The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-11-18
REPUBLICAN C0NsTRUC-
TIVE LEGISLATION
Efficiency in Consular Service Has
Proved iis Worth

4 Washington, Nov i7---0ne Of th'
most admirable pieces Of constructive
legislation TO be credited 10 the Re
publican party is TO be found in tn,
reorganization Of the consular ser
vice. which took place in 1906.
/ The report Of the Civil Service Com
mission for 1902 stated: "our consular
service has attained an Importance fan
beyond that which il had in any pre-
vious period Of our history So Ions
as our exports were confined 10 a few
agricultural products and we sold oui
manufactured goods mostly at home
the foreign consul was a man of COM
parauvely little Importance. But We
have entered upon new phase Of our
national career. We have become the
foremost productive nation Of the
world" The chief characteristics Of
this national expansion were develop
ed during the five year period from
1897 when the Dingley tariff law
went into effect, TO 1902.
Efforts looking to the re-organiza-
tion of the consular service had never
been more than half-heartedly under
taken by the Democratic party. In
1895 Cleveland issued an order which
provided for an examination board TO
test the fitness Of consular applicants.
A student Of the question, Award l..
Bishop, Of Yale, says: at does not APP
pear that the standard governing APP
pointments was thereby much improv-
ed, for the examination was, in many
cases, mere matter of form-the APP
pointment often preceding it."
In 1906, Roosevelt, Root, Lodge, and
Robert Adams, Jr., Of Pennsylvania,
took up the question Of putting our
consular service on sound basis. A
bill was introduced by Senator Lodge,
the business men of the country be-
came interested in the subject, and a
national consular reform convention
was held in Washington, which
adopted the following resolutions 1T
is the opinion of the constituent bodies
of this convention that the consular
service Of the United States should be
re-organized as provided for in Senate
Bill 1916, introduced by Senator
Lodge. Every feature of that bill is,
in the judgment of the business or
CARNATIONS of the country, most es-
sential and in harmony with the grow
ing needs of the United States"
The Lodge bill was passed April 5,
1906, receiving the solid support, of
the Republicans, both in the Senate
and in the House. 1t became opera
tive June 80, following. 1t provided
for grading Of the service, the SUBJ
stitution of salaries for fees, forbade
consuls to engage in private business,
declared that all consuls getting $1,000
or more a year should be American
citizens, and established a corps of
consular inspectors. To make the con-
sular service still more efficient,
President Roosevelt, by executive or
der of June q, put it on merit sys-
tenn basis. Vacancies in the two lower
grades were to be filled by examina-
ton, land the examination is stiff
one) and in the higher grades by pro-
motion. Due to this order the consul
ar service offered career worthy the
consideration of a high class of men,
As a political plum-tree is was sever
ed at the foot. To use the language
Of then Secretary Root, at the hearing
on the bill: $50 long as the present
administration is in power there is
every assurance that the merit system
as provided for in the executive order
of June 27 will govern not only APP
pointments, but promotions as well"
The work Of the Republican party in
placing the consular service on
firm foundation has been productive
of excellent results. The structure
still remains, despite several under
mining influences put into operation
by the present administration. 1t is
splendid monument to Republican
achievement and serves as a further
refutation of Woodrow Wilson's
assertion that the Republican party
has not had new idea in 30 years.