The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1916-01-14

There lies before me an interesting
document, or printed sheet. 1t is ;
copy of the Connecticut Gazette, dat
of February Is, 1879, printed at New
London, Conn, by Samuel Green, a
his office near the bank" 1t is yellow
with age and SO worn that the type
cannot be deciphercd in many places
1t was then i'll its 36the volume, which
places its beginning well back Of the
Revolutionary war 1t is 20 inche.
long and II inches wide, with three
columns to a page, each three inche:
wide. Several columns are taken III
with official correspondence between
Citizen Minister Talleyrand in charge
Of Foreign Affairs of the First Re.
public, and Z. Gerry, Minister Of the
United States to the French govern
ment. Talleyrand's communications
are translated, and the correspond
ence refers to the troubles which had
arisen in Washington's second admin
istration, when the French republic
attempted to use our country as a
base from which to conduct the war
against England. The French pre-,
sumed that because they had helped
us in the Revolutionary war, that VIC
should now turn about and help them
against the common enemy; but the
wise Washington plainly saw that it
would be almost surely fatal for our
very young republic to then plunge
again into war with England and his
successor, John Adams continued his
policy. 1t is now well known that
Ialleyrand did not regard exact truth,
except when he thought it better than
polite lying; and these letters of 1899
show how the American minister
Gerry had to politely tell him he had
mistaken the truth Evidently the re-
lations were getting strained, for In
his communication of June 22nd, 1898
Gerry closes with this:
II am again under the necessity
OF applying for the necessary doc
uments to enable me to return to
the United States; and you can
not be insensible Oft manifest
disadvantages on my part result
ing from the delay of them,
presume that they are now in
readiness"
1t reminds one of our present ma
tional relations with Austria. 1t is
now well known fact that the
French government under Louis
XVI decided in l777 to aid the revolt
ing colonies in America against Eng
land because they thought it favor
able opportunity to recover Canada.
They, and all the European govern
ments, had little more than contemp,
for the struggling, young, poor and
weak American republic; but the re-
action from the American revolution
had helped overthrow the monarchy
in France, and when the first French
republic was gradually evolved from
the anarchy of the Reign of Blood In
lI90-3, and they soon got into war
with England, and demanded that the
United States should allow them to
mt out armed vessels in our ports,
which would have amounted to war
with England, and when Washington
forbid it, the Directory in France were
furious at that action. About that
time John Jay had arranged COM
mercial peace with Britain, the pub
fishing of which in this country fur
Their enraged the French, who recalled
their minister from the United States,
and our minister, Monroe, withdrew
from France. Pinckney of South
Carolina who succeeded him was re.
fused by the Paris government, and
the tangle was great. Elbridge Ger
ry OF Massachusetts, was then sent
and the communications between him
and Talleyrand which appear in this
old newspaper were a part of the eff
fort to settle the difficulty; it is now
known that French officials who con-
QUOTED the negotiations were open to
brides and dallied, hoping to get
them; but John Jay, Monroe, Pinck-
ney and Elbridge Gerry were not or
that class, and so the matter dragged
along; although Talleyrand had refus
ed to receive Pinckney he for some
reason accepted Gerry, and when the
latter demanded his passports he
withheld them and urged him to STAY.
He tells Gerry that some of the de-
mands made on the American gov
eminent, which he Gerry says he
and his government have never re-
ceived. have, nevertheless, been print !
ed in the American papers; Gerrv re-
Plies that if that it so those state
ments must have reached America
through some other channel than that
of the United States minister nea,
thrust. And it is now known that the
facts were allowed to go from tn,
French government office to some OF |