The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-11-12
From the Philadelphia Daily Sun.

France and Acknowledgment the French Minister.
M Pousin, the first minister of the French republic to
the United States, being present at the last meeting of
the New York Historical Society," and having been wei
coined by the president in speech in which he referred
to M. Pousn's honorable career while in the AmeI-
can army, well in his country, made the fol-
lowing address, which we find reported in the Tribune
Gentlemen am happy in meeting in the city of Jay,
and Hamilton, and Morris, society SO distinguished,
and presided over by OF the most lustrOus OF those
men who BY birth were countrymen OF mine, and for
their love of liberty countrymen OF yours-l mean
the great Gallan, who here in youth 10 assist your
fathers and with them born again into the glorious
nationality which is the admiration and hope of the
world. And it is pleasure TO be surrounded by
cety OF eemen organized chiefly for the purpose of pre-
serving all the facts that relate to the birth and
OF liberty and her noble chdrenthe institutions OF the
American republic Your abors in this respect command
the interests and good wishes of mankind
Gentlemen. ! rejoice at finding myself more in
the midst of this great community whose high privilege
il is TO give to the world the most satisfactory evidences
of the practicaby of n large nation governing itself
Yes gentlemen the incontestable and incontested merit
OF your democratic institutions the proof of their adm
rabe influence on society at large on the individual.
ity, is that they founded the equal diffusion of
knowledge throughout all ranks. commercial, agrcu
tnra, manufacturing, mechanical operative classes
That is the true stone of your democratic fabric
and you should be proud of it
contest the saying of certain writers, who are
gune in ascribng to the privileges of your favored land,
or to the origin OF your race or to the peculiar struc
ture of your or muscles your successful and
prosperous march as nation under the glorious banner
of liberty. All these exterior elements the invention
OF our numerous enemies who watch with appre
henson for their long enjoyed privileges the ascendant
march of democratic principles throughout the world
reject them all unouned in TRUTH and because they
have for their object to discourage the human of
making lawful efforts to raise itself in the scale of self
estimation and dignity!
God, gentlemen, has not made liberty for one set of
people, for one class of men All men have been crea,
ted and born to be free, and enjoy equal rights all
over the world
Your favored land they say Surely most assuredly,
may they say favored but not more So permit me 10
IlaV IN
ars and satisfy all of man, than any part
Of the two great continents Look at your own door
Mexico or Central America farther south, the rich
basin of the Amazon, the Orinoco Cast your eyes
on that all beautiful spot OF Europe, occupied by my
glorious country, and inhabited by my laborous and
spirited countrymen; cross the Pyrenees the Alps,
range down the valley of the Rhine the Pc, and tell
me whether the Almighty has been more bountu to the
one than to the other!
of goods here below, solely depending upon the wM Of
The origin Of your but how does it differ from
Of your constellation whole territories settled by of
great diversity of origin old Europe present.
Do not read the daily proofs of it in the special organs
French, Spanish, Italian scandinavian, English news
papers And, in fine, If turn the leaves OF your his
tory, do not find in all those glorious records, names
cassed with that OF the model of men, the great Wash
ingon," and which my national and official character
will not allow me to recall here' Your and
css Since when then, will this new distinction be start
ed by solid minds which always devsng a reason,
false true, for what they cannot compehendi Indeed,
this is the last blow aimed at CHASING people those who
can be free and those who cannot! Why not say at
once: among privileged who will not work and
those doomed to work
My NATURE gentlemen revolts at this extreme of self
infatuaton and must say that can, on no OCCASION
tolerate the idea OF the mensuraon of mans capacity to
this or that avocaton by the actual development of his
nerves and muscles
Now, gentlemen permit to touch subject of vital
importance in the present circumstances in which the
whole world Is carried on by the example OF my noble
country and to arrive at my end, allow to retrace in
very few words, the influence which the press rightly
exercises in your own county.
In your happy social organization, where those who
cannot read or write form very small minority, the
newspapers have become the ordinary channel of all free
discussion referred to by every and supported by all