| Show wn aen REFUSED A K I 1 I 1 S H I 1 P few amerla americana know now that our country today might be a monarchy but tor for an act of nobility performed by george on may the ot or the army had implored washington to assume royal power place himself at their head and rule the country as a king on may 22 a century and a halt ago general rel refused this invitation in patriotic to terms so go strong that the idea was information comes from the united states george washington nial commission j we know that he refused tho the offer ot of a kingship but the circumstances surrounding that dramatic moment in I 1 our history kown koa ko a chiefly to scholars I 1 need be recalled to the everyday A amir mir lean that he may form a still clearer conception of the nobility of ing tons ch character ameter this incident t which constitutes one of the critical moments in the destiny of america while george washington and the continental army were encamped at newburgh on the hudson the surrender of corn j walli ahad had virtually ended the revolution but nominally hostilities were 6 till still in effect and washington was determined ter mined to hold the army together against any surprise renewal of the war As usual his soldiers were poorly clothed and fed and congress ws wig deeply in arrears in their pay BY then the war had dragged on tor for seven long years the gle had cost many of officers the loss ot of personal fortunes 0 entire enlisted forces a future ot of want on being released to civil life discontent rose to dangerous intensity in all ranks at length colonel lewis nicola a respected character on friendly terms with the commander in chief spoke tor for the officers 13 a body when he addressed to washington a veiled proposal that he take over the government of the coun country tT with the army behind him and vile it as a king I 1 the late senator henry cabot lodge in ili his biography of of washington states that on this occasion washington was as truly tempted as Caesar with n offer to make himself king or emperor the stroke moreover would have been easy of accomplishment the colonies were all beggared by the war their governments were slack and weak the revolutionary army was the one cohesive national power in the land to a man mail the soldiers wor shipped hipped washington and with thell their aid he could have taken over control of the nation As near as that at this stage of americas history was the country to becoming a monarchy and yet it was a great distance away to george washington the tem tation of kingship was no temptation nt at all on the conary lie he put it aside with far greaber ad more sincere indignation dig nation than did caesar wave aside the laurel crown in a letter whose every word should be deeply implant jed in the mind ot of every school child in america he declined nicolas otter offer and rebuked the man who made it writing on may 22 1782 he said bald sir with a mixture ot of great surprise and astonishment I 1 have read with attention the sentiments you have submitted to my perusal 16 assured sir no occurrence in the course ot of tile the war has given me more painful sensations than tham your anfor of 0 there being such ideas ex lillne asting in the army as you have expressed and I 1 must view with abhorrence and reprehend with severity 1 I am at a loss to conceive what part of my conduct could have given encouragement oura gement to an to me seems big with the greatest mis chiefs that can befall my country it if I 1 am not deceived in the knowledge ot of myself you could not have found a person to whom your schemes nry are more disagreeable le let t me conjure you then it II you have any regard tor for your Coun country concern tor for yourself your Belt or prosperity or respect tor for me to banish these thoughts from your mind and never communicate as from yourself or aej any ono one else a sentiment of 0 the like nature |
