The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-30

been hoping to secure ofices under the Taft administration have imagined that consular positions can be obtained as in the days of yore-simply by getting political backing.
 But they soon discover that several years ago Theodore Roosevelt while President. issued set of regulations which have practically placed these of- Aces under what some people are dis posed to call the merit system. In oth- CT words the consulates are no longer parceled out and give nto members of Congress as rewards to their faithful friends. as was the custom under pre- vious Administrations. Now when an aspirant of standing in his city. town or county comes to Washington and tells the Republican Senators and Rep resentatives that he Is mighty anxious to get into the consular service, he learns much to his grief and disap- pointment that he has little or no chance.
 In May of the year of 1908. Congress passed an act which completes reor- ganized the consular service, dividing it into classes from the highest sal- aried places of consul general at Lon don and Paris. each of which pays s12,- 900 a year, down to the smallest classes paying respectively $2,500 and S2,000. This was an Idea of reform, as they put 1t, that President Roosevelt, form CT Secretary Root, Senator Lodge and others had been hammerlng away on until the bill was passed and ap- proved.
 Roosevelt started . system of pro- motions by transfer. and he also order ed that where 1t was thoughm ta cer- tain consul could be better utilized at another point, he should be trans fArraA Al A nf.f .a,tIh h AaA o~ either given the place vacated or switched around somwhere eiss---he simply had no choice, and if he did not like the arrangement there was no law to prevent him from resisning.
 At stated periods examinations are held to procure young men for the smaller classes of consulates. These are conducted by board selected at the Department of State. In due course of time selections are made from the eligible list, and it is under. usually nthis list. The appoint. ments are necessarily slow, for very few of tn econsuls since the Roisevelt order went into effect are disposed to resign their positions. They arc hold. ing on nthe hope of being promoted and no doubt expect ultimately to reach some of the higher classes in which the salaries are from 5000 te sS,o00 year.
 Taft's Appointments.
 So far, the appointments by Presi- dent Taft have been promotions in the consular service. The order issued by President Roosevelt does not hold any consul-generali or consul in his place. That cannet be. for all the appointments have to go to the Senate. and the appointees have to be con arn1ed by that body; thefefore, no civil service regulations could possi- ply protect for life any of the men in this service. But so long as any President maintains such an order as that made by Mir. Roosevelt, the men are tolerably secure as a general thing.
 Recently Charles Denby. of Evans vile. Ind. was transferred from Shanghai in China to Vienna. This was done because of friction out in the orient. number of Americans in that part of the world having preferred charges against MT Denby. The charges were not sustained. put on &C., count of the rumpus that was raised, President Taft and the osicials of the State Department thought It was wise to send him to Europe. although 1t cost the Indiana man a loss in salary. As