The Harrison times., 1916-04-22

motion or transfer.
Transfers Not Popular.
Officials OF the state department and
consular officers themselves intimate
that a man in the service does not
look forward with any great amount Of
pleasure to a transfer from one post
to another, even If the new post pays
a little better than the one last held.
The consular agents and consuls OF
the United States government get
small salaries and so when man has
to give up two or three hundred dol
lars every year or two because Uncle
Sam has seen fit to move him from
place to place, he thinks that he ought
to be given travel pay.
Once on time diplomatic and con-
sular officers of the Government did
comparatively little for the home gov
ernment except to attend TO the needs
of American citizens who happened to
get into trouble in the countries or the
Clllto W NHlCH thO OHiOioio "SAN ~
credited. 1t is fact that some mem
bers of congress seem to think that
the foreign service of the United
States is conducted on the same lines
that it was 40 years ago. The truth Is
that the state department demands
and gets from the foreign service re-
ports on business conditions, on open
ings for American trade, suggestions
for improvement of affairs in America
based On conditions III other coun-
tries, and for scores of other kinds OF
work which once foreign-service man
looked upon as alien to his duties.
Cannot Live on Salary.
Several of Uncle Sans foreign-serv-
ice men already have resigned be-
cause under existing conditions they
cannot live on their salaries. Others
have reported that unless they are
paid more money or unless some
allowance is made for travel and liv-
ing expenses they cannot continue to
hold their places without running up
debts which they cannot see their way
clear to pay. The state department
has told congress something about the
conditions in these words:
THE cost of living has increased In
Europe and many other countries and
consular officers Of the lower classes
are finding their salaries inadequate
to enable them to maintain themselves
in a proper manner. The few
consus having private incomes are
drawing upon their own funds to sup
plement their salaries. Inasmuch as
the living expenses will not decrease,
and as there is good reason for the be-
lief that they will continue to increase,
1t is of the utmost Importance that pro-
vision be made at once to supplement
the regular salaries of consular Off
GERS wherever it shall be found upon
investigation to be necessary
The government is trying to induce
high class of young men to enter
the consular service of the govern
ment to begin, of course, in the lower
grades where the salaries are small
est. The officials say that they are
handicapped in getting men of high
ability because OF the meagerness of
the sums paid and because at some
posts in the world a man either
must have money Of his own or else
he cannot live. In other words, the
government wants to be able to ap-
point poor men of ability to Office and
not to be forced always to give the
jobs to rich men who may or may
not have ability.
Red Men In Washington.
An Indian chief, Prairie Wolf, OF
the Blackfoot ribe, who came to
Washington from the West a day or
two ago to try to fix up some
tribal matters with the commissioner
of Indian affairs, called at the office Of
Gen. Hugh l.. Scott, chief Of staff Of
the United States army, to pay his
respects. The Indian spoke no Eng
lish, and while General Scott under
stood something Of the language Of his
caller, the latter preferred to carry on
the conversation in the sign language,
For fully fifteen minutes the chief Of
staff and the chief Of the Blackfeet
talked together Then the general
turned to some visitors who were in
the Office and explained what the
plainsman had said. Curiously enough,
Buffalo Bill dropped into the Office at
the time that Prairie Bear was present.
The scout and the chief talked in the
sign language and the first thing that
the red man said in sign words after
Buffalo Bill had removed his hat was
that the scout did not have as much
hair as in the days when he was fol-
lowing the western trails.
Indians are coming to Washington
constantly, and as most Of the visitors
are old men who cling to the old dress
and the old customs they arrive ar
rayed in all the Gathers and other
finery of days that are gone They
make a picturesque showing on the
4 L.. a. a.