The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-12-04
TAFT SENDS IN
final MESSAGE
President Starts With Discussion
Of Foreign Relations.
WORK DONE BY DIPLOMATS.

Recognition Of Merit System Has 5ee'
Beneficial - Suggestions Regardin!
Changes In the Tariff Laws Designed
to Aid Commerce-Turkish War ant
! Troubles In China.
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentativeS:
The foreign relations of the United
] States actually and potentially affec
the state of the Union to degree moi
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 matter OF
vital interest to every patriotic citi
zen. The national prosperity and
power impose upon us duties which
we cannot shirk 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 very real
factor i'm the industrial and CONNER
cbal prosperity of the country. With
the development of our industries the
foreign commerce Of the United
States must rapidly become still
more essential factor in it's economic
welfare
The relations of the United States
with ALL foreign powers remain upon
a sound basis Of peace, harmony and
friendship. A greater isistence upon
Justice tor American citizens or inter
ests wherever it may have been denied
and stronger emphasis Of the need OF
mutually ia commercial and other re-
lations have only served to strengthen
our friendship with foreign countries
by placing those friendships upoa a
| firm foundation of realities as we'll as,
| aspirations.
Reorganization Of State Department..
At the beginn$ng of the present ad~
minist1ation the Unitea States. having
fnlly entered upon it's positions as a
world power, with the responsibilities
thrust upvn it by the results OF the
Spanish American war and already en-
gagged in laying tliB' groundwork Of a.
vast foreign trade upsn which, it
should one day become msre and more
dependent, found itself without the
machinery fur giving thorough attssn-
ton to anu taking effective action
upon mass Of intricate business vi
tai to American interests in every coun-
try in the world.
The department Of state. was au
archaic and Inadequate marhine, larks
ing most Of THE attributes of the for.
eign office OF. aay great modern power
With an appropriati on maade upon my
recommendations by the congress OH
Aug ). 1909 the department of state
was completely reorganizeti Theirs"
were created divisions Of IAtiH. Ameii-
can affairs agGs3 of far eastern. near
eastern and western European affairs:
The law Offices of the department
were greatly strengthened. There were
added foreign trade advisers to coop.
crate with the. diplomatic aa,i consular"
bureaus and the politico- aphiral'
divisions in the innumerable matters.
where commercial diplomacy or con-
sular work calls for such speciA.l
knowledge. Tie same offic srs. together
with the resS of the new organizations
are able at ali times to give to Amerir
can citizens, accurate information rs to.
conditions in foreign countries with
which they have business and likewise
to cooperate more effectively with the
congress and also with the other ey
ecutive departments.
Merit Syster, In Consular and niyalo-
matte Corps.
Expert knowledge. and professional
training must evidently be the essence
of this reorganization. Without train
ed foreign service there would not be
men available for the work i'll the reor.
ganized 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 th%
entire consular branch. Almost moth
ing, however. had been done in this di-
service In this age of CONNIE. cial di-
plomacy it was evidently of tie first
Importance to train an adequate per
sonnet in that branch Of the service.
Therefore. on Nov 26. 1909, ~ an
executive order placed the diplomatic
service up to the grade of secretary Of
embassy, inclusive, upon exactly the
same strict nonpartisan basis 1f the
merit system, rigid examination 7or APP
pointment and promotion only for etli
cheney, as had been maintained with
out exception in the consular service.
Merit and Nonpartisan Character OF
Appontn ents.
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 be
Judged from the following: Three am
bassadors now serving held their pres
emf rank 1T the beginning of my I'D