Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-03-19
CONSULAR reform
PRESIDENT ADDRESSES CONyEN.
ton AT Washington,
Favors Appointment of Foreign
Consuls by Promotion Only.
Dwells on the Need of Ade-
quate Salarie. in Order to Sc.
cure Good Men for Service,

Washington, March l5.-At the con.
sulAr reform convention Secretary
Root spoke in favor of an improved
consular service. The convention
adopted resolutions fully approving
tho bill introduced in congress by Sen.
ator Lodge. The resolutions conclude
by expressing regret that one of the
most vital provisions of that bill has
been removed from it," and asks that
the provision authorizing the presi-
dent to transfer consuls from one point
to another in the same grade be rein.
corporated in the bill.
The following have been added to
the executive committee:
r w. Gates, Los Angeles; Horace
Mcclure, Seattle; Joseph Il. Stearns,
Richmond; Isador Strauss, New York,
and Francis b. Loomis, Cincinnati.
A publicity and promotion commit
tee was decided upon. 1t was also de-
clded to invite every commercial body
in the United States to become mem
ber, and where there is no such organ.
ization in any congressional district
trict will be designated rs a member
Tho delegates called in body dur
ing the afternoon at the White House.
The president addressed them as fol.
lows:
President Roosevelts Address.
II need hardly say that our only
chance for getting the consular service
put on really effective basis lies with
just such organizations IA this. We
in Washington must rely upon you to
make our peOple-pre- eminently bus
inees people-appreciate that the con-
sular service should be in its essence a
part Of the general scheme of broad
development of the country.
Il have not, | am sorry to say, been
able TO persuade the people thus to
look upon such a question as the San
to Domingo treaty, which is a purley
nOn-partisan measure. for if it was
treated rs it should be-purely on it's
nerits-there would not be one shade
Of opposition to or criticism of it.
But while we have not been as yet
successful in getting the work of the
department looked upon quite in the
non bipartisan spirit that should be our
national attitude in foreign affairs.
and have not been successful in get
ting the consular service made by law
what we strive to have it made-an
absolutely non-partisan service-still
VIC have made certain amount of
progress, and with the help of you
and those like you we shall be able to
make n great deal more progress.
Adequate Salaries Needed.
One point let me dwell on. You
cannot expect to get permanently good
service when that service is unattract-
i've and i'll protected. We have had
great deal of dicffiulty with our con-
sular service in China. 1t came partly
because men were appointed for polit-
zeal reasons without reagrd to their
qualifications; principally because men
found themselves in remote Eastern
porte where there was not much that
made life attractive, where there was
very little supervision over them and
yet great temptations. We all know
sarily difficult to secure honest and
efficient service.
"A pretty thorough cleanup there is
needed. But we cannot keep the serv-
ice as high as it should be kept un.
less We have adequate salaries.
Remember that the dearest kind of
public servant is servant who is paid
so cheaply that he must render cheap
service. Also feel most strongly that
i'll the consular service, which stands
entirely apart from the diplomatic
service, proper entrance should be
made by law into the lower grades
and that the higehr grades should be
filled by "A gradual process of wedding
out and promotions; remembering,
gentlemen, that the wedding out pro-
cess must not be interfered with.
1T is not too easy to get rid of
kindly natured elderly incompetent at
best. and, if you add to the difficulty
by law he then permanently stays.
Make the entrance to the service AS
far as possible non partisan and make
it at the lowest grades, so that deisra.
bio positions shall come to those who
have rendered good and faithful serv-
ice in the lower grades and SO that
those entering the lower grades shall
feel that if they do we'll they will
have q long and worthy career ahead
of them.