The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-23
BY JUSTIN McGRaTH.

B1 III SiIN MCtrh2It.
washington. April 22.-HIstory
oftmes repeats itself, VIII 1t do 1t
when the American high commission
goes To Versailles on April Is to
negotiate a peace with the central
powers If it does there will be un-
I looked for and startling developments.
! This is the second time that Ameri~
I can delegates have gone 10 Versailles
! to negotiate 81 peace. The first time
was in 1888 when they went there TO
{ arrange the treaty by which the
| United states was to attain its indie
! pendonce,
! Tho American negotiators on that
| occasion were Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams. John Jay and Henry
Tlaurens.
/ The American representatives who
| win 70 TO Versailles this week, II the
/ schedule announced by unchanged.
viii he President Wilson. Secertay Of
State Robert Lansing, Colonel Il. NJ.
House and Henry White.
! Franklin. Acams and Jay are
! famous names in American history.
! Laurens is not so we'll known for the
/ part he played in the country's revo-
! luton period But ne has a unique
! distinction apart from that. His was
/ the first body 20 be Cremated IN the
] mica states the ceremony l3EinI
( place in Charleston,
/ President Wilson'S place In Ameri-
| can history undoubtedly win be higher
than that OF Franklin. Adams or Jay.
I But how will Lansing, House and
+ White rank by comparison with those
/ early statesmen?
( Perhaps their rank will depend
upon the authoritative historic knowl-
! edge we shay later obtain Of the part
/ they played in the making OF the
world peace and the ability and Vigor
/ with which they sought TO uphold
the world peace and rights of their
own country FOR the fame OF Frank
4 line. Adams ana Jay rests no little on
what they did at Versailles in 1888.
Listen 10 Woodrow Wilson $ account
OF what they did, taken from his his
tory Of the American people" and
soc IL you do not find it most interest
ing. especially in the light Of present
events in Paris. The following is
! taken from volume 3, page 16, of the
presidents history:
The actual formulation Of peace,
however, proved a matter OF no small
difficulty. America and Traces were
| bound together by the close and
| honorable ties of alliance; and France
WAS in her turn allied with Spain,
who now felt her interests to DO by no
means coincident with those of Amer
lea
The congress at Philadelphia ex-
plicitly commanded its commissioners
TO be guided by the wishes OF the
French court
DR.. Franklin, Mr.. John Adams and
| Mr.. John Jay who bore its commis-
! sion were men OF honor and enter
| tanned besides a lively sense OF the
very deep obligation of the United
States TO France for tho money and
the armed assistance In the field and
upon the seas without which appar-
entity their victory would have been
i'm possible. 1t proved fmpractcable
| nevertheless 10 act with France: for
she conducted herself. not as the in
senious friend of the United States
but only as the enemy of England, and
as first and always a subtle strategisi
for her own interest and advantage
The American commissioners would
not be tricked and made use of. and
/ came to terms separately, secretly and
for themselves with the English, their
instructions Notwithstanding. They
did not make peace without their ally
| but they woulc not accept terms OF
her arrangement"
Historian Wilson then goes on te
| explain the differences which led the
American commissioners tn take the
extraordinary action of negotiating a
treaty in defiance OF their instructions
10 be guided by the wishes of the
French court"
Count Vergennes, Frances astute
minister, he says, had meant to devise
"a balance OF power In America, which
might be made TO rebound to the ad-
vantage of France In Europe. He had
meant to support England in the ex-
clusion OF tho Americans from the