The Washington herald., 1920-08-14
Notes BY a Washington Observer
Russia's Old Debt to France Estimated at
100000, ,ooo-Admiral Niblack and
Sims Roommates at Annapolis
Baker Training for Stump.

American financial authorities es-
innate 10000, 100000 francs $4,000
100000 at pre-war rates) as the
former obligations of the Russian
state" to France, which Gen.
Wrangel has agreed to assume.
They represent the funds advanced
to the Russian imperial govern
ment before the war and came
mainly from the well-lined pocke Is
Of the thrifty French peasantry.
Russian loans, in halcyOn times,
were regarded as gild-edged securi-
ties on the French market The
Paris government Doomed" their
fiotauon broadcast throughout the
republic, representing it to the
people as a patriotic thing to buy
Russian bonds. The bulk of the
money was spent on modernizing
the Cars military and naval es-
tablishment, especially including
strategic railways.
Foreign Service Popular.
The Public Ledger foreign serv-
ice, which appears daily in the
Washington Herald. is widely read
in Washington these days. There
is not an important government de-
partment. from the White House
downward, or a foreign embassy
or legation of the front-rank that
does not regularly digest the cables
from special correspondents at the
principal European and Far East
ern centers. Irish Republic head
quarters in the Munsey building is,
of course, following the Ackerman
cables on Sim Fein with the most
punctilious thoroughness.
NibIack Widely Informed.
Rear Admiral A. p. Niblack, di-
rector of Naval Intelligence, who
has just been appointed American
naval attache in London, is prob
ably the most experienced officer of
the United States navy in foreign
naval affairs. Prior to the Spanish
American war he was attache, sue
cessively, in Berlin, Rome and
Vienna Niblack later served in the
Manila campaign, in China during
the Boxer rebellion. and in Hawaii.
Then he became naval attache at
Buenos Ayres and in 1911 was re-
appointed to Berlin for the second
time, where he remained until the
year before the war. While COM
manding U. S. S. Michigan, Niblack
achieved for his ship the highest
efficiency record of the Atlantic
fleet. During the war, with rank
of rear admiral, Niblack was COM
mander of our Mediterranean forces
with headquarters at Gibraltar and
earned high praise for his services
in connection with convoy and anti
submarine operations. Niblack is a
Hoosier by birth. He and Admiral
Sims were roommates at Annapolis.
Milwaukee Polish Center.
Vice Presidential candidate Frank
lin D. Roosevelt, in appealing for
Poland at Milwaukee on Thursday
was talking in one of the great
Polish centers OF the United States.
With the possible exception of Chi
cago, Milwaukee has the largest
percentage Of Polish population of
any city in the country. 1t Is said
that there are between 5000, 900 and
1000, 900 Poles in America. count
ing native-born and succeeding gen.
erationA
Baker Training for stump.
Newton d. Baker, Secretary OF
War, is in active physical training
for his stump-speaking campaign
on behalf of Cox and Roosevelt
Tennis Is the panacea to which he
Is having recourse for hardening
himself. Every day after business
hours Mr.. Baker puts in a session
at the White House nets, an anna
teur champion from the War De-
partment having been conscripted
as his opponent. Heat is no de-
terrent, and yesterdays "broiler"