Evening star., 1922-12-25

claims dragged through :=the nine
teenth century as results of that
| piratlcal war. The war lasted until
| Napoleon succeeded to power: he
wanted to clear the way to fight with
r,i,i, mhiiana. SO he stopped the fight
| WIN the Americans. and sold us
Louisiana. to spite England
| The debt" because of the military
services of the nineteen-ycar- old ma
Jor general was certainly balanced by
inc cotemporaneous antagonism of
King Louis XVI and his premier.
! Nergennes. and by the war fourteen
| years later, by the directorate OF the
so-called first republic. 20. j.. D.
All that Lafayette did was also
| done by representatives of other ma
tions. Here is an extract from LA
fayette and His Companions" by II
| Castonnet des Posses. published h
the Geographical Society Of France
! GsSs).
'The capital PhiladelphiaD no long
er had its accustomed appearance: il
place of its neaceful life there had
succeeded a disturbed air. 1t had be
| come the rendezvous of volunteers
and adventures who had gathered II
| America. the one out of sympathy
! for the insurgents or for hate Of the
1 English, the other in order there -
emnloy their activities.
| "One could there SEQ tho representa-
| tives Of all nations-F'rench, Germans
Russians. Poles-who crowded Con
gross with their requests
The most celebrated wero the
| rhcvalier kermovan. who had aui'
| France since the month of June. 1876
! Pulaski and kosciusko. both "f whom
| played imnortant roles in Tho revo-
4ution Of Poland and the great Pru~-
sian. Won Steuhcn. who sought TO In
! froduce into the American army H..
! discipline and tactics of the German
army.
'Lafavette had obtained from Silas
| Deane the written promise of a high
grade in the American Army He had
nevertheless to see Il great chance %
losing his desire. AZ least the people
| of the colonies showed a defiance
against foreigners whose hoastirr
and frivolity contrasted sinrular,v
with their own sedate ana peaceable
habits.
Besides at that time the war was
not going favorably for the insur-
| gents and already many of the vol
unteers. who upon arriving r.
America had dreamed of triumpha'
entries into the cities. with showers
of flowers and with rejoicing We're
! now tired of the country. and with
| their fatigue began to complain
Such was the situation when La
| 13yette arrived.
: Now let US quote from I.af4vet't
1 own memoirs his OWL story. thouc
written in the third person:
1T was in these circumstances tha'
". de Lafayette arrived. but althourl
interested in the cause. they Gamer
| icans) were little favorable toward
strangers Disguised hy the cordurf
Of several Frenchmcn. the American
We're in revolt against their preteH-
turers. the shameiessness of their
first demands. the ieaiousies Of tn"
: army. The national preiudices-all
served to confuse zeal with self-in-
terest: talents with arlatanis,f'
Supported by the many promises of
Mr. Deane. they besieged Congress.
| whose president was clever spirit.
hut stupid: good official, hut vain
almost to foolishness.
Mr. Deane would send on other de-
tachments. until each day so many
arrived that they could listen To no
body Goodness of the first reception
had all the air of dismissal. hut with
out being disconnected by the mem
hers who did the talking NJ. La
fayette begged them to return g.
Congress and there read the follow
| ing letter:
after my sacrifices. ] have the
:
| to serve at my own expense: the other
is to serve as volunteer.
| "A manner so new awoke atten-
ton: they heard the message of the
envoys. and by very fiattering reso-
| luton NJ Lafayette WAS made A ma
| jor general
Dazzled by the adroit young noble
. man. Congress was swept off its feet
Hut because of that. should today's
| Congress be likewise enamoured by
European Establishments? From the
| incidents of the revolution. We are as
much indebted to Prussia for Won
| Steuhen. to Poland and Russia for
Ensciusko and Pulaski and to France
for the pioneer Cheyalier kermovan
and for De Kalb and Rochambeau. as
for Lafayette Eut II was the English
wings who won the war-or made IL
possible for the Americans to win il.
|, Prime Minister Shelburnes made a Sc
rret peace with Adams, jay and
. Franklin. to circumVent NerEennes
and his master. Louis.
, x x y
The machiavellian Ncrgennes and
the piratical directorate begging
bribes and making war upon us gave
France no historical back ground for
any claim of gratitude from tho
, United States. but a new century land
a-quarter and the growth of better
4
have drawn the two republics int"
amity richer far than any martial
victory or scraps of paper" could
accomplish.
The tri-color is not Frances alone:
liberty. equality. fraternity" is
American.
ON Armistice day. ] saw American
: batteries. camouflaged and belching
death into the fog against the enc
, mics of France and civilization. Then.
a few minutes later I beheld the can
, opy of foliage torn aside. the fog was
lifted. II O'Clock had struck and.
/ grander than a sunrise. Old Glory
; burst out upon the French battlefield:
the tri-color was the starry banner Of
America. and the thrill of victory was
. pounding in the breasts of 2,00o.0no
t doughboys as prodigiously as in the
hearts of the poilus.
Entangling alliance on scrap of
paper? Let the people rule"