Evening star., 1924-09-28
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

! Of by his neighbors. who said that
terrible. unbearable odors came from
his residence. The American consul
| investigated and found the objec-
/ tionable Odors even worse than re-
ported. In the basement of his
house the Greek-American had set up
great watts filled with a vile COM
pound into which he and the mem
bers of his family were dipping new
Persian rugs. He frankly explained
| that he was making old rugs out OF
new ones because they brought high
| prices from credulous tourists
| The conSuls are the overseas tax
collectors of the Government and
| they also act as its paymaster
abroad. Americans do not escape the
| income tax man by living away from
| home. 1t is recorded that one consuI
| sent into the Treasury in one year
$4,000 in tax collections.
| Millions OF Cards.
| The card index of the Department
of State covers diplomatic matters
| and all matters in which the con-
| sular service has a hand. Through
| this index the State Department OFF,
| cfals have at their finger tips a mill
| lion facts. The smallest and SEEM
| ingly the most insignificant matter
Of today may affect the diplomacy OF
the world a decade hence. 1t is i'm
portant that information concerning
these things be filed away and
| equally important that it be made
| readily accessible when needed. That
the volume Of this information is
| large is demonstrated by the fact
that it has required nearly 100000
| cards to index the matter accumu-
| lated. That it covers a wide range
| is shown by the fact that it may
| relate to an International situation
| affecting all of the governments of
| tho earth. or to the registration OF
| the marriage of John Smith and Susie
Brown in Singapore.
One phase Of State Department
work is Of vital importance-the
creation at home of enlightened pub
| lie opinion on matters relating to
| foreign affairs. 1t is through the
newspapers and the corps of trained
correspondents they maintain in
Washington that the Secretary OF
State seeks to inform the American
people Of what is going on in inter-
national affairs, and to point out the
| interests common to all Americans in
any circumstances for the preserva-
| tion of which his policy is shaped.
BY reason Of the fact that he is en-
gagged in delicate diplomatic corre-
spondence, he Is unable to talk pub
| licly Of what he Is attempting to do.
He is the official spokesman OF the
Government on such matters and
every word he utters has weight in
the foreign offices abroad, SO his
public statements must be guard ed
and carefully thought out. In this
emergency the Secretary falls back
on his conferences with the news
paper men. The press conferences
are held in a room in the State De-
partment and no unauthorized per-
son may be present. 1t is not true in
Washington as it is in foreign cap
itals, however. that separate confer
spondents and Tor those who rep
resent foreign newspapers.
Always the Helping Hand.
With his far-reachiig army of
| workers over the world, it is not
strange that it is upon the Secretary
of State the task devolves in any
great disaster or emergency of
caring for the Americans abroad
that the diplomatic and consular
services on the outbreak of the
| World War became the centers OF
relief for the thousands Of Americans
who had been caught unawares in
the belligerent countries. Millions
| were distributed to them when the
| banks abroad were closed. Each
embassy or legation or consulate be-
came rescue station and was
swamped with Americans. many Of
them wealthy, but unable in the con-
fusion of war to obtain money for
food and shelter. The gold was
| rushed abroad in a cruiser and de-
tachments of the ships crew carried
IT to the Ambassadors or Ministers
| In inland capitals. In one instance
two marines were given the task Of