El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-01-31

q EFORE a board OF examiners IN
the state department today at
Washington, two groups OF
bright young men are wrestling with
multitude of puzzling interrogatories
calculated to test their capacity to
enter the consular service Of the United
States. These examinations are not for
consuls, but for consular assistants and
student Interpreters. The young men
who pass the examinations will be put
on the eligible list and may expect, in
time, to boone full-fledged consuls.
Once each year examinations are held
for those who seek employment direct
into consulships.
Nowadays, one gets into the consul
lar service only through the route Of
stiff examination. In the earlier
days of the republic a consular office
, was a convenient place to send
broken down politician, who had out
lived his usefulness here. A rich plant
er or merchant DESTROYS of seeing life
abroad, and being willing to pay for
1t, might take a consular place and
bear its burdens as lightly as possible
But the consul one finds now, il he
, has occasion to visit any foreign port
or business center is likely to be 3
young, active, hustling parsonage, with
a sharp eye TO business He is likely
to be college bred and probably
trained business man. If @ot. he has
a good appreciation Of business meth
DDS and business opportunities The
probabilities are he will be able to
speak the language of the country to
which he is assigned If not, he can
at least speak one language other than
English.
Cleveland Started Reform.
President Grover Cleveland was the
first to take active steps toward apply
ing the merit system to the consular
service. He Issued an order requiring
applicants for consu1ships to be ex-
ahmed Mr.. Cleveland's plan was TO
designate a candidate to take the ex-
animation for a particular place IT
he passed the examination he was ap-
pointed. President Mckinley strength
ened the plan Of Mr. Cleveland IN some
particulars, but president Roosevelt, by
executive orders in 1903 and 1907, ef-
fected q sweeping reform, reorganizing
the consular system and providing for
comprehensive, competitive examina-
TONS 1t was the purpose OF these
orders to make merit govern both as
to appointments and promotion in the
service. The old fee system was abol-
ished as to consulships, and IT was re-
quired that all fees be turned into the
treasury At the same time specified
salaries were fixed Tor all consular
officers, with the exception Of consular
agents. who are still allowed one-half
the fees they collect. The agencies.
however, are but minor offices, and in
few of them are the collections greater
than 5000 a year. In some OF them
they are only a few dollars. The con-
suIar agent is generally some one in
business in the loca7dy where the
agency is established. The work he
does for the government is limited
He CARRIES the agency as side line.
The result is the stars and stripes
sometimes float over strange places
1t has not been many years since the
consular agent OF our great republic
In a South American city had his office
in a LAUNDRY.
Some Pay Handsomely.
But If SOM y the consular agencies
are Of small Importance, the consular
offices as a whole bring in large reve-
nue. AS q matter Of fact, tne service
is almost self-sustaining. During the
last fiscal year, the receipts from con-
sular offices amounted to sI762,13
while the cost Of the service was only
S192S.561 Thus the government was
only out of pocket $166.42S- From some
OF the large offices, such as London
and Paris. the fees are heavy. This
recalls the fact that under the old
system Of paying consuls in fees, the
appointees to the more important
offices waxed affluent. 1t is not re-
mote in history when the London con-
sui generalship was looked on as worth
5000 to $4,000 a year. The Paris
office was another office rich in fees
and highly desirable. It is said that
the Paris office in the exposition years
was worth about 100000 to the man
who was fortunate enough to hold it.
Now the highest salary OF a consul Is
$4,000 a year. This sum is paid the
consul general at the London office
and also the consul general at Paris
The lowest salary of a consul is $4,000.
This country maintains upwards If 500
consular offices. OF these about half
are consulshfps and the rest agencies.