The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-12-06
cultivated with equal ass1duity.
| Merit System In Consular and DipIo-
matte Corps.

cultivated with equal ass1duity.
Merit System In Consular and Dlplo-
matte Corps.
Expert knowledge and professional
training must evidently be the essence
Of this reorganization. Without a
trained foreign service there would
not be men available. for the work in
the rcorganiZed department of state.
President Cleveland has taken the
first step toward introducing the
merit system In the foreign service
That had been followed by the appli-
cation of the merit principle, with ex-
cellent results, to the entire consular
branch. Almost nothing. however, had
been done In this direction with regard
to the diplomatic service. In this age
Of commercial diplomacy it was evil
IDENTIFY Of the first Importance to train
an adequate personnel in that branch
Of the service. Therefore, on Novem-
Der 26, 1909, by an executive order |
placed the diplomatic service up to
the grade of secretary of embassy in
elusive, upon exactly the same strict
non-partisan basis Of the merit sys-
TEN, rigid examination for appoint
ment and promotion only for eff
cheney. as had been maintained without
exception In the consular service
Successful Efforts in Promotion of
Peace.
In the field of work toward the
Ideals OF peace this government ne
gotiated, but to my regret was unable
to consummate, two arbitration trea
| ties which set the highest mark of
| the aspiration of nations toward the
| substitution of arbitration and reason
for war in the settlement of interna-
tionai disputes. Through the efforts
of American diplomacy several wars
have been prevented or ended. l re-
fer to the successful tripartite medi
alton Of the Argentine republic, Bra
| I'll, and the United States between
| Peru and Ecuador; the bringing of the
! boundary dispute between Panama
and Costa RIGA to peaceful arbitra-
| ton; the staying of wariike prepare
| tons when Hayti and the Dominican
| republic were on the verge of hostili
| ia; the hating of internecine strife
in Honduras. The government of the
| United States was thanked for its in
! 1uence toward the restoration Of amic
able relations between the Argentine
| republic and Bolivia. The diplomacy
| of the United States is active in seek
| ing to assuage the remaining ill-feel-
no q
| public Of Colombia In the recent Civ
| IL war in China the United States sue
cessfully joined with the other inter
ested powers in urging an early ces-
sation of hostilities. An agreement
| has been reached between the govern
ments OF Chile and Peru whereby the
celebrated Tacna- africa dispute, which
has so long embittered international
| relations on the west coast Of South
America, has at last been adjusted.
| simultaneously came the news that
| the boundary dispute between Peru
| and Ecuador had entered upon a stage
Of amicable settlement. The position
| OF the United States in reference to
| the Tacna-Arica dispute between
| Chile and Peru has been one of non
| intervention, but one Of friendly in
| fiuence and pacific counsel throughout
| the period during which the dispute
| in question has been the subject Of
interchange of views between this
government and the two governments
Immediately concerned.
China.
In China the policy of encouraging
financial investment to enable that
country to help itself has had the re-
suit Of giving new life and practical
application to the open-door policy.
The consistent purpose of the present
administration has been to encourage
the use Of American capital in the
development of China by the promo
ton of those essential reforms to
which China is pledged by treaties
with the United States and other pow.
ers. The hypothecation to foreign
bankers in connection with certain in
dustrial enterprises, such as the Huku-
ang railways, of the national reven-
ues upon which these reforms depend
ed. led the department of state early
in the administration to demand for
American citizens participation in
such enterprises, in order that the
United States might have equal rights
and an equal voice in all questions
pertaining to the disposition of the
public revenues concerned. The same
policy of promoting international &C
| cord among the powers having similar
treaty rights as ourselves in the mat
tiers OF reform, which could not be
put into practical effect without the
common consent of all, was likewise
adopted in the case of the loan de-
sired by China for the reform of it's
| currency.
Central America Needs Our Help in
In Central America the aim has
been to help such countries as Mica
ragua and Honduras to help them
selves. They are the immediate bene-
ficiaries. The national benefit to the
United States is two-fold. First, it is
obvious that the Monroe doctrine is
more vital in the neighborhood of the
Panama canal and the zone of the
Caribbean than anywhere else There,
too. the maintenance of that doctrine
falls most heavily upon the United
States. It is therefore essential that
= countries within that sphere shall
.Je removed from the jeopardy involv-