New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-24
Let Us Stand With France
A Plain Statement of an Old and
Vast Debt

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: cannot be an American knowing MS
own country's story and fail to thank you
with all my mind and soul for the leader Let
Us Stand With France" When ] recall inc
long line Of shameful years during "h'ch
the papers, books, magazines and pulpits OF
tbis country. so profoundly indebted TO
France, were overlooking with ignorant sian
Ger of the French people, II amazes me.
Perhaps now il will amaze most Americans
to reflect on that grotesque error o. ours In
the past, stubbornly persisted In for more
than a century. Any mind knowing even
little Of the history Of France should have
seen that so great O record as hers could
never have been made save by race essen
TALLY great In all the strong lines OF char
actcr without which no nation could have
created worthy past.
To tell what the world owes to France
would require a vast library, for in France
all our modernity mainly had its birth after
the hideous wreck made by the barbarians
in Rome's downfall. But at least some idea
Of what these United States owe to France
politically is condensed In this one sentence
of your leader: "She tFraneel gave US lib
erty, she gave us independence, not without
our own effort, but that effort could not
have succeeded save for her aid" This is
literally true. There could have been no
Yorktown without the splendid feet OF
France under De Grasse (thirty-six line of
battle ships, TO say nothing OF the vital help
to us OF Beaumarchais's astonishing financial
work in the earlier stages of our Revolu-
ton, the French Alliance, Rochambeau's
army at Yorktown, La Fayette's passionate
devotion, and the vslor Of thousands OF
Frenchmcn elsewhere in that war.
But the greatest Of all our debts to
France is condensed into the next sentence,
terposed her body between the world and
German savagery, brutality, bestiality. For
three years France has been the barrier be-
tween civilization and the Hun, between hu-
manity and the Bochc." l quote this, for it
cannot be too often told to America. 1t
should be carried like the fiery cross of
Scotland from the Atlantic to the Pacific, that
it be remembered by Americans forever. The
time truly has come for American men and
women, American treasure and capacity to
pay our vast debt to France, beloved, ad-
mired, revered of all men on earth who have
souls worth consideration.
And right here is one Of the instances OF
the pitifu ignorance, the incomprehensible
meanness Of soul, Of all our shameless paci-
fists, of whatever type or station. Destitute
Of the honor sense, lacking the simplest hon
ba az
these travesties Of manhood would compro-
mise the worlds case against unspeakabie
Germany for lying peace that could be but
a farcical truce, deadly In costs to all the
nations in general. They would sacrifice the
just rights of France in particular. For
America TO do anything less than support
her reasonable claims would be 8 national
disgrace that all the centuries to come could
never wash out, no matter how many paei-
fst towards should cry, with Macbeths wife,
"Out, damned spot"
To stand with France of to-day Is 10 stand
with the highest type of national honor, hu-
mainly, valor and sacrifice this old world has
ever been honored with seeing. To stand
With France is to stand with justice, clviliza-
ton. righteousness and beauty Of national
soul. The very least that America should
insist on In any possible terms Of peace is
the return of AlsaceLorraine to their be-
loved home, and the payment, so far as it
is possible for reparation to be made, for all
the hendish German cruelties and destruc-
tons wrought in France
Even outraged Belgium has not suffered
the torments that Northern France has en-
dureJ from the fcrocious brutalities of Ger
many. And to insure this material repara-
ton the Rhenish provinces should be held
AS securities. If they remained in French
keeping az long as Alsace Lorraine has
borne the German cross they would never
want to return to the Prussan monstrosities.
New York, Sept. p, 1917. +. p. NASH.