The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-02
THE NEW SECRETARY.
,,,,rNTFUL CAREER OF DAVID r..
FRANCIS OF MISSOURI.

nan Into Politfcs-HOw He En-
..oined President Cleveland as
,,.or of 81. LOuis-FOrmer Fail
80 TO Get n Cabinet Place.
rv-Gov. David Rowland Francis of Mis-
.a,,ri who on Sept. /, succeeded Hon. Hoke
ez,i+b as secretary of the interior, has had
,,,s,tful career. according to the fol-
=, sketch of his life published by the
New York Sun:
~, ,,as horn in the town of Richmond,
~, and when boy of sixteen was aided
=. his uncle, D. Pitt Rowland, in obtain
40 his education. His uncle at that time
-os prosperous wholesale grocer. Young
,,-.n.,,s lived in the home of Mr. Rowland,
-, going to st. Louis 1t was his inten-
- 20 NJ himself for the profession of the
80. He had not then the remotest idea of
,.r,aining in st. Louis, and business ca
~ was the last thing he dreamed Of AS
-, has often told his friends, he wanted to
~ graduated in the law and go back to
.ba Pine Grass region of Kentucky TO
,,+i.a his profession. He attended Wash
,,gton University in st. Louis, and among
.hose who were his schoolmates are some
% the most prominent business and pro-
fsss,onal men now in the Mound city. Be
.,ra the future mayor, governor, and cabi-
uo+ officer fairly knew what he was doing,
10 met and fell in love with Miss Perry,
daughter of the late banker, John d. Per-
~ of St. Louis. The result was that young
r1rorcis concluded to abandon the law,
marry Miss Perry, settle down in st.
Touis and go into business. He took jun
Tor interest in his uncle's firm, and the
stvle was changed TO Shyrock, Rowland q
Co.. the young Kentuckian representing
the company.
suddenly reverses overlook it, and there
was A failure. John D. Perry, father-ln-
law of Mr.. Francis. was at that time
man of considerable means, but Francis
refused to accept any help from him. lie
made up his mind that the chamber of
Il commerce was the place for him, so he at
once set up a grain brokerage business,
and almost instantly commenced to make
money. He did not plunge into wild spec
ulation. He let the other fellows do that.
Mr. Francis kept on the safe side, and
in less than two years 1t was universally
conceded that no young man of his age
in all the west knew more about prices
and the markets than he, Once on the
high tide of success his fortune was as
sured; and within less than ten years Mr..
Francis began to accumulate lots of solid
property He became interested in the
huge elevators on both sides of the river,
acquired bank and other corporation
stock, and his real estate holdings in
creased until to-day he is interested in
some of the largest Office buildings in the
city.
Congressman McCreary lives in the
same Kentucky town in which Mr.. Fran
els was born. Mr.. McCreary is an ex-
governor of his commonwealth. Some
years ago he dropped into the Office of a
newspaper friend in Washington, and in
speaking of St. Louis and its rapid ad-
Vancement, said:
Perhaps you never knew that 1 once
tried to locate in St. Louis. 7 had gradu-
ated in law, and was anxious to move to
some place further west, where there
would be greater opportunities for young
and ambitious man. / went to St. Louis
with strong letters of Endorsement, but
almost every one told me the law was
overcrowded. So then went to Chicago,
and it seemed to be worse there. Finally
! went to Louisville, and absolutely re-
ceived not word of encouragement De-
spondent and weary, l slipped back to
my old home at Richmond, and have lived
there ever since. However, l have done
pretty well, and the chances are L would
never have been governor of Missouri or
Illinois had cast my lot with the people
Of St. Louis or Chicago"
But" replied his friend, there Is at
this moment native of Richmond VINO
Is governor of a state greater than Ken
lucky in wealth, resources and popula-
ton"
That is So remarked Mr.. McCreary.
Il had forgotten about Dave Francis
How well l remember him as a boy in my
own native town. His old grandfather
David Rowland, after whom he was nam
cd used to say that there was a great
aeai IN Dave, and while he might not live
10 Know Of it, the boy was bound to come
10 the front. I sincerely wish that good
old man could have lived to appreciate
tne honors that have been conferred upon
ms tayorite grandson"
MI. francis did not seek the mayoralty
nomination In st. Louis In April, 1885, but
mere had been some talk about him as a
poSsloIe compromise candidate on whom
tHe democratic convention might unite.
anu me hentuckian was like the famous
ola fellow in California in ante-bellum
udys' who declared that he would not
oeeK the United States senatorship. and
eAPialhed MS presence at the state capi-
tol by saying that II the Office was hunt
1Is LOT MIN It was his duty to be handy.
90 II could find him. There were three
eaHoldates before the convention. 1t met
a. " CLOCK one morning, remained con-
unuousIy IN session all through the night
anu uld not finally reach nomination I'M
~ O'Clock the next morning. Francis
ga as tne man on whom sthe convention
nnnaiy agreed after probably a hundred
oauots The three avowed candidates
"eIe Judge Edward c. Noonan, a native
headlng, Pa; Maj. c. c. Rainwater.
Mnolesale hat merchant and ex-confed-
aIe soldier, and ex-Mayor Brown of St.
a a-ouis. Francis had first attracted public
seeiton IN st. Louis by his race the
Ear before for president of the chamber
y. commerce. After one of the hottest
r9ll1gsts IN the history of that great com
n,elclal body he defeated Frank Gaien-
me former resident of New Orleans.
So was thought to have a walkover.
a,'lHs on the platform in the democratic
nonyentlon at about a. M, when il was
~ oessary to awaken for every ballot one
fr Ine other Of two German delegates
IN what was known as an outlying
c%s,gypase' ward, Francis said to a friend /:
low DO you think this will end?'
- iou will be nominated Dave" was
candidate" AA "O' "