The New York herald., 1869-05-01

| courteous but incisive He went far as to ques-
| ton tue basis of tae constitution without any one
rising to stop him while going over sucn perilous
| ground; and T. de Cassagnac IN ms JonFfhH ce
| pEntDre, the next day, accused the President. A.
LeIoux, who ofciated in the absence OF M.
schneider. OF having failed IN his mission when ne
allowed NJ. rhicrs attack the state for more than
an hour in the presence OF the Minister'S may add
that It was remark for the orcia, journalist
to make; but 1t wouid have been exXemeiy difficult
lor ~ LerouX to oppose dyke To the wing torrent
Were 30 taken BY surprise that M. Theirs came on
them like = cautious wrestler, very quietly. HIS
system to proceed by granting concessions TO
his adyerslres ne gives them plenty of space, then
IN the development oi his ideas he discovers IN them
several defects, which ne points out IN mild way;
ana thus he aimadVerts until he gets them up To u
| pillar, where he derldes them and sooa comes down
! on them with smart whipping. an" he exclams,
.you say France Is free; where is ner individual
bertys where is her electoral bertyS where IS her
liberty of the presss where Is her liberty OF meet
lngsy where Is the liberty OF ministerial man
date?"
NJ. Rouher, in furious frame of mind scrambled
up TO the tribune, and. boiling with impatient
anger endeavored to destroy the effects OF NJ fhiers
improvisation, put In so abrupt way that I. Favre
applied TO him the precept OF CicerO:-"When good
reasons are wanting an orator has but to throw
himself into violent passion"
II France were more careful OF her own interests
she would read such speeches those Of +. Olivier.
Theirs Fayre anu Picard, but under the present re-
gime 1t Is lnconteStable that the affair oil all has
become the affair OF none; few know the noble zeal
which characterlZes studious patriots, ana TINS Il
every day proved by the utter degenerate state OF
puDlc feeling IN popular meetings.. Three or them
have again been dissolved. The OF the conflict
is ever the same. The police officer who oficiates
rises and stops an orator for discussing politics; she
orator swears he Is doing no such thing; the officer
threatens 10 toss MIN the tribune ii he dare con-
tradict; orator contradcts again IN sedefence; up
stand the audience: "He didn't say they. "He did,
says the polce; evacuate the hail;' and gentlemen
and ladies get turned out; those who resist are
iG pD locked up Tor the night AT the Sale robert
whole cloud OF Sergents-de-piHe came TO help
people out. When just complaints arise the red
spectre Is eyokedthe speclre OF reyOiutl0nand the
nation quails.
The Enpcror's Letter Criticised.
The Emperor NapoeOn's recent letter to the Min
lister OF State regarding the preparations for COM
memorating the hundredth anniversary OF Napoleon
l., the text of which was published In the HERALD
few days back has attracted considerable attention
in political circles in Paris. The semlOfcial press
have little to say on the subject but the two inde-
pendent papers, the Temps aud AUerir, make up for
the retcence of the other journals. The Acenir is
especially bitter, may be judged from the tone Of
the following savage attack
If the coming elections did not explain the letter
1t would be incomprehensible, the Emperor being
fully aware OF the controversy 1t wOula give rise to-
Since Napoleon was born ''many ruins oi the en-
pre- have accumulatel.n Yes, many RUNS; first,
the ruins OF the old regime, over which the genius
Of the revolution scared slorl0usly, and next The
ruins OF the moral and material conquests OF the
revolution and 1t is those that tine ngure OF Ma
poleOn stands out. lt Is still the figure OF NapO
Ieon,n says The Emperor, (which guides and pro-
am" on this last point the Emperor Is right; at all
events he has right TO judge himself as he likes
tnat Is ms atialr and not ours. But when he says
makes singular mistake. When Napoleon guided
us he guided US to Spain and Moscow-that Is tosay
TO those catastrOphes which have diminished the
prestige OF our arms and caused France 10 undergo
numiliations after having felt all the favOrs OF for
tune. And since the Emperor says that Napoleon
still guides US, the Mexican disaster is easily under
stood. But II the SOuDenlr OF Napoleon guides 1t
does not protect u.s. When Napoleon, forgetting his
nnf hl a TO Alin fhn
France OF the revolution, bright with glory OF
republican arms possessed as frontiers the Alps, the
Rhine and the Schedt Prussia was associated with
our policy by interest; Russia by amour prOpre;
and, without being too much engaged IN German
interests. Yes, we were protected: protected by
the sympathy. admiration and respect of peoples;
protected by our natural frontiers; and we had
peace. which had finally descended on revolutionary
France heroicaliJ defended by liberty. 1t was in
that admirable situation taat Napoleon took France
aad threw her into which was to last ten years
and end In double invasion. This Is the way in
which the remembrance OF Napoleon guides and
protects US. "Napoleon,'" says the Emperor, "caed
France the great nation" lie right iOr, thanks
to the revolution, she was indeed the great nation
But when the Emperor adds that Napoleon "de-
veoped the manly virtues which found empires" he
forgets the best known but saadest part ol the his
tory OF his uncle He forgets lSl4, Fontanebeau and
ardly abandoned their master-a those dignitaries
who by the uaseness Of their ingrattpde, make the
shame Of their servillty forgotten He forgets above
all, that Napoleon reaped what he had sowed; he
did not like free men or Independent characters at
the supreme moment he only found lackeys and his
empire at tine end resembled that OF which Montes-
quieu said that 1t could neither live with soldiers
nor without them. ~ desire,r says the Emperor,
'that from the 18th OF August next all soldiers OF
the republic and the first empire should receive an
annual pension OF $50 francs" II, Is not likely
there still exist soldiers Of the republic this passage
Of the Emperor's letter will recall many sad
things. 1t Will make them remember the time
when, recognizing no longer B0naparte surrounded
by monarchica pomp-neher the general Of
Italy, nor, above all, the victor OF royal
ism at Toulon and of the 18th vendemaire-when
they asked themselves what mad become OF so many
fine speeches, glorious exploits, oaths, VOWS, and
hopes. We are, said they to themselves, no more
than revoted slaves who are made to reiorge the
chains which they have broken. But those VINO, ac-
cording TO Thbaudeau, spoke thus IN 1893, will not
be able TO read the Emperors letter they are all
dead. 'To render homage 10 the memory OF great
men, says the Emperor, Is to recognize OF the
most striking manifestations OF the Divine wIln II
Is not men, however great they be, who make the
greatness Of nations II Is zee and happy nation
winch makes the greatness OF those who have
trbuted 10 assure It's we-beng and its liberty. For
a Tree people there are nelther exceptional, mystic
rious legendary beings; there great citizens
and honest statesmen, ike Washington. With the
theory OF pretended piovidential men dictaors are
created with uctat0rs comes tyranny, and With
tyranny the decadence Of nations.