The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-11

"A DARLING OBJECT" ERE NOW. The provocations of France which came after the negotiations of the Jay treaty with England, and which took the form of preylng upon our com- merce and at length grew into de- mand for tribute from the Directory, played splendidly into the hands of the more ardent Federallsts and for time it seemed as though Hamilton would have the opportunity he wished for war and for an attempt to realize scheme of national aggrandizement which in- cluded an attack upon the Spanish pos
 sessions in America, as well as upon France. Up to the time when Adams took advantage of more conciliatory attitude on the part of France to ne- gotiate treaty, preparations for con- fiet were being pressed upon congress. Fully in sympathy with the great head of his party, Varnum gave the Fed eralists' military and naval plans lt- tie support. He opposed on the floor of the House the resolution for arming merchant vessels, one permitting the president to provide a further naval rorce whenever he thought 1t neces sary. one authorizing the state govern ors to hold S0,000 militia in readiness, the bill providing for an additional corps of artillery and engineers, that allowing the purchase of cannon, arms, and ammunition the measure establishing a provisional army, and the bill encouraging the capture of French privateers by permitting bounty of guns. General Varnum's es- sential position was that considera ble forbearance should be exercised toward France. and that, if the worst should come, the militia of the states would be sufficient to repel any invading enemy until an army could be raised. It is un- necessary to say that his views were totally at variance with those of the party in power. The Federalsts were not only preparing to meet what seem ed an unavoidable war, but their lead CTS had some very business-like ideas of the methods of organization that would be needed to make their warfare effective. The somewhat primitive mo- tions which the republicans were in- clined to advocate, largely, no doubt, because they opposed the whole pro- feet of war with France, are illustrated bv General Varnum's remarks on fix ed maximum rate of interest for the war loan. He urged that if money could not be had at stated rate, cfti- zens should be called into service with out money and provisions should be taken from those who had them to snare. When his party a few years later was engaged in fighting Great Britain, his sense of responsibility led him to take much more practical posi- tons.
 When a bill providing for the print ing of the dispatches from the Ameri- can envoys at Paris was presented, General Varnum had an opportunity to speak emphatically in defense of the course of his fellow-republican of Mas sachusetts, Elbridge Gerry. A repre- sentative from Connecticut had said that a man who, on leaving Paris, would believe that the Directory desir- ed a reconciliation with the United States must either be insane or have known that he uttered a falsehood General Varnum resented both imputa- tations, and he afterwards had the sub stantial endorsement of so important a Federalist as President Adams in his assertion that Gerry was neither ire sponsibe nor medancious. He was fully justified in remarking in the course of his speech that it seemed to be the darling object of number of people in the United States to involve this country in war."-New England