Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-02-17
The American Minister Highly
Esteemed by the Kaiser
Wilhelm.
Also a Close Friend of BiSmark
and a General
EavOrite
description OF dis Palat la
Home and Ministerial
Duties.

L lind that William Walter Phelps is
very popular here III Berlin, writes
Frank u. Carpenter 10 the New York
Press. He mas raised tne American
legation TO the first rank i'll diplomatic
circles, and he is one OF the most In
nuential OF the foreign ministers i'll Ger
mdny. HIS work here shows that it
pays to send good men TO our foreign
missions. 1t WAS through him that the
Samoan treaty was made. He has been
very largely influential in getting our
beef, corn, and pork into Germany.
He has u standing with the emperor
which 10 minister from America has
ever had before, and he is lis close to-
day to Capriyi aS he was TO Bismarck
when he was chancellor. The friend
ship OF Prince Bismarck and Mr.. Phelps
was very marked. The two We're ac-
tually chummy during Bismarck's resi-
dence in Berlin, and they often dined
together. Young Herbert Bismarck
was as fond of Phelps as was the old
prince.
Mr.. Phelps tells me that Bismarck is
Il delightful conyerSationaiist, and that
his home life is charming. He is entire
ly free from oStentatiOn and is i'll reai-
ty Il man Of very tender feeling. He is
especially fond of his big dogs. Minis
ter Phelps described an incident Which
occurred at one of Bismarck'S dinners,
x,,Jn 11
tanned by the prince i'll his palace ON
Wilhelmstrasse. At just about the time
that dinner was called the Dews was
brought in that one of Bism3 Ick's fav-
orite dogs had been hurt in an accident
and that this would necessitate the
amputation of his leg. The old prince
was very much affected. The best
surgeon in Berlin was called in to per
form the operation, and the poor beast
was put into the best part Of the palace
During the dinner Prince Bismarck re-
ferred frequently to the dog, and he
was very much affected by his suffer
ings. He told Mr.. Phelps that the dog
had an almost human intelligence, and
that he sat every night at his bedside
and watched him, never giving any
sign of his presence if he were asleep,
but always on the watch and ready to
respond to his slightest wish when he
was awake. Upon Bismarck's depart
ure from Berlin Mr.. Phelps was among
those who babe him goodbye, and dur
ing my visit to Bismarcks home at
Fredriclsruhe l learned that the most
Il |,
the old prince was William Walter
Phelps. Mr. Phelps house in Berlin
has several fine portraits of Bismarck.
and at one Of the dinners which Bis
marck gave to Phelps the old cIance[
lor brought out some American whisky
and drank the health Of the president
of the United States with great gustO.
Count Herbert Won Bismarck paid an
especial compliment to America by at
tending one of Mr.. Phelps Thanksgiv-
ing dinners, at which the American
residents Of Berlin were present. and
when Bismarck left Mr.. Phelps gave 4
farewell dinner to Count Herbert.
The social features of the American
mission here are very important ones.
Nearly all Of the ministers who repre-
sent the European countries have large
sums allowed them for entertaining,
and the ministers from England and
Russia spend more than our presidents
salary here every year i'll this way.
Heretofore we have had no minister
who has been rich enough to keep pace
with these men, even though he had
the ability and inclination to do so.
Mr.. Phelps is one of the very wealthy
men of the United States. No one
knows just how much he is worth, and
his fortune is estimated all the way
from $5,OOO,0OO to $15,OOOOOO. He was
born rich, and his wife has fortune
in her own right, and both she and he
have the social instincts in large de-
gree. Mrs. Phelps was the daughter
Of Sheffield of New Haven, who had an
estate Of something like 100000, but
who left the bulk of his fortune to es-
tablish the Sheffield school Of Yale col
lege. Mrs. Phelps has an independent
income of perhaps $4,000 a year, and
1 have heard it estimated that the in
come of her husband is more than half
a million dollars every year. Mrs.
Phelps Is a very accomplished and a
very handsome woman. She is thor
oughly at home in society here. and she
has made the home of the American
minister one Of the most popular in
Berlin It was her taste that decided
all matters as to the furnishing Of the
home, and the American minister's
house In Berlin is one Of the curiosities
kaiser. and it Is an evidence Of what
American money backed by American
of the city. 1t has been so much writ
ten about in German newspapers that
almost as many people come to look
at it as go to see the palace Of the
brains and good taste can do.
The Germans do not know what an
American home is. The people here
live almost altogether in flats. A butch
er, a baker and a candlestick maker
often live in the same house with a
count or a diplomat, and the only diff
ference is In the floor or in the furnish
ing of the rooms. It is only the wealth
lest who can afford indepeleI+ estab-
ishments, and you find Or Mole
houses to rent. Mr.. Pheln III, ted
house to himself and he WI t in a
fashionable part of the ci41h look
ed high and low but cO11 none.
He then concluded to maj and he
selected his corner wifi e. card to
the people that were iRpoo lie then
sent a man to buy Oh tenants.