The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-01-14
.DADANT OBTAINS
II FROM FRANCE.
Important Information, Difficult to
Discover in This Country, Comes
to Him from Paris in
Answer to Request.
COLES PROJECT MOVING
moneys France Donated to Us to Win
Revolution May Offset What
We Loaned Her for
World War.
COLES PROJECT MOVING

father of the movement to have the
United States cancel all loans made
to France for tae world war, because
OF what France did for the United
States during the American revolu-
ton, is still working toward that
end
His proposition was endorsed by
the Keokuk chapter Of the Sons OF
the American Revolution, to which II
was presented first, and later by the
national convention of that order at
Rochester, N. Y, to which Mr.. Cole
was delegate
Senator Kenyon, Of Iowa, has In
troduced joint resolution In con
gress canceling our loans to France
There was some difficulty in ascer
tanning just what France had done
for this republic in its infancy, in
financial way, although every school
[ child knows about Lafayette and
other French generals commanding
troops which did for us then whal
we did for France at Belleau Wooo
and on the Marpe.
The Figures Of French Aid.
| Mr.. Cole asked G. P. Dadant to ge'
| the figures from France, and In re
Spouse Mr.. Dadant wrote Mr.. Cole
a most interesting letter, which wa:
read Saturday afternoon at thu
/ meeting of the Daughters OF tn
American Revolution at the home o
Mrs. Joshua F. Elder. The letter Il
as follows:
| My Dear Mr.. Cole: In refer
| ence to the moneys advanced
' ~ T1nst
during the WIZ tor independ-
ence, and the proposal to remit
or cancel the dr.t Ut France TO
tie United SIZES in he senate
bill, wrote to France to ascer-
tain the exact amount OF her
advance to this country, and
am now in receipt OF fourteen
pages OF manuscript giving
| copies of the two treaties made
between Louis XVI, king or
/ France, and our plen1potentlary,
BENJAMIN Franklin, with FAC
Franklin and Gravier De Yer
| GENE, the kings agent.
It appears from these papers
that the advance to the thirteen
1 states OF the union amounted to
4 JQlTiy-IOuI uii1lOil Nv 10 NNNA~Ny-
| (sS,16O, 0OO), of which nine mil
lion were donated by the klnG TO
the United States.
i Besides, owing to the difficult
circumstance in which the
| United States fond itself, the
return Of the first eighteen mil
lion francs. which was to have
been paid in 17SS, was permitted
to be delayed and paid in twelve
separate installments annually
from that time on.
The total of the interest &C
c1,ed was also donated to the
United States.
France Donated Generously.
Besides. ten million francs OF
the sum loaned having been bor-
i rowed by the king from the gov
eminent of the Netherlands for
| that purpose. the king donated
to the United States all the cost
Of exchange and banking charges
on the loan.
From the above. 1t is evident
that the sums donated by
France to the United States to
help in the war for independ-
ence were at least ten million
francs ($1, s00.000).
If you will correspond with
Senator Kenyon concerning TINS,
7 will hold these papers Subject
to his call They are in french
of course, but may be easily
translated.
I attach to this letter one
of the fac SMILES of the sigma
lures OF Gravier De Vergenne
and Benjamin Franklin, l retain
the cher one until further no
! tice. Photographs of these sig
natures will be sent to ne.
/ will be glad to do whatever
can for you and for this cause.
have not found a single person
but what would be willing ana
dad to see the debt OF France.
or at least large part Oh IT,