The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-22
A HOCKERY.

Minister WHITELAw REID has finally
presented his credentials and been adj
mitted to an audience with the president
of the French republic The meeting took
place in Paris, On Tuesday, when Mr. REID
said: lit is my good fortune to represent
America here when France Is celebrating a
centenary as important a. the centenary
lately celebrated in America We do not
forget that you helped in the success of our
revolution. This increases our interest in
the magnificent display in the arts of peace
with which you so nObly crown your cen
tenary. My instructions inform me that
tlere does not exist a shadow o. difference
between France and the United States
capable of obscuring the century old friend
ship of the two republics, which l hope will
always endure" This was very appropn
ate and quite pretty in the way of an ad-
dress: but it would have come with much
better grace if as nation we had not so
recently given evidence of having forgotten
the part that France as nation and
Frenchmen as individuals took in our
early history. Had it not been for
F.ance and Frenchmen, the centennial
celebration which took place in New York
city last month would undoubtedly have
been delayed. OF course the struggle for
independence would have ended in victory
for the right in the course Of time. The
contest was for liberty, and in the very
nature of things liberty would have won.
il was impossible that Great Britain could
retain the colonies, the rebellion having
been proclaimed. The colonists were made
of such stern stuff that they must neces-
Sarily succeed, having set out TO gain their
freedom. But the money, the men, the in
fuence and the encouragement which
France gave to the cause of the strug-
Cling heroes, brought the victory years
before it could Lave been won had
the French stood aloof America owes to
France debt of gratitude which centuries
OF acknowledgement will not cancel
But what we set out to say was, that at
the centennial celebration direct from
which Minister REID went to Paris, there
WAS no sign or evidence that France had
ever had anything to do with this country.
Notwithstanding the important part that
the French had played in the events cul-
minating in the Inauguration, the hun
hICulu dAltlN GISdlN VI W llltll We ttltDIdltu
with so much pride, pomp and enthusiasm
during the closing days Of last month, the
French were not known in the celebration.
The gallant LAFAYETTE gave freely of his
private fortune to the cause of the strug-
Cling colonists, and fought cOurageously
side by side with WAsHINGToN: but
there were no LAFAYETTEs who participated
in the anniversary ceremonies, for none
had been invited to share with us in the
rejoicings over the mighty victory which
their immortal relative had helped to win
So forgetful were those wi o had the an
langement of the affair that even the giant
statue of Liberty Enightening the
World.'' the gift of the French people Of
this generation, stood in New York harbol.
grim and lonesome. without a hint at decor
alton, though bunting hoated from every
other point to which it was possible TO
hang it, AS little as we could have
done would have been to invite, at least
the descendants of those French heroes
who helped to achieve our liberty, to come
as the guests of the nation and partic pate
in the Joyous celebration of the anniver-
sarv of an event in which their forefathers
were so unselfishly interested.
In the shadow of American forgetful-
ness or intentional slight, Minister REDS
assertion of memory sounds almost like a
mockery. 1t would have been in better
taste if he had confined himself to the for
NAL expressions of good feeling, and best
wishes for the continuance of the friend
ship which exists between the nations.