Page:Back to the Republic.djvu/80

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Back to the Republic

made some variance from Franklin's presentation. If, when Mr. Brown had finished, he had then said: "We have with us Mr. Jones, who will now present the matter," Mr. Jones would doubtless have made some variance in his presentation between that of Mr. Franklin and Mr. Brown. If, after Mr. Jones had finished, he had then said: "We have also with us Mr. Smith, who will present the matter," Mr. Smith doubtless would have made some variance from the other three. If, when Mr. Smith had finished, he had then said: "We have also with us Mr. White, who will now present the matter," Mr. White would no doubt make some variance from the presentations of the other four.

Don't you think the officials of France would have been somewhat confused at the close of the presentations and would have suggested that the commission return to America and they would think the matter over? Upon a comparison of the variances in the several presentations they would conclude that it would perhaps be better to do nothing, or to have another session at some future time, and we would have had the privilege of paying the salaries and expenses of five without securing the desired result. In addition, there would have been the danger that each man, in his ambition to be the big man on the commission,