The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-27
CONSUL GENERAL GOWDY
COON JACK" TELLS OF HIS OFFICIAL
EXPERIENCES IN PARIS.
Though Dubbed Farmer" He Is Not
of the Gold Brick Variety, and
Easily Detects FRAUDS"

date of Dec. 10: Did you see Old Glory
as you came in?" asked Consul General
John X Gowdy. "Well, step outside here
a minute and the general unfastened one
of the long French windows leading to the
stone balcony Below hummed and ebbed
the Avenue de lOpera, with ali the swift
ness and light of a Paris street. Through
the clear gray of the later afternoon the
Vendome pillar lowered sentinel at the end
of the avenue and early lamps began to
jewel the lively ways.
Look there" said the general, pointing,
not toward the fascinating thoroughfare,
but at two gigantic flags crossed from the
stone ratings of the balcony and fluttering
over the head of the pedestrians. There
they are, side by side-the tricolor and the
stars and stripesi They've been together
before in harder times thai these, and as
long as am here, here they hang, too, rain
or 'shine AT least Old Glory will not be
taken in to hang his gallant head in back
room. Not much. Yet I've just been at
tackled in one of the newspapers for keep
ing the American flag flying outside the
consulate just like sign on a two-penny-
half-penny shop! For all that, repeat,
shant take it in, neither for time, weather
nor abusel Why, in the summer when Amer
leans come to Paris in crowds, they reach
here and say oh, we had no trouble at all
in finding the place. We were coming
along the street and we looked up and saw
Old Glory Do you think I'd go to work
and spoil all that? No, indeed not for the
sake of the home feeling the sight of the
flag gives to wanderers-even if it were not
the same that / was born and loved and
fought under!"
STILL A PLAIN MAN.
The kindly, rugged face was all aglow with
the fire of an honest enthusiasm which
it was good to see. The United States con-
sui in Paris is a plain man with good
record THE embassy attends to the So
cial end of affairs and the consulate to the
business" he says, sensibly, and so he
works unswervingly. A man of affairs and
prominent position recently said that al
most all the United States consuls in Eu
rope were good and efficient men, but that
General Gowdy was certainly one of the
ablest and best. The general is an old SOL
der and he wears no frils. For people
who truckle to an artificial conventionality
and who judge solely by eXternalities he
might have little charm, but the acute OBJ
server will see in him the sterling qualities
of truth, uprightnesS and honesty; the alb
5Olute, innate unimpeachibility-upon which
the hope of the world is founded. de is
true W esterner, and he assumes no virtue
III ne ndLn IL IOl. Tie Will HOl IuluCc anu
amble and lisp yet have seen him come
frankly and unconsciously into the midst of
the fashionable artificial set, and in his calm
and straightforward presence an up-to-date,
dandified French conte has by contrast
seemed to Wlther away and shrink up like
jeliyfsh on a board in the sun on hot day.
Yet no one would be more surprised in
knowing this than the general himself.
Among the hotbed odors and cologne-laden
breeZes of Paris the royal Westerner seems
to carry with him the atmosphere Of the
praries - free, invigorating and healthful.
Some people like perfumed airs, some the
strong west wind. There is no second opin-
ion about which is the most wholesome.
why. yes, he says in answer to ques-
leans living in Paris during the summer,
and lot of them all the year round. 1t is
wonderful how many manage to get up here
generally come with some good sensible
reason, and not for the sake of giving trou-
BILE The Dingiey bill worried lot at first
because the workings of II were so ex-
aggerated People were told that they would
only be allowed to take 800 worth of bag
gage across, new or old, and that was hard
on those who came over with 5000, and did
not propose to sell at loss or give the
stuff away. They used to call in here for
advice letters and consolation, but there
is no doubt in my mind that the law is
good one. and not aimed against the ex
cellent people who come over here and have
to buy few things for their own wear as
the seasons change No. the folks that the
bill was made to catch are those who made
business of coming over here with one trunk
apiece and going back each with seventeen
or twenty. 1t did catch them. and it was
perfectly right that it should but ordinary
folks have little or no trouble, for customs
officials. are reasonable human beings and
good judges of character withal A great
deal of the alarm was needless, and excited
by the party newspapers endeaVoring TO
make capital against the government.
Does the United States consul suffer
queer demands sometimes, general?'
CLEARLY A FRAUD
well, l should say so. Application for
...;4I, c4ox
here with, are the most frequent. Here is
a note which has just come to-day and
the general selected letter from the pile
nearest him and read: "Honored Sir-I
am an American in need of a little ready
money. Can you oblige a fellOwcitizen?
Thanking you in advance for thee antici-
pated funds, am, etc. Now, that" said
the general, lis clearly fraud. do at
tend to little cases where it seems actually
necessary. OF course the government makes
no provision for such cases, but it is gener-
ally worth while to give a helping hand
Fellows like the writer of this letter are
merely professional buffers. Probably my
correspondent expects me to call Victoria,
take half day off and go to his hotel to
look after him. / wonder"
The general is too cute fer that. Simple
and unaffected he may be, but there is no
politician, too rye been in politics thirty
years. ne says, anu l. was ten years
chairman of the county committee, six in
the state committee and for two years
on the executive. Still when man is away
from home he very soon gets out of touch
with the organization of his party. New
things are continually occurring with which
at a distance he may not keep up. Any
way / don't believe in a man in office doing
too much talking. If he attends to business
and does mis- duty he will find his hands
old soldier. Il ran away to the and
was three years in the thick of it," heIre-
marks but I've never been sorry that l
went even though it left me with last
ing reminder. l did my whole duty, just
as hundreds of other lads did in those days,
and l thank God for being able to return
home.
The American consulate in Paris is a de-
liehtfully coZy place on the second floor
private room is round. with long windows
opening to the sunlit street A bright fire
in the CRATE and pictures of American
scenery and statesmen on the walls give
the place singularly homelke air. and it
has the ineStimable virtue of being APP
preached by that rare thing in Paris. an
elevator which works both ways Ordi-
which deigns to carry you upstairs but
which scorns to take you down. Mr.. Gowdy
hears a singular likeness TO President Nc
Kinley in personal appearance. as the ac-
companying picture will readily indicate.
The Gowdys. Mr. and Mrs. and their young
lady daughter. live right in the heart of
the American quarter of Paris, in really
itself to their friends. 1t is one of Mr..
Gowdy's axioms that good people are pretty
much the same all over the universe. and
that genuine home life in Paris is not I'M