The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-12
The H.poleonic Policy In Europe.

of the Emperor of the French in fomenting the
desire for peace in Europe, it must never be
forgotten that he is the inheritor, not the origi
nator, of his policy. To his acts those Of the
first Napoleon have never yet proved a false
key; We have only to carry ourselves back and
examine what were the aims and what the
hopes of the uncle, at the parallel point Of
his career, to understand what the nephew is
driving at. Now, the elder Napoleon's purpose
in life has only begun to be understood Of late
years. In his day he had his adulators and his
slanderers on the other. His literary marshals
painted him as superhuman creature; Sir
Walter Scott drew him as an unmuzzled fend.
Nor did the laundering cease with his life.
Long after he was dead, Archibald Alison,
with admirable perversity, praised him for his
vices, and abused him for his virtues and
crowds of bookmakers-some to pander to
British prejudice, others to feed craving for
hero-worship-hav since made the intense in
terest of his life carry of enormous platitudes
Of blame or praise about his character.
It costs one some labor to-day to make ont
'AohA sbOES ACopo Va AuooiSA-bAC pAdiu idSb
that Napoleon was at first the mere creature
and organ of the revolution. He was the per-
sonation Of the democratic spirit which had SO
suddenly gained power, and was so much at a
loss how to use it. He was the embodiment of
hostility to the hereditary systems which had
ruined France. All his early acts flowed from
this idiosyncrasy. Enmity to injustice by
divine righ.-to predominance flowing from the
accident Of bir.h-a raging desire to see human
equality acknowledged resolute determine.
ton 80 to see labor distributed that the best
men should be in the best places-such were
the ruling characteristics of Napoleon's early
mind. Superior In ardent republicauism ~
most Of tie republicans, he was still mtrs
their superior in intellect; aud hence for ten
or twelve years he was the real instrumen!
whereby France was republicanized. From
the commencement of his influence under the
Directory to the death of Pitt, Napoleon stands
out as the great democrat struggling against
the banded Powers of Europe, and persistently
upreotirg and destroying every shoot, branch
and trace of the old aristocratic systems, In
spite Of tradition, prestige aud foreign infiu-
ence
1t was his success in this extraordinary task
which worked his ruin. He grew over conf.
dent in himself, over-contemptuous as regards
other people: forsook the old line of pure re-
publicanism to devote himself to personal oh.
jects. France, called to arms to defend her
soil and liberty, had baffied the world. But
when she was called upon to fight in order that
Napoleons brother should be King of Spain
and his wife Hapsburg, or that kings of
foreign nations at distance should take their
orders from him and stand in his ante-cham.
Der, France had neither the heart nor the
strength for such task Hence Napoleon
fell.
In comparing these two phases Of his life
with what the world has already seen of his
nephew, il is evident that the latter has no.
yet begun to sacrifice public to personal in
terest. Louis Napoleon became Emperor as
his uncle became Consul: because he was
mocracy- which neither allied armies nor two
races of Bourbons had been able to trample
out of the hearts of the people. He was not
COMPOUNDED with the speculative republicans
who had shared power with the operative
Albert, nor discredited by the mimickry of
royalty which dishgured the last years of Ma.
poleon's reign. The first acts Of his admins
tration were certainly consistent with demo.
cratic principles. His marriage was a Sian in
the face to royal prejudice. His preferment of
men Of unknown fame evinced a total disre.
gard TO aristocratic rule. Even his court was
in some sense. democratic, and his habits and
language uniformly republican. He has not
yet reached the stage where his uncle fell
away in the pursuit of personal aims
There is one point of difference with regard
to their attitude towards England which il de.
serving Of careful thought. The England of
forty years ago was not first class military
Power certainly; but she had an army, she had
officers. The England of today has neither
one nor the other. The brave men who fell