut as always, this nation finds an
errective remedy. as 1t did In the latter
| nort Of our Civil War, replacing in
| connetent officers either by veterans
trained in the service. or by men who
1 had shown fitness for their commands.
| AZ 10 the question of our Ambassa-
dors they must, of necessity. be ap-
| ,ointad nv the President, on the same
| itnas In which he selects his cabinet:
~ when II comes to the question OF
their residences abroad. 1t is burning
| shan,a that the United states does not
| ovvn in every country where there is a
Minister. its own residence, which he
4 A 4 49,