Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-02-19

DAlL1 DIOF AN
of international relations which was
reflected in the ready MINDS Of men
like franklin and Adams whom the
time came for diplomatic service
aud decision of the first magnitude.
Franklin went TO France because
there was nobody in America so fit
ted to go TO France, and Franklin
was successful in France because
he was an old salt at the business
end knew all the sea lanes and
reefs Of diplomacy For 16 years
before the Revolution he had hand
led in London by negotiation and
persuasion the foreign affairs OF
T'ennsylvania and New Jersey and
Georgia and Massachusetts.
GAS the nineteenth century wax
ed and we became more and more
free from the commercial as well
as the political entanglements of
the Old World, adm more and more
aloof in national mind, VIC lost to
some degree our keenness Of inter
est and diplomatic edge in foreign
affairs. Diplomatic and consular
positions became the mere spoil of
victorious parties. Edward Living
ston, the great secretary OF state
in President Jackson 81 day, was the
first clear voice to be heard in the
attempt to arouse the country from
its lethargy and carelessness about
it's foreign affairs. The immediate
effect of Liyingston's, demand for
consular reorganization and reform
appears to have been to invite at
itention more definitely to the jobs,
to intensity the raid on the foreicl
service, and to multiply existing
abuses and inefficies. Il was not
until nearly quarter of a century
had passed-in 1S56-that an inn
portant act {of congress undertook
the first real regulation OF the dip
lomatic and consular systems of the
United States.
THE act of 1856 established the
range of diplomatic stipends, put
the highest grade OF consular Off
GERS upon salary basis and pro-
hibited them from engaging in pri-
vate trade, established a system of
accounting and bonding, and pre-
pared the entering wedge for the
merit system by creating corps
of consular pupils of peculiar fit
ness and qualification to be certi-
fled to by the secretary of state
and the president. 1t also put the
force of law behind orders and in
'structions of the lpresident to dip
lomatic and consular officers, so
far as these orders did not contra
vene the constitution or any exist
ing statute of the United States.
"And then came the Civil war,
and following it n long period of in
difference to international affairs,
except when for a brief moment
they might seem to be about to In
volve us; an attitude of the pcb
lie mind reflected in congress and
continuing we'll up to the end ct
the century and the war with Spain.
In 1895. President Cleveland issued
an executive order providing. for a
system of examination and transfer
and promotion of consuls and com
mercial agents in order, to produce
a better qualified body of officials.
The order died with Cleveland's ad.
ministration, and the vision of
better day came again with Theo-
dore Roosevelt in I1906. The new
act of that year, grading and class
! flying the posts in the consular
service, gave the president his OPP
iportunity. The merit system was
established by executive order with
! the punch of power, and inspection,
bonding and accounting rid the con-
lsular ranks of irregular practices
which had been shame upon our
| foreign relations for a hundred
years
Suddenly the business interests
| of the country rallied to the sup
port of the Roosevelt consular ord
Ter, and, following three years of
successful operation, President Taft
Issued similar instructions for the
diplomatic service below the grade
! of minister. The rising tide of
Ipublic opinion, both in congress and
out, now began to demand the en-
nactment of still more flexible
statute, providing for greater mo-
bility of personnel and the overt
recognition in law of the merit
principle inherent in lGe executive
orders of Roosevelt and Taft And
so came the act of Feb. 5, 1915, to
fulfill these plain requirements of
a better apprehension of the needs
of the country in foreign affairs
Thereafter men were not tied to
positions, but could be transferred
from post to post, according TO
their qualifications and the inter