Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-07-04
FRANCIS MAKING
GOOD N RUSSIA

Petrograd, May 26.-Letter From
William Philip Simms, United Press
Correspondent, to the Freeman-Trib-
une: David r. Francis, former gov
ernor OF Missouri but now new
American Ambassador to Russia, has
solved the riddle of Why is an Amer
lean Embass? Incidently he is hit.
And they say he is doing it by being
plain American.
Il don't pretend to be diplo-
mat" Ex-Governor Myron T. Her
rick remarked shortly after he had
been named Ambassador to France,
Il am just a plain American sent
here by the American government
to look after the interests OF the
American people, and that is what
! am going to do to the very best of
my ability" This Herrick did. When
the war burst on Europe like thun-
derclap he cut red tape right and left
and figuratively went at things in
his shirt sleeves. He assisted Amer
leans in plain, effective, straightfor-
ward ways. And he made the big
gest hit with the French, high and
low, of any ambassador since Frank
lin. From what Americans here say
David R. Francis bids fair to dupli-
cate Herrick's success, and in much
the same way. He has turned the
American Embassy at No. "a Fursh-
tatskaya into an open house for
Americans. The Yankee abroad
does not have to bring letters from
prominent politicians at home to
gain admittance. He does not feel
like an intruder when he calls. The
place is a beehive for work yet no
secretary is too busy to be pleasant.
Nobody smirks but neither does any
body glare when a visitor appears
at the door. There is neither fawn-
ing nor frowping, neither servility
nor stuckupishness-t entire at
mosphere of the place is one of plain,
simple Americanism. "Going to be
long in Petrograd? Drop around
when you feel like it. Come and
read the American papers. Don't
need to ask for anybody. Make your
III at home" That is the kind of
+ 'ng Americans encounter at No. "a
'htatskaya now. Nor is it ex-
,tional. If one wishes to see the
Dvernor" as he is already called
(which in itself says consider
e-he can be seen without inter-
aable waits. If he is busy in his
vate Office secretary will say
q frankly:
abe Governor is talking TO the
er of the building now but he'll
(you in minute" or words to
effect. One is not smothered in
Eery thick as mush nor led to
CINE that at least the Emperor
at be waiting on the Ambassador
yging for advice on how to run
e country. The plain truth seems
% be negotiable nowadays at No. "a.
Francis belongs to the "Marse"
Henry Watterson type of American,
frank, vigorous, straightforward. He
is tall, well set-up, white of hair and
mustaehe, possessed OF plentiful nat
ural dignity and poise but utterly
lacking in pose. He had no actual
diplomatic training before coming |
here SO he does not try to make |
those who call on him believe he
taught Machisvelli and Gladstone all
they know. Having done a few
things himself which require COM
mon sense combined with tact he
has a pardonable amount of self
confidence and SO hopes and believes
he will be able to 'get along" His
conversation is unadulterated Amer
lean nor does he make the slightest
effort to wrap his each and every
word in automatically and hermet-
fcalsy sealed packages and pass them
along untouched by human hands.
The report is current here that
both the Car and the Czarina took
a strong liking to the new Ambassa-
dor. The Imperial couple received
him before he had been here q week,
a record. He, wore no ,
uniform and was detained in CONVEX
sation with the Gar 35 minutes.
---- Il
Obituary. "
Harriet Johnson Cash was born
Feb. IL. 1910. in Deersville, Ohio, 10
where her girlhood and young wom- I
anhood days were spent. In 1879
she came to Webster City and was
united in marriage with Frank Irv- y
in Cash in 1882. In her youth she
Joined the Wesleyan Methodist
church and later united with the
First Congregational church of this
,ity, of which she has been a faith e
'ul member. Mrs. Cash was q quiet, Q
\ I, q N, iY,r Vynv,,on v~,,,av> pxuzl Il