The American Jew as Patriot, Soldier and Citizen. Simon Wolf
accession of the Count de la Luzerne to the embassy from France, Mr. Salomon was made the banker of that government. … He was also appointed by Monsieur Roquebrune, treasurer of the forces of France in America, to the office of their paymaster-general, which he executed free of charge."
[11] Details of the assistance so rendered are given in the Report to the 31st Congress. Mr. Salomon, it is said, "maintained from his own private purse Don Francesco Rendon, the secret ambassador of that monarch for nearly two years, or up to the death of Mr. S., during which Rendon's supplies were cut off." A striking passage is quoted in the same Report from a letter said to have been written in 1783 by Rendon to the Governor-General of Cuba, Don José Marie de Navarra: "Mr. Salomon has advanced the money for the service of his most Catholic Majesty and I am indebted to his friendship in this particular, for the support of my character as his most Catholic Majesty's agent here, with any degree of credit and reputation; and without it, I would not have been able to render that protection and assistance to his Majesty's subjects which his Majesty enjoins and my duty requires." The statement is also made that: "Moneys thus advanced to the amount of about 10,000 Spanish dollars remained unpaid, when Mr. Salomon died shortly after."
[12] Mr. Henry S. Morais, in his history of "The Jews of Philadelphia," notes as follows: (p. 24.) "The amount has been variously given at as much as $600,000 and more. Hon. Simon Wolf, of Washington, D. C., in February, 1892, presented a complete and elaborate statement of this question, based upon official documents, in an article (entitled, "Are Republics Ungrateful?") published in the Reform Advocate, of Chicago."
In another note on the same subject Mr. Morais states: "Mr. Salomon's loan and its accruing interest would now (1893) amount to over $3,000,000." Haym M. Salomon, a son of the philanthropist, and who kept a store on Front street, vainly endeavored to obtain payment of his just claim, notwithstanding that it was favorably reported to the U. S. Senate in 1850. In this report it was said: "Haym Salomon gave great assistance to the government by loans of money and advancing liberally of his means to sustain the men engaged in the struggle for independence at a time when the sinews of war were essential to success."
[13] For a summary of the account see the certificate appended, infra. Some few further details of the inventory are given in the Committee Report to the 30th Congress.
[14] "Mr. McCrea," in the Report to the 31st Congress.
[15] Mr. Joseph Nourse, Register of the Treasury of the United States from 1777 to 1828, wrote from Washington in 1827, to Mr. H. M. Salomon: "I have cast back to those periods when your honored father was agent to Office of Finance; but the inroads of the British army in 1814 deprived us of every record in relation to the vouchers of the period to which I refer." See for details, Report to 31st Congress; also Bibliographical Note.
[16] For details, see Report to 31st Congress.
[17] Hon. Simon Wolf, of Washington, D. C., in an article in The Reform Advocate of Chicago (see Bibliographical Note), calls attention to the fact that Professor Sumner—the most recent biographer of Robert Morris—in his "The Financier and the Finances of the American Revolution," makes no mention of the services of Haym Salomon. Mr. Wolf adds: "When I called Mr. Sumner's attention to it he answered in a letter which I received to-day, that, he had supposed that Mr. Salomon had been paid long since, and was surprised at the statement which I made."
[18] Not a penny of the large sums represented by these securities has ever been repaid to the heirs of the philanthropist and patriot who so generously aided the Revolutionary cause, and the fact is but another instance of the ingratitude of republics. The remissness of the people's representatives in the adjustment of private claims has been but too often flagrantly demonstrated, but there is not to be found on the public records a more signal case of public injustice. When to pay a debt is everybody's business, then it is apparently forever nobody's business to do so, and thus it happens that popular governments fail utterly in cases of this nature, where a monarchy would hasten to do justice.
[19] Circa 1842.
[20] A third child of Haym Salomon was a daughter, Sallie Salomon, who married Joseph Andrews. Their son, Joseph I. Andrews, married Miriam Nones, of New York, a daughter of Major Benjamin Nones of Revolutionary fame. The daughter of this union, Louisa Andrews, is now Mrs. E. L. Goldbaum, of Memphis, Tenn. Mr. Goldbaum kindly writes me: "We have in our possession life-size oil paintings of Joseph Andrews, son-in-law of Haym Salomon, and of his wife Sallie Andrews, née Sallie Salomon."
[21] Poore, Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the United States (Washington, 1885), pp. 558, 565, 593, 762, 807, 828.
INCIDENTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF AMERICAN JEWISH PATRIOTISM.
[A paper written for the American Jewish Historical Society by Max J. Kohler.]
In the present article, the writer proposes to set forth several incidents in our history not otherwise connected with each other than the above title indicates, but all tending to show that the Jew has ever been ready to battle for the cause of his adopted country, be his domicile where it may. Our subjects herein had differing views as to what patriotism demanded. We shall speak of French Jews battling for France, of English Jewish Colonists championing England's cause, and of American Jews fighting for American liberty and glory, yet all were equally patriots. In selecting the incidents to be set forth herein the writer has confined himself exclusively to matters which he believes are either wholly unknown to the Jewish historian or only partially or imperfectly known; no treatment of the main subject, other than these incidents may furnish, will be attempted.
I.
Colonel David S. Franks.
Members have no doubt still fresh in mind the interesting items relating to Col. Franks, set forth by Dr. Herbert Friedenwald and Prof. M. Jastrow in No. 1 of our "Proceedings." Since then other data have been collected and published in regard to the Franks family, to which I will merely refer; (see the very interesting article on the History of the Jews of Montreal, prepared for the Montreal Daily Star, December 30, 1893, and repeated in the American Israelite in January, 1894, which has been attributed to Rev. Dr. Meldola de Sola; and also an article on Rebecca Franks by the present writer, which appeared in the American Hebrew, November 9, 14, 21, and also in pamphlet reprint). In the present paper, Colonel Franks' early career in Canada will be chiefly dealt with, the documents herein cited demonstrating the correctness of Dr. Friedenwald's theory (p. 76) that Franks was drawn into the Revolutionary contest through pure patriotism and interest in the struggle which was being carried on south of his earlier domicile. A contemporary periodical furnishes the data I refer to; it is entitled: "The Remembrancer or Impartial Repository of Public Events." Part I, for 1776, London, 1776, pp. 100–6. (The narrative is somewhat condensed herein, but the documents are set forth in their entirety.)
"On May 2, 1775, the bust of the king at Montreal was found daubed