New-York tribune., 1918-02-24
HIS WIOUVC
Was Democracy

volunteered their assistance to Wash
ington in the struggle for independence
came over by arrangement with the
French government; Lafayette came
over in spite of the French government.
Most of the others came over for pay;
Lafayette came over without pay.
Others came over at the expense of the
French or the American government;
Lafayette came at hts own expense.
Lafayette Jabored for liberal insti-
tutions throughout his entire remark
able career. His motive was dcmoc-
racy, though he was born an aristo-
crat He was with the Americans at
Yorktown when CORVALLIS surrendered,
and he was with the French pco-
pie in Paris when the Bastile fell lie
had the respect of revolutionares and
aristocrats alike. Few careers more
noble have ever been lived.
The French and the American revo-
lutions shook old citadels of abuse to
their foundations, the greatest dual
achievement of the common people in
the history of the race. And Lafay-
cite was an outstanding figure in both
upheavals. Dull of wit, indeed, is that
American who can contemplate the
beautiful Lafayette memorial without
deep feeling. On the pedestal are the
figures of DeKalb and Rochambeau.
And at the other corner of the great
square stands the individual Rocham-
beau memorial. 1t bears the inscrip-
tion:
I'VE have been contemporaries and
fellow laborers in the cause of Liberty.
and we have lived together as brothers
should do IN harmonious friendship
Washington to Rochambeau, Feb. /,
1884,"
Rochambeau, afoot and in a cooked
hat, points his finger, perhaps sicniG-
cantly, at the State, War and NAVY
building across the street.
France Our Ally
Then, as Now
Rochambeau's disintcrcstedness and
enthusiasm for the cause of democracy
suHers IN comparison with Lafavetto
alone. For he, too, was volunteer
but he acted in behalf of the French
government, which in 1873 entered into
an alliance with the American COLONIES
against Great Britain. France. then
was our first ally, as she is our allv
too day.
1t must be that Washington had in
mind the avoidance of permanent
al!lances IN his warning against ZEN
tangllng ones. For his final success
1ul act was in entering into an alliance
DeKalb and Won Steuben, German SOL
diers OF fortune, enlisted by the French
government for this enterprise, each
stipulating his compensation, vet each
making definite sacrifice Of position
and fortune in Europe and DeKalh Of
his life at Yorktown.
These winners of American indie
pendence experienced the sufferinys or
Valley Forge. and, with Kosciusko and
fuiaski, the whole remarkable galaxy
OIL them appear to have been "in at the
death" at Yorktown. Not. however
until the French fleet, under Comte
d'Estaing, had in part raised the block
ade OF the ports, nor until a squadron
finally, under De Ternay, manceuvreo
off Yorktown to cut off the British
feet.
Doubtless it is because the assist
ance Of the French fleet was moral
rather than military that De Tarnay
Is not used by us as a Franco-American n
symbol with g pedestal in the market t
place.
Now comes the strange Anomaly.
Vital aid was given the colonies by
Beaumarchais, the celebrated French
dramatist. Yet his statue does not
sdorn> the highways of the capital, Is