The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-04
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minister at Paris. boldly to say to thu
| French government:
There is on the globe one single spot
| the possessor of which is our natura
enemy. 1t is New Orleans. - = The day
| France takes possession of New Orleans
fixes the sentence which is to restrain hel
within her low-water mark 1t seals the
| union of the two nations which, in con.
junction. can maintain exclusive posses
sion Of the ocean. From that moment
We must marry ourselves to the British
| fleet and nation"
Nor did the chief of ar
army of 5000 soldiers and Of navy OF
| seven warships pause even there in his
challenge to the victor Of Marengo. but
be fired in Europe will be the signal
for tearing up any settlement made by
France in America" A member of Ma
poleon's cabinet truly remarked that il
such language to the First Consul. the
words would have been answered only
with guns. Happily, even the Little Cor
porars 2+pounders could not shoot across
the Atlantic!
| Buying Louisiana.
! Fortunately no other man in America
! better understood European politics than
the then President. While Napoleon went
ahead with his project for planting him
Jefferson prepared for the Inevitable out
break of new war between France and
England. Nearly six months before the
to Congress that a special mission be
sent to Paris, and James Monroe was
| chosen as the commissioner.
Called oTt the as British III he milf.
and Napoleon stormed at the British
Ambassador. At last when the American
envoy was hurrying on from Havre to
announced to two of his ministers that
not a momen was to be lost in selling
Louisiana to the United States before
III; he imPendins war war;. burst upon him when
France. In vain. his minister Of marine.
Oecres, protested that New Orleans was
a second Alexandria. that 1t could be
port on the globe and certainly would be
of inestimable value when a canal across
Panama should be constructed.
bated at St. Cloud the destiny of Louis
lana. After only a brief rest, they met
again at daybreak, when Napoleon, in
his dressing gown and with his lap full
of newly arrived London dispatches. pro-
nounced the fate Of the great empire. 1t
must be sold at once or It would be
snatched from France without any COM
After two weeks Of chaffering over the
biggest real estate transaction in history
the entire parcel s,s knocked down to
the Americans for 81. 10000 cash and q
France to the amount Of s375O.o0o, or a
total Of SIS. 600. Co., One shearing Of sheep
out there now would suffice to pay the
original price Of those more than 100000
On the very day Napoleon ratified the
Louisiana treaty there began that war
between France and England which
afterward. Thus another European war
had altered the map of America.
As the Wolfe Montcalm Monument at
Quebec marks the effect on America OF
the Seven Years War the old Cabildo
stands at New Orleans as a monument
OF the immense change which was made
In the New World by the NaPoleonic
Napoleon's commissioner delivered to the
Americans the keys of New Orleans in
December, 1903.
loved peace more than Jefferson and
Madison. who CHANGED in turn to occupy
the Presidency at a time when all the
SION JEFFERSON announced a as the Wa te
word Of his administration, but his must
have seemed voice crying in a wilder
ness OF hate and strife.
maxim. tolerate and endure" he ratified
his sword sometimes and even threat
ened to throw away the scabbard. He
sternly instructed his Minister at Paris |
sion" that the United States might do |
something. but It is more pathetic than |
amusing to contemplate his effort to |
DrlnE Napoleon TO SOLDERING sense OF /
the dread possibility of war.
Sat Upon by Two Bullies.
Both combatants were resolved that /
there should be no neutrals In their /
fight to the death. Napoleon sought |
to bully the young republic into tax
ing his side as he bullied older and |
greater nations who were unable to /
put 5000 miles of water between
them and the worlds new master. On
the other hand, England hardly hoped
II she cared for the support of her
lately reyolted subjects in the United
states, but she was frankly deter-1
mined to check their ambition to be-
come maritime rival
In that determination the British
government was little restrained by
such international law ms existed
then. If we think now that neutral
nations and neutral trade are shah
billy treated, We should console our
selves with the reflection that mat
ters were Infinitely worse 100 years
ago, when war and not peace was re-
garded as the normal state of the
world.
Today belligerent puts forth his
and Germany, for example.
assume TO- interfere With neutral trade
only to infiict punishment on the
'ther. century ago. on thei