Evening star., 1922-12-25
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Lafayette, we are here" has been
! overworked. Some Americans have
been led to believe that we entered
the war with 100000 soldiers and
unmeasured billions of dollars, be-
cause Of Z debt to France incurred
during the American revolution
! through the services of tho Marquis
de Lafayette AMI the French govern
ment. in the interest of true his
tory. ] cited in this column a few
days ago certain indisputable facts
showing that Lafayette was boy
| adventurer nineteen years OF age.
| when he contracted before leaving
France that he was to he made
major general immediately. ana that
he was maie a major general by
Congress un'ler protest Cat first with
! no intention Of assigning him any
command Of troopsD, as "a matter or
I policy. because he was nobleman.
I 1t WAS conceded in my article that
! from "a nineteen ycar-old 10y, during
: his two years service he developed
! into good soldier. He returned to
! France in l111, when the French king
/ declared war on England, and re-
! mained there in the service Of the
I king IL year or TWO: then came back
drughhoyS. or shavetails. demanding
! Of France. IN 1917. that he be COM
miSsioned "A field marshal as con-
diiion precedent I" his going over
/ tt.rs!'
| have been surprised to find that
! two readers missed the whole purport
/ OF my article and assumed without
I reason that ! WAS aiming to detract
I from Lafaycttcs real military serv-
! ices and that somehow / was un-
| friendly 10 France and the French OF
! today. Nothing was farther from my
I intent Next to America. l love
! France. | admire the French char
actcristics of enthusiasm and valo,
and, contrary to popular notion, deer
: sincerity and earnestness. | have
: lived four years in France and be-
! Iieye know whereof l speak.
! y r ,: =
! Ny reference to the history Of our
revolution was in response to the
! agitation by NJ C1emenceau for a
! present alliance between America
and France for the military and finan-
i cial protection of his beloved country
Tie absence of a formal diplomatic
allianc" would not in the least degree
! limit the entente cordiaie between
tn. two nations. There are NJ
( peoples in closer accord. racially anf
, spiritually, than are the French and
Americans. Somehow their mutua
love has grown spontaneously, with
4 out diplomacy. and any contract oI
defensive and offensive alliance wouit
tend more surely toward friction thar
toward greater amity.
= X = =
When ". Clemenceau argued. from
the services of Lafayette. that W.
should now enter into an aereemen
to stand by France against Germa ny
ne did not cite the whole histor,
Of France and America in the las
quarter Of the eighteenth century. lie
US he frank and base our entent,
cordale upon true grounds which can
not be challenged.
x X X
Mr.. James II FitsgeraId. my frs
critic, defends the Marquis de La
faycttc on the ground that Gen
Washington loved the boy and praise,
his precocious skill and militar!
prowess. Nothing was said in Capi
tai keynotes contradicting that.
Critic ~ vas shocked becaus
ne Eau TCNsFtu l-ddNt'ttt Ipr SIN
years. ard he rebukes the writer fol
discounting the unselfish personal in
terost Of the youth. and the obligd
ton which that put us under. ever
- the monarchial government o
France.
Louis NNT withheld support of oul
cause until the surrender of Bur.
goyne with his army of 5000 made i
probable that England would liste,
TO our whig supporters and max.
peace. He than made an allianc.
with us. fearing that we would vii
l'the war TOO soon. and release Eng.
land to fight France. In 117T. ac
cording TO John Flske the historian
in his "CrItical Periods of American
History" Louis entered the war. no
Through love of the republic Of Amer
lea twhoSc doctrines endangered al
monarchies), but solely through
hate Of England" His alliance 50
lenlhittercd England that much Of GU
and the war was prolonged four year!
more Niy theme is not in discount
ing the boy Lafayette. hut exposing
the falsity Of our alleged obligatio,
10 France for its part, on the whole
in our revolution.
Nor can it be said that ii is unfai'
to measure that supposed obligation
merely by the action of the mon
archial government. even though tn
premier Eergennes conspired to ro'
US Of the fruits of our victory, as re
lated in my first article.
* x * =
In 1875, the king being overthrow
and the directorate in power. thu
directorate took offcnse at Americ;
for electinG John Adams president
instead of Thomas jefferson. foi
adams had been our commissions
who had circumvented the scheme o
Nergennes in the settlement OF fh'
revolution. without the approval o
France. as to boundaries. etc. Th'
directorate ordered our minister
iP-ucknev. to leave France and re
fused to recognize amy other. unles;
we first hribed the directorate VIII
so4n.NGN To that demand PlnckneA
uttered his famous defiance: Mil
lions for defense. but not one cen
for tr bute,'
War followed-our first war OF de
fensc-and the French spollatlol