Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-11-14

! dnu pouucal importance by Mr. MASON, inc
American Charge d'Affaires in Paris, and by
Mr.. Buchanan, the American Minister in this
country. 1t is to be regretted that men who
are intrusted with the important and response
Bile duty of representing such o country as the
United States in Europe, should display so
much constituencies on 30 paltry an occasion.
| Whatever affronts may befal Mr.. Soul6 have
been richly earned by himself since he set foot
in Europe and, while he has forfeited his claim
to the courtesy usually shown to strangers, he
can claim no especial consideration for his d.
plomatic character, which is Of course, con-
! fined to the country to which he is accredited.
| The circumstances of this case are, however,
| peculiar, and there is reason to apprehend that
| they will give rise to some discussion. In the
! first place, Mr.. Soule is by birth Frenchman,
and, although he has done all that lay in his
power to repudiate his national character and
| to assume that Of citizen Of the United States
| il can hardly be commended that the French
government Is bound to take no account Of his
origin, or to regard him precisely as it would
| citizen Of Boston or New Orleans In adopt
ing new country, il would, at least, have
that he owed something to the land Of his birth.
The United States not only adopted him, but
raised him to the honorable position Of one of
their ministers abroad, and President Pierce
selected him as his representative in Spain, APP
parently because he had identified himself with
| the party which did not disguise its intentions
/ upon Cuba. With the political effects of such
| a nomination we are not here concerned; but
| no sooner had Mr.. Soule arrived at Madrid,
where he was received in official society, than
his son contrived to pick up ridiculous quar-
rel with the Duke Of Alba, at the house Of M.
de Turgot, the French ambassador, which was
followed by q duel with M. do Turg0t himself,
in which that gentleman was most dangerously
u wounded. The outrage thus offered to the
brother-in-law Of the Emperor of the French
j and to his ambassador, was evidently not a
fortuitous circumstance. The career Of Messrs.
Soule, both father and son, in Madrid, contin-
ued in the same course both in politics and in
society. They freely associated with the revo-
lutionary leaders in different parts Of Europe.
The Spanish government were satisfied that
they traced the active participation Of Mr..
Soul6 in some Of the disturbances which oc-
CURED in Madrid shortly before he left that
! capital. In the south Of France, which Mr.
Soule visited for short time in the course Of
the summer, he held, without disguise, Ian
guage with reference to the head of the French
government which was at least INDIGENOUS in
the accredited representative of an allied State;
and more recently he has been playing part
at a so-called conference Of American ministers
at Brussels, where, if we are rightly informed,
the chief topics of discussion were not exclu-
sively of American interest In short Mr.
4 Soule had done what he could to obtain an un-
enyiable notoriety in society and in politics,
and he can hardly complain If he is regarded
in the character he has been so anxious to as
sumo.
The French government, under all preceding
regimes as well as the present, have possessed
and exercised the right Of excluding from the
territory of France such persons as they did
not think fit to admit Not long ago, for in
stance, M. Kossuth was informed on his arri-
val at Marseilles that he would not be allowed
to enter the country. The other day, upon
Mr.. Soule's landing at Calais or Boulogne, he
was politely informed by the police that orders
had arrived not to allow him to proceed No
objection was made to his passport and no
reason was assigned for this decision beyond
the win of the French government Some ex-
Il postulation followed, and reference was made
by telegraph to the authorities in Paris, who
confirmed the refusal Of the local police So
Mr.. Soule was compelled, re infSctd, to recross
the channel and return to this country which
is perfectly discriminating in its federation Of
all who may reach its shores. No one we inn
agine, will see much reason to pity Mr.. Soule's
wrongs. IL he has been affronted the excep-
ton made to his prejudice is obviously on per-
sona grounds, and has nothing to do with his
/ public character, which was not involved in
the question. 1t would be absurd to contend
that he has any right to enter the French ter
ritory, for whatever right he may have possess
cd as French citizen was waived by his own
act And he may console himself with the re-
Election that thousands Of better men than him
self are just now excluded from that soil to
which they profess moro attachment than he
can do. His grievance, If it be one, is pri-
waite affair, and, though he happens to hold the
commission Of Minister of the United States
in Spain, he has no public or official character
in France or any other country.
We advert TO the subject because we find
that there is some disposition on the part of the
ministers of the Unitsd States, here and In
Paris, to give an importance to this affair which
| it does not possess, and to demand explanations
and redress for a measure which the French
government had a perfect right to take, IL II
thought ft We hope that we may be permit
ted TO tell these ministers, in friendly spirit
that If they do really resort to violent measures
fF such cause, they will not be supported by
public opinion in Europe, or probably in the
United States. IL cannot be supposed that
thesAmerican people are insensibie to the in
convenience Of appointing as their ENJOYS in
i b"oPt hch WIN oct tNcfy rune Vi SOClAi ana
political life at deiance--who mix with gentle
men Of character and station only to insult and
assail them--and then fall back into that con-
genial society which has been thrown ON our
shores by the political commissions Of former
years. No class of statesmen have been more
fayorably received, or more generally respected
in Europe than the ministers Of the United
States, when they brought with them the quail
ties which may be reasonably expected in men
filling their position; but II is too much to re-
quiro that the mere title Of an American minis
ter should exempt such person as Mr. Souls
has shown himself TO be from the penalties
which attach to his conduct If the people of
the United States are anxious to maintain the
dignity and honor of their representatives, they
have only to select ministers in whose hands
the character Of their legations win not suffer
but it would be the height Of folly and incon-
sistency first to send such an envoy as Mr.
Soule to Europe, and then to resent as ma
tional injury what is in fact no more than the