Evening star., 1945-09-02
BY John Clagett Proctor

BY John Clagett Proctor
Naturally the supposed stalling and
procrastinating by the Japanese in
completing and signing peace terms
with the Allies did cause great deal of
discomfort and speculation, especially
on this side of the pond, from which
point the negotiations have been di-
rectly or indirectly carried on. But if
we turn back the pages of history we
find that there has always been a
certain amount of exasperating delay
in surrender negotiations in one way
or another, delay which was almost
unavoidable, but which in the end
turned out to our entire satisfaction.
Take for instance our war with Great,
Britain for American independence,
when, after defeating Cornwallis at
Yorktown that general surrendered
with his whole force of 7247 men.
The British then abandoned the posts
they still held, with the exceptions of
Charleston, S. c., which they evacuated
on December A. 1882, and Savannah,
Ga, on July II following. On January
20, 1888, the armistice, concluded at
Versailles, declaring a cessasion of hos
tilities between the United States and
Great Britain, was signed. Following
this, on April 18, Gen. Washington
proclaimed hostilities at an end, this
date being the eighth anniversary of
the night when Paul Revere reused the
minutemen at Lexington to meet the
British regulars on the village green
The Treaty of Peace
On September 8, 1888, a definite
treaty of peace between the United
States of America and his Britannia
majesty was concluded at Paris, and
this was ratified by Congress on jan
uary IA, 1874, and proclaimed the same
day. Prior to this, however, on No
vember 25, 1888, the last of the British
troops, about 5000, embarked at New
York, and the gladness of the occasion
and the parade that followed in that
city would be hard to describe. How
ever, according to an early account:
There were cheering and waving of
hats and handkerchiefs and plumes
and garlands all along the route. The
soldiers, too, marched by with the con-
scious air of victors and protectors.
Proceeding through Queen street they
wheeled into Wall, then as for some
time after, one of the fashionable
streets of the city, and continued to
Broadway. AS they passed the corner
of William and looked up at the mutt
lated statue of the Earl of Chatham
which then stood there, did any one
observe the complete fulfllment of his
prophetic words, which had worked like
an inspiration throughout the colonies
You cannot conquer American 1t
was moment an orator might covet.
Turning into Broadway from Wall
Street, the military halted opposite
Cape's Tavern, at the northwest corner
of Rector street, where it was to receive
the civic procession, soon to follow
Meanwhile, the formal act of occupation
took place at the Battery.
Upon the halting of the troops, one
full company of light infantry and an
other of artillery were detached from
the main body with instructions to
march down Broadway to Fort George
whose site is now occupied by the steam
ship Offices at Bowling Green-take pos
session of the work, hoist the American
colors on the flagstaff and fire a salute
of 13 guns. This duty was performed
In the offng, around and beyond
Governors Island, lay the British men
of-war and transports. A short distance
from the Battery, whose exterior wall
then stood far within the present line,
floated many barges filed with 'redcoats'
and Hessians, which had put off from
shore as the Americans approached.
Around were crowds of citizens collected
to witness the embarkation, whose en-
thusiasm could not be chilled by the
frosty November air and who appear to
have indulged in no insulting jeers at
the departing enemy.
"As at Savannah and Charleston the
year before, order and propriety were
observed. The last boat presumably
carried away the British flag that had
waved so long from Fort George; the
Continentals hoisted in its place the flag
of the 13 States. It was a quiet
exchange of territorial possessions. The
old imperial Englishman moved out; the
new American Englishman moved in.
When We Fought France
The next war in Europe, with for
eign power-though Congress did not
actually declare war-was with France
and this lasted from midsummer 179e
to the close of 1899, treaty being con-
cluded at Paris, September 80, 1900;
ratified December 10, 1901, and pro-
claimed two days later.
In referring to this brief war, one au.
thority tells US: 1.-THE relations between
France and the United States were sc
threatening that one of the first acts oi
President Adams was to convene Con.
gress in extra session, May 13, 1897
Three ENJOYS, c. C. Pinckney, Elbridgt
Gerry and John Marshall, were sent te
France with authority to adjust all diff
culties. The French government re.
fused to receive them, but intimatee
that considerable present of money