The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-04-23
BY JAMES MORGAN

MO other President, with the eX
~ ception of John Quincy Adams,
! has served the country as long
as James Monroe and, without eXcep-
ton, none has had an official eXper-
fence so varied.
From 1776, when he was a vigorous,
six-foot, broad shouldered, raw-boned
boy of IS. and left William and Mary's
college to enter the Revolution, Mon
roe remained in the public service un-
til 1925, when he retired from the
White House wrinkled, care bent,
impoverished old man. In those 40
years, he had been a minor military
officer under Washington; repeatedly
a member of the Legislature, a men,
Der of the Continental Congress and
of the National Senate; twice Govern
or of Virginia; Minister to France.
England and Spain; Secretary of
State and War at the same time and
| finally President for two terms.
Without wealth or family Influence
with a slow, commonplace mind, with
no gifts as a speaker; with modest,
awkward presence and plain, unpOl-
ished manners, this very ordinary
man plodded up the ladder of ambition
to it's topmost rung. How? BY sheer
lOICe VI HIS IuSSSu COui dSeOu9,
trious, honest, loyal character--a tri-
umph of the homely, common virtues.
Although he failed in some of his
most important tasks, Monroe's fail
ures were forgiven because they were
I honest mistakes. The ridicule and
the disgrace brought upon him by the
most spectacular episode of his I'M
dramatic life, would have buried for
ever a man more brilliant and less
sincere.
This remarkable scene was enacted
on the highly theatrical stage of the
National Convention at Paris directly
after the Reign of Terror and the
fall of RObespierre, when France was
the outcast among Nations. At that
moment, Monroe appeared as the en-
voy of the only sister republic and,
to let all the world see that the RevO-
luton had at least one friend left on
earth, the President of the convention
melodramatically folded the rustic
Virginian in his arms.
AS an ardent believer in republican
ism, it is true that he had been spe-
cially chosen by Washington to soothe
the savage breast of the Revolution.
But in that fraternal mbrace the new
Minister was somewhat infected by
the Gallo fervOr of his welcome. Re
CARELESS of England and other jealous
monarchies, which were at grips with
the revolutionists, he overstepped the
! bounds of neutrality by warmly ap
plauding France and her armies and,
as if the two countries were open al
| lies, he presented an American flag
to be hung on the walls of the con
| vention by the side of the tri-color-
| red flag Of revolt in that day.
Washington and the conservatives
were outraged by the cordially with
which "Citizen Monroe" had taken the
red hand of revolutionary France.
Many were SO unreaSOning as to cen
sure him even for an act of mercy
which only did credit to his hea TT.
Having found Thomas Paine in the
shadow Of the guillotine, he had taken
that friend of our own revolution from
prison into the American legation,
| where he nursed him back to health.
After two years, he was 'recahe for
his zeal, and came home in a rage of
Indignation. Passing by the gate of
Mount Vernon without paying his