Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-15

The most complete index to diplomatic
| uaEsactlons in the world Is now being
made at the State department in washing
Z ton. IL viii represent the most thorough
! application Of modern methods to the trans
/ action OF governmental business that Is
to be found It has kept pace with current
/ events since It was started in 1905, and
gradually all OF the archives OF thesdepart-
ment back OF that year viii be classified
and indexed in the same way. so that
/ when the whole work is completed. the
entire diplomatic history Of the world, as it
has affected the United States. will be
placed at the finger tips Of him who has
/ access to the cards
/ Roughly speaking, the matters With which
/ the state department has to do are Of two
! kinds-those which are Of permanent i'm
| portance and those which are ephemeral.
! The latter probably cease to be OF value
I after a year or so, yet under the law may
not be destroyed But a greater proportion
! OF the correspondence and information OF
! the state department Is OF permanent value
| than in the case OF any other department
| The smallest item Of today may affect the
/ diplomacy Ct the world a dozen years hence
| II Is important that these things be filed
away and equally important that they may
be readily accessible when they are needed
Ihey would be needles IN the haystack OF
voluminous record were It not for the card
index.
| That the volume OF correspondence Of the
department is large is shown by the fact
that It has required nearly 100000 cards to
index the accumulated matter of less than
| -FOUR years That 1t covers a wide range
Is shown by the fact that II may relate to
an International situation affecting all the
powers, or to the registration Of the mar
! rage OF John Smith and Susie Brown in
! Paris, with the American consul as wit
! ness. It's services are in requlsition in
| hundreds OF ways. Its consular service
! gathers business information, general and
| specific, from all parts OF the world, thus
bringing foreign commercial opportunity
within reach Of American enterprise.
The negotiations that led to the execu-
ton Of the Argentine ship contract whereby
American ship builders have secured iudg-
| ments which will give employment to
thci sands Of laborers, is but one of the
| hundreds Of cases where the consular
service has been the American lookout on
the watchtowers Of international trade. So
complete has this service been made that
its principal features have been copied by
! all the other commercial nations II the
American manufacturer does not receive
manufacturer receives from the German
service 1t is simply because he overlooks
his trade opportunities. The German and
Englishman eagerly enter every door Of
foreign trade opportunity opened by their
coIsrlar representatives.
All matters pertaining 10 the American
emo Of international conferences and con-
crosses are arranged through the State
department. Various institutions, including
missionary societies. have their protection
| assured through its labors, as in the case
| OF the establishment of schools hospitals
and the like. 1t maintains g record of the
| marriage of all American citizens abroad
when performed i'm the presence of Amerl-
car consuls and certified by them. and of
American children born abroad 1t also
maintains a register of all Americans resid-
ing in foreign lands. according to consular
districts. Inquiries are made relative TO
the whereabouts or fate of American cIti-
zens who drop out of sight For instance.
an electrical engineer goes to Ecuador, and
his friends lose track of him. The depart
ment endeavors to locate him
When Americans are deprived OF their
treaty rights abroad those Of aliens in
fringed In the United States the department
conducts the resulting International CORE
| spondence. 1t collects information for con-
gress. as In the case Of postal savings
banks and inland waterways abroad. in
formation about treaties, gives information
to foreign governments concerning mar
riage and divorce laws in the states and
many other matters, looks after the United
| States courts in extra-territorial regions
and issues letters rogatory in court cases
which are tried in one country while testi-
mony is desired from another country. 1t
/ looks after all treaties, matters of extradi-
tion. foreign and international tariff rela-
tions and all similar subjects.
In addition to this it keeps a record OF
all diplomatic notables of the world--a sort
| Of who's who Of the nations. For in
stance, when any other power appoints one
| of its citizens on a board or court of arbi-
tration it is very desirable for the United
States to know the antecedents of that
person. And when 4 country sends a