The sun., 1908-12-22
Part of Our Consular Service.

Recently attention has been recalled
to the Consular Service in South Amer
lea through the medium of one OF the
Hon. JOHN BARRETT's innumerable ad-
dresses, an address so tuned that it
inspired the headline artists of large
number of newspapers to describe it
as defence of our Consuls. 1t subtly
conveyed the impression that the Off
oials in question are we'll meaning and
perhaps industrious persons enough,
but that the Hon. JOHN BARRETT is the
only man who really understands the
whole field Of activity in that region,
knows its secrets and is competent to
lead the way to success through all its
bosky and bewildering mazes.
All this is harmless il amusing &C.
centricity. Mr.. BARRETT, in addition
to an itch for continuous vociferation,
has a still more urgent and peremptory
itch for posing in the star part OF every
performance that happens to come his
way. He began it in Siam many years
ago when he hypnotized every one
with strange music and lulled the great
white elephant himself. He continued
it when as Asiatic representative of
the st. Louis exposition he described
triumphal zigzags from northern
Corea to ultimate Polynesia, enhancing
emperors, empresses, princes, poten-
tates and highmuckamucks of all de-
grees and shades and sending bulletins
to the home newspapers from every
port Of entry along his blazing trail.
He poked the Mikado in his august
ribs. and his coquetries with the En-
press Dowager would have been re-
garded as audacious in the case OF
less gifted person. He emerged from
it all with succes festine absolutely
chortling on every page Of the care
fully prepared record; and eSer since,
In season and out Of season, to large
or small audiences, he has celebrated
JOHN BARRETT at the top OF a heroic
and unfailing voice.
In the matter Of the Consular Service
in South and Central America every
where in the Spanish American repub-
lies in fact-we venture to say, however,
that the officials in charge of our COM
mercial interests throughout that vast
territory are upon the whole very de-
serving and very efficient men. We do
not say that MIR. BARRETT has disparaged
them. We should say rather thai he
has obsoured them with the splendor
of his schemes, the graces Of his pres
ence and the endless iteration of his
speech. We suggest in their behalf
therefore that with few II any excep-
tions they are keen observers, capable
advisers and possessed of a distinct
capacity for intelligent statement. For
more than twenty years they have been
expounding in their reports the ways
and means Of greater trade. Long be-
fore Mr.. BARRETT dropped his itinerant
vocation to become the head of the
bureau he now bespangles they had
told our merchants and manufacturers
exactly what TO do. il they wanted
commerce with South America, and
even since they have been repeating
and celebrating.
We do not seek to stem the torrent
Of Mr.. BARRETT's eloquence. Quite the
Long indeed may he con-
tinue to harangue! Let no limits be
set to his engaging hatulencel 1t is
BUR purpose merely to point out the
of our Consular Service, 90
that those who prefer explicit informa-
ton to fascinating ebullition may guide
accordingly.