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 ELfflU BOOT 435 tions were imposed or required. Boot accepted the place, though it was at a great financial sacrifice. The cabinet posi- tion paid a salary of eight thousand dollars a year, while at his law practice he was earning many times that amount. It is as Secretary of State that Mr. Boot it best known to the general public. While as District Attorney, as a member of the Alaskan Boundary Tribunal, and as Secretary of War he had rendered excellent service, as Secretary of State he found a much larger field for the exercise of his abilities as a constructive statesman. While the Department was in excel- lent shape when he took charge, many very important ques- tions came up for solution during his incumbency of the office. One of the most perplexing questions that every administra- tion has to deal with is that of the consular service. For many years the service had been used as a sort of hospital for broken-down politicians. A movement for reform had been started some ten or twelve years before, and while it had made some progress, a great deal yet remained to be done before the consular service could be placed on a footing of efficiency. Secretary Boot gave the movement a new impetus by drawing up and enforcing strict executive regulations governing ap- pointments and promotions. A strong effort was made to break up the practice of appointing to the service job-seekers who claimed rewards for political work, ex-congressmen whose main desire was to keep in touch with the government pay-roll, and other patriots whose chief qualification was per- sistency in seeking office. As far as possible, appointments were made from the ranks of younger men who had prepared themselves by study and investigation to be efficient public servants abroad. There was a distinct improvement all along the line in the consular service, and respect for the United States among other countries rose correspondingly. Not only so, but the United States began to get some real service from its consular representatives abroad. During his three and a half years as Secretary of State, Mr. Boot negotiated on behalf of the United States seventy-five treaties with foreign governments. This is the highest record of achievement of any incumbent of the office. Perhaps the