Evening star., 1922-12-18
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

III then-did Louis propose to 'help
the americans" and all that he ac-
cofnp!lshed was TO prolonG the struE
~" through four more years of bit
| terness and bloodshed. without his
interference. peace WAS assured In
Iri. but when France Joined in the
nght England became bitter.
X x *
1t was not until the final negotia-
| tions for peace were under way. after
Corvallis surrender at Yorktown.
that the Machiavellian hand Of the
French premier. Nergennes. showed
itself. through diplomacy. in serious
efforts to rob the American victors
of their triumph. He was influenced
largely by the Spanish allies Of
, France. for Spain was fighting Eng
land in an effort to regain Gibraltar.
Count Arlanda, the representativ.
oc Spain in the negotiations for s"'
tlement of the English war. wru's
to his king:
This federal republic is born a
pigmy. A day will come when it VIII
b" giant. even - colossus. form
, dabla in these countries. 1.ihNrtv Df
conscience. the facility for establish
ing new population on immense
lands. as well as the advantages 90
the . new government, VIII draw
, thither farmers and artisans from "a
nations. In few yeaEs we sha'
watch with grief IN" frr9,L"tGll "N-
istence Of this same colossus
The letter went on tn predict tha'
the Americans would presently Pc
nosseeei"rs of Florida and would ~
tack N"yi"o-a true and far-S""'n1
nroph"ry. Arianda had influence
over Nereennes and presented th"s~
views also t." him.
+ Z:
A. irrr" approached the wings
were in power in tho English gov
ernment mucl, to tn" diSp easure 80
King George III. Lord Shelburn"
was secretary of state for home and
colonial affairs-and later primo min
ister-and hc vas a true champion,
of the American co,onies Fox was
secretary Of state for foreign affairs
and was not friendly n Tho Amrri-
cans Serving in IN" same cahin"'-
these statesmen disnuted as "a whose
office should haudl" th" settlement
If the independnnco of tho stats
were first recognized fhfT N"nid
then become "forrign." and s" 20
would settle details Of the p"ar'.
Vergennes urged un"n the America
commissioners Franklin ard John la.
that independence he mad" the first
condition rreced"nt of ail neroii;t-
tions. and he slyly pron"S"d that iho
boundaries Of the United Stat"-
should he according to tn" Ouch
act, whereby ENGLAND. in Wrestling
Canada from the Fr.urn in 14Jl. haI
declared that the southern hounla-'
of Canada was the ohio river. al
though Ohio and northwest Thereof
belonged to PENNSYLVANIA and Nir-
Cinia Nergennes also prnpos"d tha'
all territory between The Allcghonf
mountains AVID tho MiseiSsinpi riv"r
from the Ohio to Florida should re
main Indian under the ioilit p-"f'r-
toratc of SnHin and I'll" United STATE
and was not 10 be settled by thu
Americans Also the Newfoundland
fisheries We're not to be entered hv
the Americans hut to be reserved hr
England for Canadians. many az
whom were French.
i X x
These restrictions were accidentally
discovered by Jay. and when John
Adams. our third comniss ioner, ar
rived at that opportune moment it
was decided TO hasten secret terms
with Shelburne without the Rnowl-
edge of NerGennes. This was done
~ defiance of Instructions from "uE
Congress. secured through the lobby
ing of two French agents. Luzeru"
and Marbois. which silly and pusil
luminous instructions would requir"
that its commissioners be guided in
all things by the wishes of IN"
French court" as Adams expressed
it, adding. indignantly: Congress
surrendered their own sovereignt.
into the hands of the French min
lister Blush. blush. ye guilty records
Blush and perish, II is glory TO have
broken such infamous orders"
I: * a'
Why do we hear so much about our
"obligations TO France" because OF
LAFAYETTE and SO little about the
treachery of Nergennes and the pi
racy of the French first republic
Our first war was one Of defense
against France. How long since the
French Spoliations claims. which grew
out of French piracy, have becu
settled?
We love France-the people-but
when the French government talks
of our national obligation to enter
into entanEling alliance with her.
whereby we should send another two
or ten million soldiers To her rein
! forcement. let us weigh Lafayette
against Nergennes and the bribc-
soliciting directorate and foot up the
totals of the respective obligations.