The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-03-29
D,pL0RlATicCn
Breaking OF Relations Does Not
Always Spell War.
We HAVE HAD MANY CLASHES.

One Of Our Disputes With France
Brought Us to tho Very Verge Of
t3ost;iitiss, but the Guarre; Was Am
icahiy Settied--our Break With Italy.
Several times before CUR break with
GtI mally this country set cred diplo-
matir relations With forr n powers
Without wax as Il taSMit we had a
number of 0ipinuati,: iss.s with
Fr;iucc. ami we AIS, broii,. With Nene-
zuela. Nicaragua. Mexico Ii! d ltaly, yet
hastilitieS In each case We're arerted.
During President Mad,:uns admin
fstratiGn American commerce had suf-
fered severely FROM the enforcement Of
the Berlin and -M!.;sa deer es, issued
BY Napoleon. and when peace was
finally declared Ia Europe in 1915 this
government a, cuce sought monetary
compensation for the damages done its
citizens. While the French government
readily admitted the justice Of the
claim. 1t seemed In no hurry to pay it.
and the negotiations dragged along un-
til President Jackson referred to the
subject with unusual harshness In his
, trst annual message to congress.
This action resulted in trenty be-
tween the two nations. binding the
French government to pay TO the Unit
ed States the SUN Of S5,00O.OOO in six
annual installments. But the payments
were not made. and this moved Pvsi-
dent Jackson to seud another shery
MESA &c to congress, which put France
i'll a rage and resulted il til" ministers
Of both countries being recalled. Pres,
ident Jackson then abruptly dema nded
the payment Of thc mupcT.
The reply at the F'rench government
IL turn outraged this country. I've
Will pay the money" wrote the French
foreign minister, ''when The govern
ment Of the Cniteti Sratrs Is ready on
it's Iart TO declare to us, by address
ing its claim TO lis officially In writing,
that II regrets the misunderstanding
which has arisen hetwcep the two
countries. that this a.fs,sy;>,ptssaad
is founded u!ksil y mistake, and that 1t
never eRsaresi ihta Its intestjas to call
in question the goU! faith of the
French government elor TO tuke a men-
acing attitude toward France. If the
United States does no, give this as
surance we shall be obliged to think
that this misunderstanding is not the
result osen error"
The excitement In this country and
France Seon approached that frenzy
which liee.essles IA ii i hid the presi=
dents message contained nothing to
allay it.
War preparations We're made with
frantic energy; a large French squad
ron aTf,eared In the vicinity of the
West Indies. and in congress John
Quincy Adams made speech SO thrill
Ing IN tts eloQuence that when the
venerable orator resumed his seat "the
very walls shook with the laundering
applause he had awakened" But that
was all. 4 few weeks later Presi-
dent Jackson Informed congress that
he bad accepted the offer Of Great
Britain to act as mediator In the dis
pute, with the proviso that the apology
demanded by the French government
was out Of the question, and in May,
1896, the entire incident was brought
to an appropriate conclusion By France
paying the money due Of its own &C
cord without awaiting for the action
OF the arbitrator. Lewis Cass then
went to France as minister plenipQten-
tiary. and King Louis Philippe showed
the true affection he felt for the Unit
ed States by ordering painting of
President Andrew Jackson to be hung
In the palace Of the Tuileries.
Our diplomatic relations with Italy
were severed during President Benja-
min HarriSon's terpl
Members of the Mafia. an Italian Sc
cret society. had rerpetrated a series Of
murders In New Orleans. The activity
OF Chief Of Police, David G.. flennessey
drew upon hin, the cnsn:ty of the con-
spirators. aud he WAS murdered
The jury acquitted SIX nj the nine
who had been arrested In ,ohut2'tion
With the. conspiracy and disagreed as
TO the other tire" A mob then stnrmed
the jail aud !yp' hed those who mad
tsen acquitted along with some others
S0slecte4
Italy demanded PREPARATION and the
f1Hnishment Of those guilty o: hcing
implicated In the !.angipss. ear gov
eminent expressed regret, bat ex-
planned that the state In which the
crimes We're committed tad jutisdic.
tfOn and Washington could hot g,ar-
antee to punish those accused of TAX
Ing part In the lyEching.
That did not spit Italy Baron Fava,
the Italian minister. was recalled. and
diplomatic relations between this coun-
try and Italy were severed. After the
first heat Of resentment had passed ne
gotiations were resumed, aud we set
tied by the payment of $4,000 In
demnity 70 the families OF the victims
and expressing our regret to the ltal-
Ian government