The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-03-30

Washington, March 2S.-The presi-
dent today transmitted to the house of
representatives, in response to a reso-
luton introduced by Representative
Williams of Mississippi, the report of
Assistant Secretary of State Herbert II.
D. Peirce, regarding the consular SER
vice in the Orient The message is
accompanied by a letter from Secre-
tary Root in which he says:
Il wish to call especial attention to
one feature of these reports. They
disclose grave misconduct on the part
of two consuls formerly occupying i'm
portant posts in the east. These con-
suls are no longer in the service. re-
gret to say, however, that there are in
dicatiOns Of other cases of misconduct
or inefficiency among consuls in vari-
Gus parts Of the world.'.
These cases, the secretary says. show
the necessity of a regular inpection
service
The charges made in the report
against former Consul General Good
now at Shanghai are 80 in number,
some serious and some slight. Some,
it is stated, are sufficient to support
suits at law and give evidence of cor
ruption in office
The report states that Consul Gen.
eral Levi L. Wilcox, at Hankau, can
not be said to be a useful consular Off
GER
Regarding Mr.. Greener at Vladivos-
tok, the report says:
"Everywhere throughout the east 1
received unfavorable reports Of Mr.
tremely bad Other complaints Of
him are that he has faults relative to
his accounts.
AS to Oscar T. Williams, at Singa-
pore, Mr.. Peirce says that in his two
previous posts his record has not been
unblemished. He makes part of the
record correspondence between the Sui
tan of Lingga RiOuw Of 1901 in
which Consul William is alleged to
have made efforts to collect debt for
Chinaman. His defense to the de-
partment was that he did not know the
realm of his consulate
The other post held by Mr.. Williams
was at Manila, from 1897 to 1899.
Another man has since been made
consul general at Singapore.
AS to the Goodnow charges, Mr..
Pierce says:
1T is unfortunate that an official Oc
cupying so conspicuous a position as
l1i
should be the-subject of such scandal
Gus reports while the employment Of
such men as White and Derby in the
capacity they have filled is in itself dis
creditable.
''If there were nothing else to be said
regarding them they are men of course
brutal type, whose language in the
offices is as | learn from most relia bic
information grossly indecent and pro-
fame
The first. the will case, the report
says, would indicate that the consul
general, or some one in his office, is
acting as an attorney before his own
court and collecting the fees as official
court fees None of these fees it is
stated. have been accounted for to the
department
The transfer of the ship Kiangsi TO
American register, the next charge. oc-
Cured during the Boxer troubles. Mr..
Peirce remarks.
'NThe sale of five large steamers by
arch corporation to one Of its en-
ployees, a man known to have only
moderate means, could hardly fail to
arouse suspicion and especially SO at
a time when the seller had so much
to gain by placing the vessels under a
foreign flag"
There is no evidence, says the re-
port. that Mr. oGodnow made any in
vestigation to satisfy himself Of the
facts, but that the transfer of these
vessels was fraudulent one is placed
practically beyond dispute by the fact
that when the Boxer troubles were
over, Captain Knight transferred the