Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-29
FOR TRAINED CONSULS
Strong Address by Dr.. Richard
D. Harlan at Chicago.
HELP CONSULAR SERVICE
Merits Of George Washington Uni.
versity Advanced.
SPECIAL TRAINING SCHOOL
Its Location at the National Capital
and Its Curriculum Pointed Out
as Strategic.

CHICAGO. April 29-Dr Richard d.
Harlan. the special representative Of the
George Washington University movement
at Washington, d. c.. delivered an ad-
dress before the National Business League
in this city last night. He spoke. in part.
as follows:
1.-THE problem of making the consular
service thoroughly efficient has two fac
tors. both Of which are essential to its
complete and permanent solution: % The
enactment of a proper statute governing
appointments and promotions in that serv-
ice: (9 adequate provision for the special
preparation Of candidates for consular ap-
pointments.
Il had planned to speak to you today
upon this second factor-namely. the need
of a special training school at the Ma
tional capital for our future consuls.' But
wish quite as much to emphasize the
great issues at stake in the struggle now
pending in Congress. and in which your
own organization is taking such leading
part. on behalf of the enactment OF a
proper statute governing the appointments
and promotions in that service. These
two factors in the problem are not only
vitality connected with, and dependent
upon. each other, but good statute plus
q great training school at the capital will
eventually insure a permanently emctent
consular service.
II. The necessity of a proper statute
governing appointments ,a,sa and promotions
''Tb their cost, American exporters and
importers have discovered that in their
long struggle for q better consular service
the 'spoils system dies hard and has
But I believe the hour has struck when
the business men Of America will see to it
that this time the 'spoils' cat shall not
be killed. but shall stay dead.
The CONSULAR service OF a republic like
ours should be open to any ambitious
young man who aspires to enter 1t. The
sp0ils system belongs, not to democracy,
but to an eligarchy, and 1t Is peculiarly
out Of place when applied to the consular
service. which. as Senator La Toilette
service 1t is vitality connected with the
business interests of the country and
should have absolutely nothing to do with
political policies or with changes in the
party complexion of the national admin
straton.
$50 much for the first feature of the
problem of lettering the consular serv-
ice, namely the enactment of law that
shall embody in permanent statutory form
the regulations governing appointments
upon an executive order.
Special Training for Consuls.
'2 The necessity OF special training
schools for consular service.
But it seems to me that there never will
be any thoroughgoing and permanent i'm
provement of the consular service until
the business men of the country. in addi-
ton to forcing the enactment Of some
such bill as the Hopkins-LoWden bill. also
cooperate in what 1 have referred to as
the second factor in the solution of this
problem. namely. the development of spe-
cial schools where the right kind of men
can be given the right kind of training
i'm advance of their appointment as con-
suIs
1.-THE wisest Of executive orders, the most
practical of reform regulations and even
the most carefully drawn Of permanent
statutes will never, in and of themselves
give to American commerce the best type
of consuls until such schools as the one
which 1 have the honor Of representing
are thoroughly equipped and have begun
to create q large class of specially trained
men from which the President and the
State Department can draw In all new
appointments to the foreign service.
Need for Cooperation.
eff the proposed new statute-which.
with the help Of such organization as
yours, the business men of the country
are now trying to push through Congress
is to have it's full effect, those same
business men must also cooperate with
the efforts being made by various educa-
tional institutions Of the land to provide
the courses of study by which. as Secre-
tary Root expressed it in another former
letter referring to this same movement.
there can be created a large class OF
young men specially educated and train
ed in the subjects with which consuls
have to deal from which the State De
partment can then draw for appointments
in the foreign service.
II say various educational institutions.
because in addressing you today with spe-
cial reference to the new college or the
political sciences now being developd by
the George Washington University l am
not in the least unmindful Of the splendid
work already being done by Harvard.
Yale. Columbia. Pennsylvania. Chicago
Wisconsin,. Illinois and other universities.
in certain 'portions: more or less sarge large:
that would be occupied by this new col
lege of ours. 1t certainly augurs well
for the future Of the public service at
home lin municipal. state and national
politics.. and for the consular ana dipio-
matice services. that there is growing
tendency in many of the leading Ameri-
can universities to offer courses that shall
prepare men for all such services.
Special School at the Capital.
But among the well informed and dis
interested men 1 thing that there Will be
a common agreement that the capstone Of
this practical educational movement can
best be furnished by special training
school located at the National capital-a
school SO located and administered that
some scheme Of unofficial cooperation
between it and the State Department
could be worked out-a school, moreover.
whose entire curriculum would be organ
lied with the one specific end In view OF
training men for the public service at
home, and for consular and diplomatic
positions: a school modelled after the Ia
nous Ecole des Sciences Politiques. Paris.
and the London School of Economics and
Political Science.
"Properly understood therefore. the work
of this new college at the National capital
would not compete In the least with the
work being done by other institutions, but
would be supplementary to that work
Even the ablest graduate from the best
special courses in political sciences offered
at the very best Of universities in other
parts of the country would find 1t greatly
to his advantage Chat Is. IL he proposes
to enter the consular service) to spend a
year Of two at such a training school as
the one which we have begun to develop
In connection with the George Washington
University, /Which--on account of special
ia ciItties to be found at the National capt.