The New York herald., 1875-07-12
France and tho Centennial.

While all the principal nations of both
continents have signifed their intention 10
assist at our great Centennial Exposition our
ancient ally, France, has taken the lead in
zeal, enthusiasm and efficient preparations
The French Assembly has voted credit of
six hundred thousand francs to be expended
by the French Commissioners in enabling the
exhibitors Of French fabrics and products
to appear with advantage and tclat. 1t will
strike people as q singular contrast that our
national government has done nothing, that
it has not appropriated dollar, aud that the
government of France has devoted SO large
sum as six hundred thousand francs to the
Exposition. This handsome vote of credit
was almost unanimous in the French Assem-
bly,. There were nearly six hundred members
present when the vote was taken, and out of
this number only thirteen voted in the mega
tive. This insignificant handful belonged
to the Right. Only small frac-
ton of the extreme monarchists op-
posed the appropriation, intending there
by to express their disapproval of
our republican institutions. This weak dis
play of petulance was illogical and historically
inconsistent. 1t was the old French mon
archy that assisted our struggle for inde-
pendence 1t was Louis XVI that recognized
the infant Republic of the West and formed an
alliance with it dozen years before the out
break of the French Revolution. The Mar
quis de Lafayette and the Count de Rocham-
beau we're loyal subjects of that French King
wnen trey we're fighting in the cause of
American independence. The insignificant
bakers dozen of the Right who voted against
the appropriation for the Philadelphia Centen-
NAL are logically and historically inconsistent,
because it was the old French monarchy that
stretched forth its helping hand aud intro
duced our country into the family of nations.
Even if France had not caught the republican
contaCion, even if she had maintained the
throne of the Capets undisturbed to this
day, she would have reason to rejoice
in the greatness of the nation at whose birth
she assisted 1t was under the old monarchi-
cal regime that our ilustrious Franklin
was the pet and the lion of French society,
and France has no reason to be ashamed Of
Lle puIb ouc bOOh III hlS JuSb ihliO
to so great man. The most splendid eulogy
ever pronounced upon mortal man was the
saying of French orator that Franklin
"wrested the thunderbolt from the skies and
the sceptre from tyrants." This however,
was after the French monarchy had fallen.
But in our struggle for independence it was
monarchical France, not republican France,
that became our ally and champion, and that
as a party to the treaty by which our indie
pendence was acknowledged. Had the de-
scendants of Louis Capet continued on the
throne there can be no doubt that our Gen.
tennial would have been warmly encouraged
by France, nor that the greatness of the ma
ton she aided in founding would have been
an object Of pride as justlying the generous
policy Of Louis XVI. We rejoice that nearly
all the French monarchists, rs we'll as all the
French republicans, arc disposed to claim the
noble share due TO their nation in the hmeri-
can Revolution.