The New York herald., 1870-02-09
Tho Exoitement In Paris-The Roohefort
Bnrricndes-


Gable kilograms which we publish this
morning show that the arrest of Rochefort,
which took place at his residence, at Belle
vile, on the evening of Monday, provoked
rather serious outbreak in the immediate neigh
borhood. In the Rue du Faubourg du Temple.
the Rue st. Maur, the Rue Grange aux Bellies
and in other neighboring streets barricades
were erected. As early as eleven o'clock a
detachment OF imperial troops arrived at the
scene. The excitement continued throughout
the night, and in the morning covered wider
surface. Every precaution had been taken by
the government. The military and the police
were on hand. Some arrests had been made,
but neither the military nor the police had
resorted to the use Of firearms. Street fighting
and rioting Of rather serious character fol-
lowed during the morning and day yesterday.
A police officer was killed. "Young France"
was out at the barricades. Rochefort's more
immediate friends were as infiammabie as
possible. Quiet was, however, restored at
six o'clock yesterday evening. The latest de-
spatches have it that the precautions taken
were such as to prevent outbreaks in any
other quarter.
This intelligence will be looked upon by
some as alarming, by others as assuring. One
class viii see in il the end Of Rochefort and tho
Reds; another class will see in it the begin
ming of the end of Bonapartism. So far as we
ourselves are concerned we are neither sur
c1,o L.. l..
disappointed if Rochefort had not been arrested
and if bis friends had not made some show in
his favor. We should have been surprised if
the government had revealed any weakness in
as a grand game, in which the Emperor and
Henri Rochefort figure as the principal play
ers. Which has played the more skilfullY
it is not yet time to say. Rocheiort
has been doing his best to make
himself a martyr, and at the same time and by
the same means to make Bonapartism ridicu-
ious. Napoleon has been doing his best to
allow Rochefort and those who act with him to
play radicalism out Both players have
almost won; but neither has absolutely gained
his point. Rochciort is now in prison. So
far he is martyr but his martyrdom is not Of
a kind to do him much honor or to win him
much power. Napoleon is still master of the
but it is questionable whether
Napoleon would not have been more powerful !
in France ana all the world over to-day If he
had been less lenient and little more imperi-
Gus. In other words, Napoleon has given
Rochefort little too much tether, and Roche
fort has not failed just so much as perhaps
the Emperor thought he wonld. In his new
r5te of constitutional ruler Napoleon has not
been quite so successful as he was wont to be
in the role Of Caesar. 1t is our confident belief
that if the Emperor or his ministers do not pull
up and show little more energy the enemies
of imperialism, in its soft as well as its hard
shape, will become at once too numerous and
too powerful.
Most men, looking at the present situation
in France from the standpoint of intelligence,
will cay that the Emperor is master because
he is master; that he wins and continues to
rule because be has the army at his back
The great question of the hour is whether
Napoleon can continue to count on the army
as he has been able to do in the past. All the
world knows that he has been what he has
been because the army was his obedient ser
yant The army made him. The army hith- |
,rto has sustained him. The army is still !
aithful. But the army of France, like all !
,ther armies, is fckle and chsngeful. If the |
hat tha Ev,,,or1r'o |
hand is weak, that his sun is going down,
that some otaer star is appearing above the
political horizon, the army will begin to look
out for itself and make what terms it can. A
French army has already deserted Bonaparte,
and he the greatest of his name and race. A
French army has gone forth from the Kings
presence and with the Kings blessing to bring
back the Little Corporal in an iron cage, only
to come back with the Little Corporal at its
head to dethrone the King and make an end of
his kingdom. The French army has been
faithful to the present Bonaparte because he
held the reins with firm and vigorous hand. |
IF the vigor fails, if there is any sign Of weak
ness, the chiefs of the army will tremble, the
army will become demoralized, and there will
be an end of the empire and of the Bonapartes.
1t is not at all an impossibility that Napoleon
in exile may give us another series of ''Idees
series richer in wisdom,
because the result Of ripper and larger cx
perence.
At the same time while we admit possi-
bilties we do not abandon our beliefs or give
up our honest and well established convic-
tions. Napoleon in our judgment, never was
more completely master Of France than he is
at this moment. He is not willing to shed
blood He does not need when the Cham
bers are with him almost to man. But if he
is provoked, if his lenient and patient policy is
persistentiy misunderstood or misrepresented,
he will have no choice but to again reveal him
SELF He can and he will. if need be, sweep
the streets Of Paris with grapeshot. He can
- hn ioh