The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1880-03-18
More "Iiistory.,

example of Washington stands in their way, and
their only resource is to make out " Washin gtoh
regular scalawag, in order to prove that Grant
is q better man aud more deserving than he was.
We recently published an editorial for the pur-
pose of showing that Washington was at least
worthy of being mentioned in the same history
with Grant. A paper published omewhere,
called the Kansas Pilot, got hold of the article,
and replied to it, which reply we find copied
into an exchange. This paper proposes to deal
in history and fact, not in tradition. Let US
make all extract from its history"
There il wide difference between history and ira
dition, though both frequently become mixed, and
the distinction is lost sight Of Preceding the above
paragraph Sol Miller the writer speaks of General
Washington praying for divine assistance while COM
lnanding the army our revolutionary struggle for
independence. This is tradition History written
by Jefferson and other writers of his day, tell US that
Washington WAS not Christian. as that word is
commonly used and understood and all history
informs that in belief be held to that boldly
proclaimed by Tom Paine. When Washington.
President, sent man Of war to convey Paine from
France to this country, after his miraculous escape
from death, through the ediet of Robespierre, the
religious 90 element, ie the Puritanical element
openly denounced him infdel. No person who
ever read jefferson, Hidrets History of the United
States other eOtempOraDeous history of the Reyo-
luton, can doubt that Washington was profane
man. His profanity at the battle of Monmouth
caused the hair of Gen. Lee to stand on end, and
Col Scott said ''was grandly terrific to cause
the leaves of the forest to trcmbe.' Then again,
of all the Presidents the United States had, Geo
Washington WIS the most extravagant and aristo-
cratic. He kept larger number Of horses than any
of his ancestors and shod them with silver shoes,
while his dress always expensive. He refused
to run the third time simply because he round
Iy berated and that his influence had become i'm
paired that at the opening of the third Congress his
favorite candidate for Speaker defeated by the
anti-admnistration candidate-the majority being
votes. This is not tradition but it is history.
Washington was a rich man, and when be died was
worth nearly million of dollars.
On the occasion of Lafayettes visit to this country
in 1924 Government gave to him 500 900 in mon
ey and two townships of land. Greene, the compat-
riot of Washington given farm of several hun
dreds of in South Carolina. Steuben lived and
died farm Of 5000 acres in New York, given
him by the people. After our last struggle for the
right govern ourselves, Sherman, Sheridan, Farra-
gut and Mcclellan, each and all received presents
the grateful people and there were none to say
they should have declined them. Grant only is
condemned.
There is your "history." Washington was a
regular member of the Episcopal Church, and
was not an Infidel. The battle of Monmouth is
mentioned in history one of the rare occa-
sions on which Washington was known to swear;
and the best Christian in the world would have
been justified in swearing at the open treason OF
Lee whereby the battle was almost lost. That
Washington a lover Of horses, as all Virgin
ians were at that day, We do not doubt; but
if that silver shoe bushes is "hstory," or even
"tradition," Baron Muncbsusen deserves to be
canonized as a saint. If Washington did not
have high regard for Tom Paine, he was man
of small gratitude. What Washington did with
the sword, Paine did with the pen, and more
than once, by his writings, he rallied the droop-
ing patriots, when Washington's influence failed.
When Washington wrote from Valley Forge
that if help did not come, his starved and
frozen army would mutny, and the cause would
be lost, and when there was no help within
reach, Paine started the good work by contrib
uting $500, the total amount due him as Secre-
tary of the Assembly of Pennsylvania. This ex-
ample was followed by others, and soon sufi-
cent sum was subscribed to relieve the army.
Washington and the disheartened patriots prob
ably did not even stop to consider, for the mo-
ment, that Tom Paine was an Infdel. They
certainly did not endorse his Infdelty by ac-
cepting his relief.
But the most stunning part of all this "history"
by the editor of the Kansas Patriot, is the narra
tive of Washington sending a man-of-war to
bring Paine back to America. He should have
a Childs History of the United States, and study
the plainest facts in the history of our country.
The President who sent the ship was Thomas
Jefferson, and the event occurred in the year
1902, almost three years after Washngton's
death. jefferson was called an 1nfdel, not
Washington. This Pilot editor has stumbled
upon a chapter in Jefferson's administration,
and palms it off on Washington, because it suits
his purpose, in making Grant out "biger man
than old Washington"
Lafayette took from his own fortune the
means of fitting out ships and hiring troops to
come over and fight for American liberty, and
he paid their wages and expenses. He was
stranger, nobeman, and had no interest in
America. That 100000 was but pittance of
the amount of gratitude in which America was
indebted to Lafayette. Almost the same thing
is true of Baron Steuben. Greene and others lost
fortunes in their efforts for American independ-
ence. Grant came out of obscurity, and was
paid munifcently for his services, and received
the highest honors the country could bestow.
There is the difference between him and the
Revolutionary heroes. On the one hand, they en-
gagged in an almost hopeless cause, and brought
great nation out of obscurty. On the other
hand, great nation brought Grant out of OBJ
security, in q struggle in which failure was al
most impossible.
l. cause must be desperate, that requires the
Kansas Pilot style of "history" to boost it up.