The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-12-03
Mr.. TAFTS
FINAL MESSAGE
To the Senate and House of Repre-

SentativeS:
The foreign relations of the United
States actually and potentially affect
the state of the Union to a degree not
widely realized and hardly surpassed
by any other factor in the welfare Of
the whole nation. The position of the
United States in the moral, intellec-
tual and material relations Of the fam
ily Of nations should be a matter or
vital interest to every patriotic citi
zen. The national prosperity and
power impose upon Us duties which
we cannot shrk if we are to be true
to our ideals.
The Tremendous growth Of the ex-
port trade of the United States has
already made that trade a very real
factor in the industrial and CONNER
cial prosperity of the country. With
the development of our industries the
foreign commerce of the United
States must rapidly become a still
more essential factor in its economic
welfare
The relations of the United States
with all foreign powers remain upon
a sound basis of peace, harmony and
friendship. a greater insistence upon
Justice to American citizens or inter
ests wherever it may have been denied
and a stronger emphasis of the need of
mutually in commercial and other re-
lationS have only served to strengthen
our friendship with foreign countries
by placing those friendships upon a
firm foundation Of realities as well as
aspirations.
Reorganization of State DEPARTING Mt.
At the beginning of the present adj
miniStratiOn the United States, having
fully entered upon it's position as a
world power, with the responsibilities
thrust upon it by the results of the
Spanish-American war and already en-
gagged in laying the groundwork Of a
vast foreign trade upon which 1t
should one day become more and more
dependent, found itself without the
machinery for giving thorough atten.
ton to and taking effective action
upon n mass of intricate business vi
tai to American interests in every cOun
try in the world
The department of state was an
archaic and Inadequate machine, lack.
ing most of the attributes of the for
eign office of any great modern power
With an appropriation made upon my
recommendation by the congress OIL
Aug. >, 1909, the department of state
was completely reOrganiZed. There
were created divisions of Latin Ameri
can affairs and of far eastern. neal
eastern and western European affairs.
The law offices of the department
We're greatly strengthened. There were
added foreign trade advisers to coop.
crate with the diplomatic and consular
bureaus and the politico-geographica
divisions in the innumerable matters
where commercial diplomacy or con.
sular work calls for such special
knowledge. The same officers. together
with the rest of the new organization
are able Of all times to give to Ame"i
| can citizens accurate information as to
| conditions In foreign countries with
which they have business and likewise
| to cooperate more effectively with the
congress and also with the other ex
| ecutive departments.
| Merit System In Consular and Diplo.
matte Corps.
| Expert knowledge and professional
| training must evidently he the essence
of this reorganization Without a train
! ed foreign service there would not be
| men available for the work in the rpor
| ganzed department Of state President
! Cleveland had taken the first step to
| ward Introducing the merit system in
the foreign service. That had been fol
| lowed by the application of the merit
| principle. with excellent results to the
| entire consular branch. Almost moth
! ing. however. had been done in this III
| reCtion with regard to the diplomatic
| service. In this age Of commercial di
| plomacy it was evidently Of the first
| Importance to train an adequate per
! sonnet in that branch of the service.
! Therefore, on Nov &c. 1909. by ar
executive order placed the diplomat,
| service mp TO the grade of secretary OF
/ embassy, inclusive. upon exactly the
| same strict nonpartisan basis of the
/ merit system, rigid examination for ap
! pointment and promotion only for eff
| cheney. rs had been maintained with
! out exception in the consular service.
Merit and Nonpartisan Character o.
Appointments.
How faithful to the merit system
and how nOnpartisan has been the con
duct of the diplomatic and consular
services in the last four years may b,
judged from the following: Three am
baSSadOrs now serving held their pres
ent rank at the beginning of my ad
ministratiOn. OF the ten ambassador,
whom l have appointed five were BY
promotion from the rank of minister
Nine ministers now serving held thei
present rank at the beginning of tn.
administration. OF the thirty minister:
whom have appointed, eleven wer,