The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27

The late Mr.. Winsor was one of those students
OF our Revolutionary war who are disposed to
minimize our debt TO France. He maintains
that. in 1878, when Franklin, as sole Commits
sioner, was treating with Vergennes in Paris. the
object of the French Minister was unmistaka.
bic. 1t was to propitiate Spain by combining
the new republic to the Atlantic slope, and
by giving the region north Of the Ohio to
England in order to expose the colonies to in.
cessant collision with the mother country, and
thus cripple the future Of the nascent common.
wealth. 1t was also the purpose of vereennes to
make the several States agree separately to the
treaties limiting their expansion on the west.
He hoped. In this way. to increase and per.
petuate the influence of Franco among
them. an aim which that Minister never
lost sight OF. The fact is pointed out that in
September, 1878. he intimated to his conhdants
that, while 1t was to be hoped that the United
States would hold together until their dnde.
pendence was secured. the interests of France
required that. after such an event. the Union
should be broken. in order that it should
not become q power dangerous to France and
her ally. Mr.. Winsor. of course, does not
deny that there was among the French peo.
pie. and also in the French military and
naval contingent despatched to our aid.
a wide sympathy for the cause of Ameri.
can independence. He holds. however. that
This sympathy was emasculated and sterilized
oy the perhdy of tho French Minister. In a
word. Americas obligation to what stood at
that time, politically. for France was much like
the dependence OF an unfortunate spendthrift
upon a calculating pawnbroker. Mr.. Winsor
deems IL "a misuse OF words TO say that such AN
obligation imposes the duty of gratitude. What
Hamilton OWNED at the time has been. in our
authors opinion. verified by the publication of
evidence In our own day. Hamilton asserted
that the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF this country
by Great Britain was both q determinary mo.
tive ana an adequate compensation to France for
the assistance Afforded" Again he says: "Ifa
service Is rendered for the immediate Interest; of
the party who performs 1t. and is productive of
reciprocal advantages, there seems scarcely nm
adequate basis for "A sentiment like thai OF graf
itude. To suppose thar France was actuated by
friendship 10 TO be ignorant Of the springs of ac.
ton which invariably regulate the Cabinets OF
Princes"
In a chapter on the treaty OF independence.
winch at hrst provisional, was made dehnitiys
on sept. ., 1888. the view iseNpressed that II the
ohlted states mad ny occasion for gratitude H.
was because. in the preceding negotiations, Eng.
land Tor "A brief interval, had shown something
ofthc sweet reconciliation, " which Hartley and
had talked much about. The tempo.
rary blandness came, as John Adams said, at the
right moment TO serve Americas territorial am.
bition. Certainly" says Winsor, 1.-THE United
States had no grounds for gratitude to Franco
or Spain. neither OF which had any other in.
than to aRgrandize the other, humilI.
alto England and cripple America" To secure
these results, the independence OF the United
Was necessary, n that u why the