Show TAFT AND THE CONSULAR SER VICE if america does not come in for her share of oriental trade it will not be the fault of secretary taft who has evidently used his eyes and his ears to good purpose during bis recent journey anxiety about open doors commercial treaties and boycotts Is very natural and ery proper but it should not be allowed to blind us to factors la the situation that greeven more i essential sent ial the paramount necessity Is after all to otter to our customers the merchandise they wish to buy and in the form in alch they wish to receive it to do this successfully we must bo lu touch with them and this can only be done through tho network of the consular service undue economy in the support of this service Is therefore a bad form of extravagance and this la precisely the charge aust brought by secretary taft he says that the american consuls aro poorly paid badly equipped with clerical help and that the buildings they occupy are not in accord with the dignity ot the country they represent mr taft of one european country that has ten times as many men in its consular service in shanghai as tae americans he doa not tell us which country this is but it would be interesting to know it its trade Is also ten times as great it probably is that america her foreign servants Is a very old grievance there was no doubt a time when democratic simplicity taught a needed lesson but that time is not now tho only simplicity about an american ambassador is his pay and he himself must provide from his own resources whatever ia lacking in this remuneration mr taft points out that an a ambassadors expenses are while his pay is only this meins hat able diplomats ohp do not happen to be rich are excluded moro important por tant and therefore tha more expensive embassies ane ambassadorial service is no less so it la tho consul who feels the commercial pulse of ahe people amongal hom he la placed he ia always the man on the spot and the services that ho can render are not less vital because they are often inconspicuous the foreign consul ought to see an opportunity and quick to act fo be a man ot alno intelligence quick upon it he must have a aldo ano ivl edge or commerce and flo must have a certain kind of Mpa iti and hie people iu he Is sent 11 is upuia acou buin trade depends and such qualifications have to be searched for and they have to be paid for we are entitled to rejoice at diplomatic successes but we ought at the same almo to remember that these will not count for very much in the way ofa iraco unless they are followed up and realized by an alert consular force secretary tatt will certainly not hide his light under a bushel nor will he be at al diffident in malting his newly acquired opinions known in the right quarter we may therefore expect to see some radical changes and trie consular services placed upon a rooting that will enable it to serve to the best advantage |