The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1919-09-06
SURE TO ACT IN
BEHALF Of FRANCE
SENATE WILL PROMISE PROTEC-
TON EVEN " THE PRESENT
TREATY IS REJECTED.
POPULAR SENTIMENT STRONG

by EDWARD Q. CLARK.


Washington Senators mny doubt
their authority under the Constitution
to ratify the French treaty, ana they
may not ratfy IT, but lacking ratiGca-
tiou. the mind of the opposition ap-
purcutly II in favor of doing some
thing equally strong and comprehen-
size in behalf If France.
Ii is known that somo Of the scun
tors. aud perhaps what is known of
them Il true OF the ma iority. feel
there j. Il sentiment iu hehnlt nf France
aud its cause among the people Of the
United States that will ncressitate
some adequate recognition Of the
French peoples need. for that is what
It Is, for protection against the Ger
man when he shall have rchahIitated
himself. and the old spirit If hatred
against his Hcighbor to the west shall
have rpasserted Itself Common po-
litlcal sense Il not gratitude. observers
say, probably viii dictate . response
to the request embodied in the treaty
even If the treaty in it's present form
should. not be sanctioned.
II Is held hv men who seem to have
an appreciation Of the situation that
Americans of long American ancestry
are by hereditary sympathies and in
stinct Just rs grateful to France for
What RI did for this country In the
revolutionary days as We're Americans
of that time. On the other hand, II
Is said that American citizens of an
ancestry which does not 90 hack to
revolutionary days In this country do
not share the same feeling II Is rec
ognzed by the men who talk about
Il that this condition is natural and
vet lone which would be unnatural II
the "citizens Of later day" would
look nj the thing from another point
of view.
Debt Rests on Later Corners, Too.
OF Americans can trace their ances-
try back to revolutionary or pre-rev-
dictionary days. but 1t Is probable
that much more than one-half of the
citizens of the United States date the
arrival of their ancestors at time In
ter than the battle of Yorktown.
II Is likely to be brought out in de-
hnte In the senate in order TO make
popular sentiment approve Of prob
able affirmative action Of some kind
In this case. that If It had not been
for French help In the revolutionary
war there would have been no free
country in America for the ancestors
of many American citizens TO have
come to In the pursuit Of life, liberty
and happiness.
Frequently the argument lis ad-
vnnced by opponents of the sanction
ing of the French treaty that France
came TO the aid of the United States
only because she wanted TO weaken
Great Britain by separating her from
one of her colonies. and also to make
It certain that considerable part of
the British army and navy should he
confined TO operations on this side of
the Atlantic. In other words, the ar
gument is That France was essentially
selfish.
II Is not known TO what extent the
ambassador of the French to this
country. !. ]. Jusserand, can enter in
to activities In behalf of a treaty In
which his country's future safety Is
said to be involved. but already Mr.
.Jusserand In n book written before the
present war tortured the world has
given an explanation of the reasons
for French aid to the colonies which
may be enlghtening in the present
treaty making.
Why France Aided Colonies.
/ The ambassador in volume CON
! tanning articles on Rochambeau In
! America; LEnfant, the French engi-
neer who planned the city of Washing
| ton. Lafayette. and on some other
| Frenchmen as well as some Ameri-
cans. went deeply into the reasons for
French aid to the colonies. He tells
also of pre-reyolutionary days in
| France. of the growing love for liberty
! In France. Of the sympathies among
! the people for another people who
were struggling for something which
! the French had not yet been able to
\ obtain for themselves and of what
/ he holdS to be the undoubted fact that
/ II was the democratic spirit of France,
/ rousing into life. that led TO the fitting
/ out Of the expeditions. military and
/ naval which came 10 the mid of the
j American colonists.
The expeditions went forth not be
| cause of Louis WI, but In spite Of
/ him. This In brief is the Jusserand
argument The ambassador goes into
minute details. gives names and out
| lines the various movements, demo
cratic in their nature. which led other
Frenchmen to follow Lafayette into
the field of Iiberty's struggle In
America.
Writers Doffing Their Uniforms.
Under orders of the war department
all the officers holding temporary
commissions In the United States
army win sever their connection
With the service by September 30.
Men who entered the service for the