The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-11-24

The circumstances of this case are, how.
ever, peculiar, and there is reason to appre- !
hend that they will give rise TO some dis
cu.sion. In the frat place, Mr.. Soule is by |
birth Frenchmnn, and although he has done
all in his power TO repudiate his nationa!
character aud TO assume that of citizen of
the United States ii can hardly be contended
that the French govarnmc cnt is bound to take
no account ofhs Origin, or to regard him pre-
cisely as it would citizen of Boston or New
Orleans. In adopting a new country, i'll
would, ut least, have been in good taste ii
Mr.. Soule had not forgotten that he owed
something to the lind OF birth. The United
States not only adopted him, but raised him
to the honorable position of one OF ftbeir min-
listers abroad, and President Pierce selected
him as his representative in Spain, apparent.
ly because he had identified himself with the
purity which did not disguise its intentions
upon Cuba. With the political effects of
such a denomination we are not here csn-
, cerned, but.no sooner had Mr.. Soulc arrived
at Madrid. where he was received in Official
! society, than his son cenlrivcd tebpick rid
,culuus quarrel with the Duke Of hiba, at the
house oE III. de Target, the French AmbassG-
dor, which was followed by duel with NJ.
de Turgot himself, in which that gentleman
I was most dangerously wounded. The cut
rage thus offered to the brother-in-law Of the
! l3mparor Of the French, and to his ambassa-
| dor was evidently not fort uit0us circum-
stance. The career Of Mcssrs. Soulc, both
father and son, in Madrid, continued in the
/ same course, both in politics and society,"
| La, l,,.it d lnt;
ry leaders in different parts OF Europe. The
| Spanish Government were satisfied that they
traced the active participation of Mr. Soule
| ifsomo oi the disturbance of the capitul.--
| Ia the south Of France, which Mr.. SouIe vis-
/ tied for a short tine in The course Of the sum
mcr. he held Without disguise, language with
referehce to the head of the French Govern
ment which YVES at least ndcccrou5 in the
accredited representative Of an allied State;
and more recently he has leen playing part
! ut su-callcd conference of American Minis
tc RS at Brussels, where if we are rightly in
formed, the chief topics of discussion were
not exclusively of American inter est. In
short, Mr. Suulc had done what he could do
to obtain an unen,iube notortiy in society
and in politics, aud he can hardly complain
if he is regarded in the character he has been
so anxious to assume.
The French geveramc nj, under all prccc.
ding regimes US well as the present, have
POSSESSED and exercised the right of eXclu.
ding from the territory Df France such per-
SONS as they did not think fit 10 admit. Nc,
long ago, for instance, NJ. Kossuth was in.
formed on his arrival at Marscillcs, that be
| mnnlI hn lln,vrI IN n ntnr hn coupIru -
The other day, upon Mr. Souc's lnnding ut
. Calais or Boulogne, ho was politely informed
1y the police hat orders had arrived not tc
allow him 10 proceed. No Obj ,ctiun wGs
made to his passport, and no reason was as
. signed Tor his d, cision hey the will Of tbs
, French Government. Some c&pos,nlntor
follow ed, aud Il reference was. made by telr.
grbph 10 the authorities in Paris, who con
lirlnsd the refusal of the local police. So
Mr.. Soule was compe He'd, re-HJcctcd, to re-
, cross the channel and TO return 10 this c0un.
try, which is perfectly indiscrimnaling in
its federation OF all who may reach tS shore s.
No one, we imagine, will see much reason
20 pity Mr. Suue's wrongs. II lie has been
ufirontcd, the exception made 10 his prejudice
ia obviously on personal grounds, und has no.
thing to do with his public character, which
was not involved in the question. II would
be absurd to contend that he hns any right
to enter tha French territory, for whatever
right he may have possessed Us French cit
i""n, was waived 10y his own act, aud he mnJ
console himself with the reelection that thou
sands OF better men than himself are JUS, now
excluded from that soil to which they profess
more attachment than he can do, His gre-
vance, if it be one, is private uilair, and tho
he happens to hold the commission of a Min
lister OF the United States in Spain, he has nc
public or olIiciul character in France or any
other country.
We advert to she subject because we find
that there is some di spositon On the part ol
the Minister, Of the United States here and
{ in Paris to give an importance to this affair
which it does rot possess, and to demand cX-
plantations and redress for a measure which
the French government had u perfect tight
to take, it it though fit. We hope that we
may be- permitted To tell these Ministers in
friendly spirit, that if they do really resort 70
yolrn, measures for such cause they will
not be supported by public opinion in Europe
or probably in the United States. 1t cannot
be supposed that the American people are in
sensible to the Inconvenience of appointing
as their cnvoys in Europe men who set eve
ry rule of social and political life at defiance,
who mix with gentlemen of character and
station only to insult and asSail them--and
then fall back into that congenia! society
which has been thrown on our shores by the
political convulsions of former years. No
class of statesmen has been more la9orably
received or more generally respected in Eu-
rope than the Ministers OF the United States,
when they brought with them the qualities
which may be reasonably expected N men
filling their position, but il is TOO Much to re-
quirc !hut the mere title OF an American
Minister should exempt such person as Mr.
Soule has shown himself to be from the pen.
altics which attach to his conduct. Ii the
people Of the United States are anxious t.
maintain the dignity aud honor of their rep
resentutyes, they have only to select minis
ters in whose hands the character OF their le-
gislalions will not suffer; but it would DO the
height of folly and Inconsistency first to send
such nm enynv aa MIR 2nulp IN Enrnna o,J