The Champlain tercentenary

by New York . Lake Champlain Tercentenary Commission; Henry Wayland Hill

I. FEDERAL CO-OPERATION AND ASSISTANCE RENDERED BY SENATORS OF THE UNITED STATES, REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS AND OTHERS.

This record would be incomplete without reference to the active co-operation of the Government of the United States in authorizing formal invitations to be extended through the Department of State to the Republic of France and the Kingdom of Great Britain including the Dominion of Canada to be officially represented at the Tercentenary Celebration and in making ample appropriation for the entertainment of the foreign guests and of the President, Vice-President and other officials of the United States; and without formal acknowledgment in appreciation of the activities and assistance rendered by Vice-President James S. Sherman, whose grandfather was a navigator of Lake Champlain, and by the Senators of New York and Vermont and other states in the Senate of the United States and by the Representatives from those states in Congress. The New York and Vermont members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, namely, Hon. James Breck Perkins, a writer on French history; Hon. David J. Foster, Hon. Jacob Sloat Fassett and Hon. Francis Burton Harrison, all forceful and influential Representatives, assisted by Hon. John J. Fitzgerald, Hon. Edward B. Vreeland, Hon. George R. Malby, Hon. James S. Sherman, Hon. Michael E. Driscoll, Hon. John W. Dwight, Hon. William H. Draper, Hon. George N. Southwick, Hon. William Sulzer, Hon. William S. Bennet, Hon. Jacob Van Vechten Olcott, Hon. Peter A. Porter, Hon. De Alva S. Alexander, and other Representatives of New York, and Hon. Kittredge Haskins of Vermont, were zealous in their support of the project from its inception. On February 16, 1909, Representative Foster of Vermont from the Committee on Foreign Affairs reported the following Joint Resolution favorably to the House, viz.:

Joint resolution (H. J. Res. 257) to authorize the Secretary of State to invite the Governments of France and Great Britain to participate in the proposed tercentenary celebration of the discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain.

Whereas, The States of New York and Vermont, by legislation and appropriation, have authorized the celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain; and

Whereas, The date of the said celebration has been fixed for the first week in July, 1909; Therefore be it

Resolved, etc., That the Secretary of State be, and he is hereby, authorized and requested to extend to the Governments of France and Great Britain an invitation to be present at and to participate in the proposed celebration during the first week of July, 1909, to commemorate the three hundredth anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain.

When said resolution was reached on the House Calendar on February 17th, Mr. Foster said:

Mr. Speaker, there is very little to be said by the way of explanation of this resolution. A very full report accompanies it explaining fully the significance of the proposed celebration. As indicated in the preamble, both the States of New York and Vermont have appropriated money for this celebration, which will occur during the first week of next July. While these two states have taken the initiative, the occasion will be one of national significance. We are already assured that the President of the United States will be present and participate in the exercises. And the occasion will be one of international importance. For this reason it is desired that authority be given the State Department to extend an invitation to the two nations most intimately associated with the United States in the historic event which this celebration will commemorate. It was a son of France who discovered the beautiful body of water that bears his name. Canada, that loyal dominion of Great Britain, borders upon the lake. It is peculiarly desirable, therefore, that an invitation be extended to the Governments of France and Great Britain to participate in the celebration.

The Joint Resolution after a brief discussion was thereupon unanimously passed.