The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1919-02-27
PEACE CONFERENCES
Noted Citizens Have Represented American Nation in Four
Conferences Since Close of the Revolution
Selected

cTuuCuO udOO pVSSIoiO a. ACSouCiI-
alton without formal progress into
war. By the convention France
recognized the rights of neutral
vessels and promised indemnities
for her navy's depredations. De-
pending on what historian you
read, Americas success in the con-
ference was mainly the work of
Ellsworth or that of Murray. John
Adams, Federalist, was president
at that time. The vice president
was Jefferson.
Two of President Adams's COM
missioners, Ellsworth, who had
just resigned the Office of chief
justice, and Murray, who-had been
Washington's minister to the
Netherlands. were strong Federal
lists. Davie, English born, for
mer governor of North Carolina
and veteran of the Revolution,
seemed to haye been a free lance
in early politics. The scene of the
convention was Paris.
Becoming tired of piracy and
blackmail, American squadrons at
tended to the Barbary coast, and
between 1906 and 1915, when De-
cature finally made the whole
thing sure. treaties we're made
with the deys and bashaws.
The Peace of Ghent was con-
cluded December "a, 1914. The
United States commission appoint
ed by President Madison, who was
a Jeffersonian Democratic Repub-
lican, included John Quincy Ad-
ans, then our minister to Russia;
James A. Bayard, former United
States senator; Henry Clay, speaker
of the House; Albert Gallatin, who
had been secretary of the treasury
from 1901 to 1918. aud Jonathan
Russell, our minister to Norway
and Sweden.
John Quincy Adams was for
mer Federalist from Massachusetts.
a strong Federalist state. That is,
he had been originally in opposi-
ton to Madison in politics. Later
he had come into accord with
Madison's government.
Bayard was another former
Federalist. but he was the man
who had brought about Jefferson's
victory over Aaron Burr when
that presidential election was
thrown into the House of Repre-
sentatives. Clay was a conspicu-
Gus Madisonian, and so was Gal
litin, the eminent fnancier. Rus
sell was a second Massachusetts
commissioner of Madisonian parti.
sanship. Ten years later he was
elected to Congress as a Democrat,
in the present day party sense.
For the achievement of our com.
mission much of the credit has
always been given to Clay. The
best opinion nowadays overshad-
ows him with Gallatin. The late
Henry Adams, grandson of the
American chairman on the occa.
sion, and conscientiously just
New England historian, writes:
Far more than contemporaries
ever supposed or than is now
imagined, the treaty of GheDt was
the especial work and the peculiar
triumph of Mr.. Gallatin.
The peace with Mexico, conclud.
ed in the treaty of Guadalupe Hi.
dalgo, was a curious specimen o1
such negotiations. The lone hano
American commissioner was Nicho
las Philip Trist, chief clerk of the
state department under President
Polk, and, like Polk, a thorough
going Democrat as Democrats are
today. There was nothing very
intricate to negotiate with Mexico
We had gone to war to establish
the boundary at the Rio Grande al
against the Mexican contention fol
the Nueces. The peace that was
made not only satisfied our govern