New Britain herald., 1917-09-10

to securities issued to finance She pres
ent conflict. This continu ity Of purpose,
doubtless, will prove reassuring to Al
holders of French government securities.
The Franco-Prussian var az 1870
1871 taught the French people the
of thrift and economy. SO
well did they learn this lesson, that
the whole sum Of the indemnity d.
manded by Germany, $1,OoO0oo,oo0
was raised within the republics con-
fines by it's own Inhabitants and paid
of more than one year before the time
stipulated by the Germans.
The habit thus acquired has never
been forgotten by the French, ana TO
day the aggregate number OF INVESTORS
purchasing the French war loans has
reached the amazing total OF 4,bOo,uD
individual subscribers. Perhaps no 9th
er country, in proportion to in papula-
ton, can make 50 good a showiag.
Prefer Safe Investments.
France is particularly fortunate In
that her small investors prefer gate
investments rather than offerings which
promise high returns. Government
Rentes, in France are psrpetual. aad
this characteristic seems to obtain for
these government bonds increasing n
vor in the eyes of the French people
The points Of sympathy betwaan
France and America are too many to
enumerate, but the spirit Of liberty ana
its resultant democracy ara, today ~
always, the major ideals e3 both ~
lions. Seeking no victories bat thosl
Of peace, no territory except their evn,
no sovereignty except sovereignty over
themselves 49, the Independence and
equal rights of the weakest mauher 81
the family of nations are to the people
of the United States and Of Franca "a.
titled to as much respect - thaeA Af
the mightiest empire. In dAfeaes ae
these principles, France IL engaged In
a death struggle with militant autae-
racy and ruthless aggression, and It n
not surprising to leara that she has
loaned to her allies and to other lEiend-
ly states TOOK, ooo, 600 francs WITH which
to further the cause Of democracy. II
is in keeping with AMERICAS traditions
that since the date on which ~ Far
mally aligned ourselves with France
and her allies in the great struggle, eus
Government has lent to France $780,
100000.
It is eminently fitting that Amer3ea
should now be lighting On French soil
| D. - -, 4
The liberty that America has eajoyad
for 14O years France helped her b
achieve. The swords Of Lafayette aaA
Rochambeau, aided by the guns Of Do
Grasse upon the high seas, assisted "A
cutting the foreign ties that bound tho
American colonies prior to the War for
Independence, and from the private
purse Of King Louis himself came tho
first loan to Amer1cA-unsecure4 and
unconditional-to finance that h1stek1e
undertaking. 1t was with entire jns.
tice that Washington wrote to Roehana-
beau, ITO the generous aid Of your na~
ton and to the bravery OF it, Sons -
to be ascribed in very great dsgrse
that independence for which We have
fought"
France Was Our Sponsor
Following the decisive victory at
acknowledgements without the a..
sistance and cooperation Of Washing
toms French allies on land and sea--
which virtually ended the War for In
dependence, came the treaty Of Yer.
saflles in 1888 It was this treaty
which organized and created the Unated
State OF America, and it was q French
sloop which brought to Boston the first
announcement Of it's execution. Thus
France, having helped as to win our In
dependence, gave us friendly aaylum
In which to conclude our terms Of peace
She did more. She stood sponsor for ~
upon our entry into tho sisterhood Of
nations; was the first European state to
receive a diplomatic representative
from our shores, and similarly was To
first to recognize our national dieDity
by sending to us a representative fre0
her court.
Always Americas Friend.
When in 1903 the United States de-
sired to purchase from France the city
Of New Orleans, Napoleon the Great
coded us the whole Louisiana territory,
| with its enormous resources, thus Civ
Ing us access to the Caribbean sea ana
to the Pacific ocean and making ours
the lands that now form the vast and
fertile plain west, Of the Mississippi
The acquisition Of this territory was OF
inesttmable significance In the Develop
ment of the nation; after the Revolu.
ton itself and the Civil War perhaps
the most significant event in our hi&
tory. Again in 1872, though not a.
| rectly allied with us, France indirectly
aided us. And in 1893, following the
close Of the Spanish-American war,
from France came the overtures for