Evening star., 1928-06-17
Continued from Third Page.)

of the problem. The difficulties encouE-
tered In the administration OF the
Rogers act were not due to faults In
hcrent in the act itself, but to assump-
tions in regard to the Department of
State which proved unwarranted. 1t
Is all too common. not only with the
public In general, but among those who
hold seats on Capitol Hill, to think of
the State Department as merely clear
Ing house for the work Of our embassies,
legations and consular Offices abroad.
High Type Of Men Needed.
There was a time before the days of
the telegraph, cable, radio and inter"
national telephone--those days wher'
the world was much larger and ROOM
Ter place than 1t is today--when the
State Department was in some sense
such a clearing house. But while the
demands OF the present time require a
higher type OF diplomat to represent US
abroad. the increased facilities for COM
nunication demand even higher quail
fications in the department at home.
The sort OF problems which in the DAYS
OF Americas youth could be worked out
by an ambassador or minister with
occasional reports to and instructions
from the Secretary of State must now
be solved In continuous conference with
the men In the department at WASH
ington and In correlation with events
and forces In every other part of the
world.
In other words, while there Is more
need than ever for brains and training
among the men who represent us
abroad, there is still greater need for
brains and training In the higher Offices
OF the Department of State For 1t Is
the men who hold these of1ces who
must determine upon policies and who
send instructions to our representatives
in the field. 1t Is In these offices that
the high policies of the United States
are framed. 1t is to the men who hold
these Offices that the people of the
United States must look to guide them
safely through the increasingly intricate
channels of world politics. No matter
how adequate our foreign service, no
matter how able our Ambassadors and
Ministers, our foreign relations are in
constant danger OF disruption unless
the men at the seat Of authority are
adequately equipped.
Situation at Home.
The Rogers act of 1924 placed upon
the statutes the results of long and
careful study of the needs of the foreign
service--the men who represent us
abroad. But 1t did not touch the needs
of the department at home. That was
allowed to continue undermanned and
underpaid. The injustice and favori-
tism in the matter Of promotions may
be traced directly to this fact.
The assumption Of the Rogers act was
that Its administration would be In the
hands of high executives in the depart
nent who had no thought OF foreign
service appointments for themselves.
The Secretary OF State, however, was
unable to hold such men In the depart
ment at the disproportionate salaries at
his disposal. He had recourse then to
the foreign service officers themselves,
recalling them from their foreign posts
to assume positions in the department,
including even those of assistant secre-
taries and undersecretary. The regis
ter Of the department for January shows
81 foreign service officers assigned to
positions In the department, to which
there should be added two former for
eign service men now serving as Assist
ant Secretaries Of State.
Needs Competent Aids.
As the Secretary OF War has his gen.
eral staff made up of we'll paid officers
Of long experience and training; as the
Secretary OF the Navy has his general
board Of similar officers: as the Secre-
tary Of the Treasury has his Federal Re-
serve Board made up OF bankers and
financieys of long and successful expert
ence, 50 should the Secretary OF State
have council on foreign affairs COM
posed of men Of comparable training
and experience In that field. With such
men to advise and assist the Secretary
OF State many OF the problems which
now beset the overworked executives OF
the department would soon find solu-
tion for themselves,
To obtain such a group OF men for the
State Department obviously requires a
raising OF the salary standards in the
higher executive positions. To meet this
requirement Mrs. Rogers provides In her
bill that the salaries OF the Undersecre-
tary of state, the fiye Assistant Secre-
taries of State and the legal adviser
shall be $4,000 a. year. but both her bill
and that OF Senator Moses approach the
problem through the foreign service and
are not aimed directly at the organiza-
ton Of the department itself.
Representative Stephen @. Porter.
chairman OF the House committee on
foreign affairs, introduced bill pro-
viding directly for the reorganization OF
the Department OF State. The preamble
OF this bill points out the increased re-
sponsibility resting upon the oficers OF
the department under present world
conditions, contrasts their compensation
with those OF the officers abroad.-the
undersecretary OF State receives $500
a year. while an Ambassador receives
sf7.500. a Minister $4,000 and diplo-
matte secretaries and consuls of the first
and second classes $4,000 and $4,000,
respectiyely--and calls attention TO Vari-
GUS other anomalies, such as the fact
that the appropriations for the Army
and Navy for next year amount TO $676,-
600 600, while those for the Department
of state fincluding the entire foreign
seryicel amount TO only $il 900, 600, ap-
uroxisr1ately rs per cent OF which Will
be returned to the Treasury In consular
and passport fees collected by the de-
The Porter bill then goes on to pro-
pose that there shall be two Undersecre :
taries of State, with salaries OF $l3.o0O.
and six Assistant Secretaries OF State,
NTH saIarieg OF $4,000. All Of the re-
NAMING oficers OF the department Itself
are Included In q home service which
ia agsimilated to the foreign service In
the matter OF classification and salaries.
These are the main features Of the bill,
which, IL IL we're to be enacted into law.
would do much 10 establish Depart
rner1t OF state more In corisonance WIN
the pressing needs OF the country
Would End Distinctions.
The establishment Of o home service.
with rank and pay equal To those OF
the foreign service, would at once abol-
ish an Inyidioug distinction and oo-
viate the necessity OF bringing foreign
service officers 10 do home service work
in washington, The provision for u
home service officers In class at $4,000