Now let us watch our candidate get ready for business after he has
received notice of his appointment. Every consular officer before
entering upon his duties must take the prescribed oath of office and
give bond for a sum of not less than one thousand nor more than ten
thousand dollars. Then his commission is made out and given to the
Diplomatic Bureau along with a special passport and an order on his
predecessor to turn over the office to him. The commission is forwarded
to the diplomatic representative in the country where he is to be
stationed with instructions to procure from the government an exequatur.
An exequatur, in a word, is _permission to act_. It is simply a formal
recognition of the right of any country to grant or refuse to any other
country, or any of its representatives, the right to do business within
its territory.
Meanwhile our newly made consul is supposed to be very hard at work
completing his preparation, for he is to be at his post within thirty
days of the date of his commission, his salary having begun on the date
of his taking the oath of office. Having arrived at his post he notifies
the American legation of that fact and receives his exequatur. Then he
applies to the person in charge of the consulate for the government
archives, the seal and all other government property. In company with
his predecessor or the one in charge of the office, he makes an
inventory of all the effects, and transmits a copy of it to the State
Department.
It is expected that the consulate shall remain in the same place; but if
our consul prefers to move he may move. He must do so, however, subject
to instructions, for he is expected to establish his office “at the most
convenient, central location that the sum allowed for office rent will
permit”, and then give in minute detail a description of the new office
in a report to the State Department. “The arms of the United States
should be placed over the entrance to the consulate, unless prohibited
by the laws of the country.” The flag may be hoisted occasionally, on
national holidays, etc., if there is no objection, and it is always
hoisted when required for protection.
Nothing is stipulated as to his residence except that it must be within
the town in which he is doing business. Though he is expected to have
regular office hours, he must be willing to be at the service of the
public if called upon outside of those hours.