The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-07-22

cnnuSc vi opuiOu 2ltu EeBaTu W Tue actual
ruler Of the French and the present arbiter of the
N@estinies Of Europe. A few days ago the Cheva-
lfeS Webb claimed that he alone had been able
to fesee the present state of affairs; that it was
he onlt who had thoroughly appreciated Louis
Napoleon as Prince President; sustained his
action against Kossuth and the Socialists, ap-
proved the coxp d'fta, and endorsed the impe-
rial policy dining the seven years that Louis
Napoleon has san in the chair of Charlemagne.
Further, the ChevSlier Webb placed us in the
same category with &ose of Que Ignorant or
fanatical contemporaries who abused Louis Ma.
poleon from the outset, and who have been only
converted at the eleventh hour, and who owe
their enlightenment to the force of public
opinion, which they had not the wit to keep
pace with, aud now come stumbling on like a
flock of sheep tumbling over a fence.
This charge of the Chevalier Webb's, made
with strict eye to business, a gold snuff box
from the Emperor, or fifty two thousand and odd
dollars from the Credit Mobilier, we pronounce to
be utterly false. Previous to the events of 1S48
we had formed our opinion as to the character of
Louis Napoleon, and the history of the decade
during which he has made himself the arbiter of
European politics proves how far we were cor
rect. Our Impressions were embodied In series
of articles running over the whole period since
the election of Napoleon as President, and we
have given in another part of this paper some
fifty extracts from those articles from lS49 to
1853. More could be added to this collection
sufficient indeed, Of the same tenor, to fill an en-
tire impression of the HERALD. These, however,
will be sufficient to show that we predicted each
step in the career of the Emperor with almost ia
fallible exactness.
And now let us see what course the Chevalier
Webb has taken. Always afraid to endorse Louis
Napoleon he has shifted and turned and blum
dered about worse than Gyulai or his imperial
master. Less than two months ago he published
an article abusing the French Emperor
as savagely as our socialist contemporary,
the Tribune, ever did. A day or two afterward
the Chevalier called him an uncrowned king, q
parvenue emperor and raved about the unscru-
pulous means by which he had gained power
making him out, in point of fact, political
scoundrel. At that time we pointed out to the
Chevalier the fact that such conduct would not
gain for him the gold snuff box or the fftytwo
thousand and some odd dollars. Acting upon
our advice, and in much haste to vindicate his
claim to imperial reward, he now endeavors to
make himself out the only admirer of the Napo.
leonic policy in this country.
Now we don't object to the Chavalier's having
tho hoy mr. tho hank notoe, but we do protest
against his laundering, by which we are placed
on the same footing with our quadrilateral and
socialist contemporaries. And we again request
the Chevalier Webb to refresh his recollection.
Let him read over the bouquet of extracts we
have cu!led for him today. When he gets
through with them unless he previously takes
his choice between the titles of wilful calum-
niator and gentleman, we will give him some
more And in taking leave of our military and
diplomatic contemporary for the day, let us espe-
cially direct his attention to the subioined
prophetic words which were printed in the
HERALD just one year after the coup dftat (Dec.
20, 1859. We then wrote that ''unless some uu-
foreseen occurrence again postpone the war, ,ce
must ere long see Napoleon, alreudy the diplomatic mas
t~ Of Europe, leading its masses in democratic cru
SADIE against The ruling dynasties. In that day we
shall think of him very differently from now.
There is change perceptible in our estimates of
bis character during the past year or two: even
the socialists have learned to admire him. This
is but the beginning: se must husband our admiration
for the end"