The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-03-13
FEELING TOWARDS THE
FRENCH REPUBLIC IN
WASHING rON'S CAB
MET.

30 Edmund RandOiph, If all the
people in America were now assem-
bled and were to call on me to say
whether | am friend to the French
Revolution, | would declare that |
have it in adherence" Jefferson,
on the contrary, wrote thus to his
old friend Short, just before the exc
fion Of the king: my own affec-
tions hive been deeply wounded by
some Of the martyrs to this cause;
but rather than it should have fail
ed, | would have seen half the earth
desolatod Were there but an
Adam and an Eve left in every coun-
Try. and left free, it would be better
than as ii now is
Aouyerneur Morris was then
American Minister in France, "a
very able gentleman and honorably
frank in the avowal of his opinions.
Mark this striking sentence, written
by him as far back as 1890: "Ths
French Assembly have taken genius
l. stead of reason for their guide,
adopted experiment instead Of expe-
rience, and wander in the dark be-
cause they prefer lightning to light"
He me,nt Mirabeau. But a few
weeks after, writing to General
Washington, he gave such list OF
the ancient abuses which the Revo-
luton had abolished as amount TO a
compensation to France for all the
Revolutionary miserie5 she has suf-
tered from Mirabeau to Theirs, AS
the Revolution advanced, though
Jefferson, in official instructions,
had cautioned him to avoid the ut
terauce of opinions hostile to the
Revolution, he gave such offence to
the Revolutionary leaders that Lafa-
yette complained of it TO the Presi-
dent. But, in 1892, he redeemed
himself nobiy. Upon the dethrone-
ment Of the king, when all the Dip
Iomatic corps lett Paris, the Ameri-
can Minister alone, rightly interpret
ing his mission remained. The
position, as he truly wrote to Mr.
Jefferson, sis not without danger:
but | presume that when the PreSi-
dent did me the h0Mor Of naming
me o this embassy. it was hot for
my psrsonal pleasure or safety, but
to promote the interests of my coun-
try" And he remained at his post
all through the period OF the terror,
though the Minister gave him pre-
texts enou- h Tor abandoning it, and
though even the#.sanctuary of his
abode was violatedYby a committee
in search of arms. The fury of the
people, he wrote to Mr.. J,ftrson.
was such as to render them cap bic
OF all excuses without being account
table for them. The calm courage
and utter frankness of this splendid
old tory conciliate5 the modern read
er. The French Ministry, however,
abhorred him to such a point that
they made it matter OF formal COM
plant to Mr.. Jefferson that this rep
resentalive of a republic, in a des
patch addressed to the government
Of republic ia few days old,) had
used the familiar expression, 'Les
0rdpe8 az MA CoUR."
But the Cabinet question was
this: The king being dethroned,
who was authorized to give a valid
receipt Tor the money which the
United States was paying to France
from time to time? Upon this point,
the orders of Gouverneur Morris's
court were necessary; and the real
secret OF the luminosity Of the French
ministers was, that he would not
and could not pay over to them the
sum due nominally to the king.
The ministers demonstrated in their
own way, and sent complaints
across the sea Morris, at his own
table, and in the hearing of his SER
wants, INDUCED himself in calling
them set of damned rascals, and in
predicting (he was curioGsly fond OF
prophes} ing that the King would
have his own again. Upon the
pecunlafy question, the opinions Of
the Cabinet were divided.
Jeferson's opinion: Every PEG.