The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-04-07
Pro-British Arguments Refuted
by William D. Window.
son OF The MINNESOTA STATESMAN
United States Owes Nothing to
the British Monarchy.

The following letter OF William d.
Window, son OF the late secretary OF
the treasury in Harrisons cabinet. re-
Gently appeared in Washington Cd.
CO. paper in reply to an editorial dis
couraging American children from do
mating a statue OF Lafayette to France
on the ground that France rendered
aid in Revolutionary days to the Ameri-
cans out OF hostility to England and
that France has antagonized this coun-
try at various times during the present
century In the course >ol his interest
ing letter Mr. Window says:
Personally I had always thought it
recognized that ii among European ma
tions America could boast OF one life
long friend that friend was the land OF
the brave Lafayette. l have never felt
that our debt of gratitude was essencd
by the fact that the tyrant against whom
we fought was also the enemy rof the
nation that brought us aid. She had
little to gain by the triumph of our
arms, certainly not enough to justify
the undertaking. Not only she was not,
but she could not expect to be, ma
terially benefited by Our eventual suc-
cess. Nor did she seek to be so, else
could she have sought subsequent re-
1nuneratlon, even as we are now doing
for our expenditure OF blood and trea-
sure in Cuba. Had she not been truly
impeled by the generous motives which
until now we have never denied her,
France had every reason to decline in
terfering in our quarrel with the So
called "Motler country"
Can it be claimed, on the other hand
that her help was but nominal, that
without it we would have achieved our
independence within anything like the
same space OF time? The historians
think not. We would more likely have
been as are the Beers to-day, as deter
mined and as doomed. 1t was the full
realization of this fact which caused our
fathers to send to Louis x I. d spc=
cial deputation requesting the aid OF
France, the granting of which petition
they knew would secure to their coun-
try and its cause a greater moral
strength and more moral prestige than
could have been derived from either the
active or silent sympathy Of any other
power. Their confidence was not belied,
while their wisdom was we'll vindicated
by the events which followed.
France, then, had we'll earned our
lasting gratitude. 1t is true that her
later conduct was such as to free US
from this obligation? The French spo-
liation claims, forsooth! Here arises an
interesting point. Is it not known to-
day that before these depredations were
committed Our statesmen had already
so well forgotten the past that they had
entered into secret alliance with the
enemy OF Our race against the only
friend whose generosity had succorcd
us in the hour of our need? Startling
indeed, this, and yet fact! Who shall
blame France for seeking reprisals?
Would not many another nation in her
place have been tempted to force upon
us the reimbursement of the $38o,ooo,-
ooo-let alone compensation for the
blood-that she had expended for our
deliverance? Was it not sentiment of
righteous shame and regret which i'm
PEELED our government to shoulder the
$2o,ooo,ooo worth of claims arising from
those famous spoliations?
AS to Napoleon ILL.,, what substantial
right had we to take offense at his
Mexican policy? Not the Monroe doc
trine! Even if we should grant for the
sake OF argument that this doctrine was
universally recognized at that time as
binding international law, in what way
did Napoleon offend against it? Was
not Mexico free to take its sovereign
from where it chose? Did not Maxi
milan in accepting the Mexican throne
lose his Austrian nationality and be-
come purely Mexican? Was he not
free. though not a Frenchman, to re-
quest the support OF Napoleon Ill?
Is there not the widest difference be-
tween this and an attempt to subject
American territory to European domi-
nation? Is not all this perfectly recon-
cilable with the best sentiments on Ma
poleon's part toward the United States?
But even if such were not the case, is
it not fact that his Mexican policy
aroused among the French people the