Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-01-02
JACKSON AND LOUIS PHILIPPE.
How the Former Procured the Pay
nsnt ofan Indemnity of ? s, 200, 900
Francs by rance.

How the Former Procured the Pay
| msnt ofan Indemnity of S, 900, 900
Francs by rance.
When Gen. jackson became presi-
| dent, writes Ben: Perley Poore Ia
The Boston Budget. he found that
France owed the Uaited States %,
! 600, 600 frances, which he resolved,
by the Eternal" should be D sid.
Archer, both of Virginia, were candi-
dates for the French missiea, but il
was given to another applicant from
the same state, William G. Rivers.
| Mr.. Stevenson afterward received the
mission to London; and Mr. Archer,
rather piqued, joined the ranks of tie
opposition.
Mr.. Rivers made but little headway
until Louis Philippe came into power,
when the treaty was signed. Great
was the rage of whiskered French,
men, who asserted that Louis Fhilie-
pc had bought up large portion OF
the claims, and thus robbed the
French treasury in order to fill his
own pockets. Mr.. Rlves, on the con-
trary was in high spirits, and it is as !
serted that only eight days after tae
treaty was signed he wrote a dispatch
to Mr.. Forsyth, secretary of state, in
which he boosted that he mad effected
treaty which all his predecessors had
failed to accompl ish, and by which he
had gulled and outgeneralsd the
French ministry, and induced it to
pay not only every just and legal
claim, but many claims that were
considered desperate and doubtful"
This was, perhaps, pardonable In a
young and ardent man, but Mr..
Forsyth did very wrong in permitting
| the latter to be made public, as subse-
quent events proved. By the condi-
tlon of the treaty the indemnity of
rs, O00, 900 frances was to be paid in
jnstallments, and Mr.. Woodbury.,
secretary of the treasury, was instruct
ed to draw Immediately for one of
the installments. He did draw, and
| for the reason that the French cham
Der of deputies had refused TO make
an appropriation to fulfill the treaty
which Louis Philippe had signed and
sanction. And the reason assigned
by the chambers for their refusal was
that the American minister, In his
dispatches to his government, had
boosted that he swindled the king
and the Due de Broghe. In the mean
s;~.e Mr.. Rives came home, and the
, ate Edward Livingston was dispatch
ed to the court of st. Cloud, instructed
to demand the immediate fulfllment
of the conditions of the treaty of July
4, 1881, and, in the event of his meet
ing with any obstacles to the object of
his mission, to demand the passports
and retire to England. He was coldly
received; the chambers refused to
make any appropriation, and Mr..
Livingston, as instructed, demanded
his passports and retired to London.
Thus stood the case until the month
of January, 1885, when Gen. Jackson
issued a special message recommend
ing the issue of letters of marque and
reprlsai against French commerce.
The message was referred to the com
mittee of foreign affairs, Mr.. Edward
Everett, chairman, in the house, and
TO the corresponding committee of the
senate, of which Mr.. Clay was the
head. The committee of the house
reported in accordance with the mes
sage of the president, but that of the
senate unanimously reported that
nothing should be done until further
information was received from
France.
Louise Philippe managed to have
the indemnity paid, though the
Freach nation was almost unani
mously opposed to it, and certainly
there was anything but atfe ction
manifested. Then Gen. Cass appear
ed ON the French political stage, and
began to perform the prelude to his
hoped for election by slaveholdIng
| democrats. He fiattered the king by
sending home eulogistic accounts OF
his coat" and family; he prevailed
on the editor of the Journal d Debats
to enter into crusade In favor OF
slavery, on the right of search ques
ton; he nurtured a regular anti
Anglo league, and then appealed 10 a
pamphlet TO the Parisians, who had
been feasted, and danced, and inter
tanned by this democrat" in right
regal style.