Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-06

w LETTER
BY n. 2 WALKER
Star stan Correspondent.
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON Aup a.

Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON, Aug. @.
Civil service rules are to be main
| tanned in the consular service of@the
United States.
| This simple announcement, which
has been allowed to go out quietly
and without blare of trumpets from
the White House and state depart
ment, has caused great sobs of woe
and disappointment among Demo-
cratic congressman and an army of
| hungry offite-hunters who have been
waiting with more or less Impotence
| for the expected distribution of the
several hundred consular plums it was
hoped would be awarded to faithful
| party workers and lifelong Demo-
Gratis.
Instead of the general distribution
of consular plums there will be a
small number of big consular jobs
put on the pie counter. The rest, in
Guiding many of the juiciest plums in
the list, will be left in the possession
of their present holders or be filled
by appointment or promotion from
those already in the service or on the
civil service list.
A Bitter disappointment.
Next to the announcement early in
the administra ton that Republican
postmasters would be allowed to
serve out their terms, the announce
ment of the adminiStration'S consular
policy is perhaps the bitterest disap-
pointment that has come out of the
White House, SO far as the office
hunters and patronage brokers are
concerned, since March 4.
In deciding not to disturb the civil
service rules in the consular service,
President Wilson is simply following
out the policy inaugurated by Theo-
dore Roosevelt, in part, and adhered
10 throughout by William FL. Taft.
Civil service in the consular and
diplomatic service was instituted in
the Roosevelt administration, when
If was announced that young men
who would prepare themselves, pass
satisfactory examinations and go
into the work seriously would be en-
couraged by appointments and pro-
motions that would enable them to
look forward to successful careers in
this work Consuls, consular agents
and secretaries and clerks to lega-
tions were appointed from the civil
service lists prepared.
Taft Continued the Practise.
When Taft succeeded to the White
House he early allowed it to be
known that he intended to persist in
this policy, and to extend it. Not
only the smaller consular and diplo-
matte jobs, but a number of i'm
portant consularships and consul
generalships were filled by Mr. Taft
by promotion from among consular
and diplomatic agents who had made
good.
In adopting the Taft policy Presi-
dent Wilson will, however, make ex-
ceptions of the handful of consul
generals-at-large and few of
the more important consul-general-
ships These positions to be ex-
cepted are regarded by the Presi-
dent as in the nature of personal
representatives of the administration,
or more like diplomatic offices. They
are now filled, generally. with men
who in the past have been named by
Republican presidents for personal
or political reasons, and the Wilson |
policy will be to replace these per- |
sonal and political appointees of his
predecessors with personal and
political appointees of his own.