The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-12
ADVOCATES CIVIL
SERVICE SYSTEM
For Permanent Use in Diplomatic and
Consular Departments-Secretary
of State Knox Spoke in
Favor of 1t.

New York, Dec. l2-Permanent adop-
ton OF civil service methods to the dlpio.
matte and consular service was advo-
Gated last night by Secretary of State
Knox in an address before the National
| Civic Federation. Secretary Knox spoke
in support of the Lcwden bill, now be-
fore Congress, which is intended TO en-
act into law this program Only through
such methods, he said, would America be
placed on equal footing with other pow
ers in the field Of foreign commercial
opportunity.
Mr.. Knox said that the principle Of
civic service was already applied tempo
rarily TO the diplomatic service as we'll
as to the consular seryice-that the APP.
pointments to the diplomatic service, up
to the grade of minister, and the pro-
motions therein, were now based upon
rigid merit system. The basis for such
organization, he said. had been, laid under
the authority of President Taft's execu.
tive order of 1909. What he now wants,
he told the federation. was TO have Con-
gress make permanent the principle of
this new organization scheme of both
services, by the passage of the Lowden
bill
The secretary traced the change in
the diplomatic service, showing its
growth away from the position of isola-
ton in a purely political field to an
important factor in the extension of
American commerce abroad.
"From being an organization apart,
he said, Chosen by the favor of patron
age and shackled by conventionality, II
has rapidly grown to be the co-worker
and ally Of the people in their efforts 70
extend their enterprise, influence and
material profits in fields of new endeav-
or. The open door is good thing in
theory; in practice two conditions are
essential--it must be opened. and il
must be kept open. To do these is the
function OF diplomacy In order to act
its part well, the diplomatic service
must be of the people and act for the
people. first, last, and all the time"
-Four phases of the matter were dis
cussed by Mr.. Knox First the merit
system, in accordance with the civil serv.
ice principles in use in other branches
of the government service, should, he
said, be extended by law throughout the
diplomatic service TO cover all appoint
ments up to the grade of minister This
practice is now followed so that there il
being supplied to all legations corps
OF secretaries both selected and trained
Secondly Mr. Knox said, he wanted
either better salaries paid to foreign rep
resentatives or ample funds for represen-
tation. He said that they should re.
ceiye compensation which should enable
them to live and to carry on their duties
without supplying money from their
own pockets. This was necessary. he
declared. il the state department were
to be allowed to choose the best men for
the posts, without being forced to con
slider their private fortunes as a quaIif-
cation for fitness for foreign post.
The present appropriation available for
the purchase of embassies and legations
abroad, Mr.. Knox declared TO be entirely
inadequate.
The erection Of buildings in foreign
capitals by the American government,
from American designs, built of Ameri-
can material and even, where possible.
built by American workmen, he advocat
ed $50 that there would be indelibly
stamped upon every foreign capital n
tppicalIy American structure, as a per.
manent expression Of American nation
alism."
Lastly, Mr. Knox discussed his reor-
ganization of the department. in Wash
ington. During his administration, he
said, he had added counselor, resi-
dent diplomat officer, and some half.doz-
en- expert divisions, to handle the vast
and increasing bulk of foreign business
on a more highly specialized basis than
has been possible heretofore. These ad :
ditional politico-geograp divisions, /,
the secretary explained, are non-partisan
lin fact, their personnel is largely iden-
teal with the foreign service corps as
the department transfers men from
abroad to these positions in Washington,
in order to give every MAJ in the service
a comprehensive idea of the working Of
the entire business of the department
As an indication of how badly this
addition to the department in Washing
ton is needed, he said, in the files of |
the department at Washington the re
corded work Of twenty years in the past /
filed on the shelves only about as much /
space as does the work of six months /
now.
The present enlargement of the de-
partment at Washington and of the
service abroad is not so much an increase
in its size as a development of its fune.