Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-17

legation to this gathering for the way In
(which its members in time past have work
ed to secure the putting of the consular
service of the United States upon proper
basis of nonpartisanship and business efh-
cheney. You recommended the passage OF a
law to secure these ends by Congress
There has been some little question as 10
whether such law would be constitutional,
because 1t limits the power of appointment,
Its opponents expressing the most ardent
desire that my constitutional powers should
not be infringed upon-a solicltude, gentle
men, to which l am totally unaccuStomed.
1t was advanced that 1t was impossible to
limit the Presidents power as l have recon-
mended that it should be limited.
Without discussing the constitutional
question raised. l may only say that as
Congress did not limit it last June, Secre-
tary Root did, and we have adopted regu-
lations which in effect put into force the
measure as you recommended that 1t should
be enacted into law. providing for system
OF promotion so that the higher grades
should be filled only by promotion of those
who prove themselves worthy, and provid-
ing for system of rigid tests of the fit
ness of those. entering the service and that
they should enter the service in the lower
grades.
II am glad to say that during the period
of about a year, since have been applying
these methods, we have appointed men
from all sections of the country and OF all
varieties of political belief, and that the
higher positions have been filled, when va
cancies have occurred, only by the promo
ton of those most fit, most competent to fill
them.
L believe that very great Improvement
has been worked in the consular service. l
want to say here, however, that l do not
believe in restricting the power of removal.
In your private businesses each one of you
knows that you will often find that some
man becomes unsatisfactory and that 1t
Will be an advantage to get rid of him;
but you would not want to try him in
court. AS you know, in all branches of
the service, civil and military, l keep and
shall continue to keep wide door of exit
Tor the unfit-diScuSSion as to whether the
door shall be closed or not being of a purely
academic character, because / alone have
power to close it.
Now, gentlemen, I am not prepared to
speak as to whether or not it would trans
greSs the requirements of the Constitution
to enact into law such a system as you
advocate, which system has been put in
force by executive regulation in the con-
sular service. If so, 1 very much wish that
the congress would at least pass a resolu-
ton expressing approval of the action of
administration in establishing this system
of regulation. This would largely accom-
plish our object of putting the system on a
permanent basis.
Trade in South America.
Finally, gentlemen, 1 wish to speak of
tend and strengthen our commercial rela-
tons with South America and the orient
by the passage of laws designed to secure
swift and adequate communication by
steam with South and Central America
Asia and Australia. l must frankly admit
that l never fully realized the Importance
of this movement; that l never took a very
great interest IN it, until after Mr.. Root
came back from his momentous South
American trip last summer, and after
listening to what he had to say as to the
humiliation it was to us nationally and the
loss to US materially to have our merchants.
our residents. in South America in the posi-
ton of finding that normally they had to
communicate with the northern half of
their own hemisphere by going to Europe.
Mr.. Roots trip to South America was
designed especially to give proof Of and at
the same time to strengthen the bonds of
friendly interest that knit the republics of
the western hemisphere together. He found
that there was general feeling down there
among the people themselves, and among
Americans there resident. that in addition
to political friendlincss needed CONNER
cial intimacy, and that it was quite impos
Sibe to get such commercial intimacy
without far better system of cominunca-
ton between North and South America.
The proposed measure will be of benefit
to al sections of our country. and that is
one reason why it is so eIhinentiy fitting
that an organization like this. representing
east and west, north and south, the Pacific
the seacoast, should take the interest it
does in this question. For of course it is
not only the seaboarG cities that are inter-
ested in lines of ships to South America it
is the people who send what Is in the ships.
and they live in the interior just as much
as the coast
"A bill has been prepared almost exactly
in line with Secretary Roots Kansas CITY
speech and with the recommendations
tanned in the reports of the Postmaster
General and the Secretary of Commerce and
Labor. 1t is not an experimental bill. 1t Is
modelled almost exactly the recent
Cunard contract with the British govern
ment. 1t covers communication with South
America and the orient. In South America
the chief aim is to provide better American
lines to the commercial countries OF South
America-better lines than the present for
eign lines of steamships that go there.
Warships Only.
AT the present day the only big ships
carrying the American flag which those
republics see are our warships. I want
them to see some peace ships as well. I
want the republics OF South America to
be convinced not only of our political
friendship, but of our trade friendship
also. This bill is an absolute necessity
If are to meet 'oreign competition.
American shipmasters are at disad-
vantage in competition with those of
other countries, because we demand bet
ter treatment in the shape of wages, food
and accommOda tiOnS for our Seamen.
I'VE cannot afford TO do otherwise and
therefore we must meet foreign compe-
ttion in some other Why than a the ex-
pense of the seamen on our ships. This
bill provides for siX.cen-knot ships In
The worlds foreign trade at present there
are 1876 ocean steamships of sixteen knots
or more and OF those fully 40 now draw
subsidies, postal, admiralty, or both from
foreign governments. Again. we need
shipyards in this country as well as bat
tleships. They must be kept fairly we'll
employed on large projects of construc-
ton or they cannot be thoroughly eff
cient
The British Dreadnought was built at
a speed three times rs great as we can
show here in building similar ships. be-