The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-08-04
Impeachment of Napoleon I'M.
w. A. COLEMAN,
Secretary.


The Paris Soir publishes from the pen OF
NJ. Edmond About the following mastery
review of Napoleon's official career, and
statement of the sufferiDgs he has entailed
upon France:
May be mistaken. But it seems to me
! that we are now beginning 10 pay very
dearly our collective abdication in 1851 and
1852. A people may imagine itselfin clover
when it has relieved itself from the trouble
of managing its own affairs, and when il
| has confided tie destinies to the hands of a
bold and able man. The constitution leaves
| TO this man the power of commanding the
! land and sea forces, declaring war and ma
king treaties of peace and alliance. What
an excellent pretext for humble individuals
| to spare themselves the trouble of thinking
about public matters, and laying themselves
out TO make as much money as possible in
their own private occupations. But let us
suppose that the master elected by the peo-
pie has more imagination than genius; that
he has the appetite of a cOnqueror without
the firmness and the settled purpose neces-
sary to success; that he reckons too much
upon his stars, and expects from luck and
the mistakes of others the results which he
ought deliberately to prepare for himself
Let us suppose that he lives from hand to
mouth, tempting fortune intead of making
himself master of it. Always advancing,
drawing back and oscillating between the
possible and the impossible, and what is
more serious, between the just and the I'M
row a4champion of State necessity; revo-
lu,ionist or re-actionist, just as it may hap
pen, and ever ready to make hash of his
principles for the sake of eXpediency. it is
not at all impossible that one fine day 49,
100000 of men may rouse themselves. and
express their dissatisfaction in a way not
easily to be dealt with. Frenchmen, my
good friends, only think of the great things
which you have done by procuration within
the last twenty years. On your behalf your
HOT II o1 ha
quest of the world, and universal monarchy,
or at least the supremacy of Europe, with
the extension of your frontiers. In 1913,
when you were nominally Republicans, you
violently put down the Roman Republic :;
you fought in Italy for that divine right
which you have suppressed in Paris; you
restored the Pope, who does not thank you,
and pays you with all sorts of affronts. AT
SebastOpol you Inundated but did not weak
en- Russia: you sacrificed a hundred thous-
and men and spent milliard of money with
no other result than to draw down upon
you the hatred and rancor of powerful ma
ton. 1t is true that Turkey owes you a debt
of gratitude for having postponed the solu
ton OF the great Eastern problem; but
wretched Turkey would be of no use to you
in case of war. In Lombardy you weaken
ed Austria, aggrandiZed Victor Emmanuel,
and favored the fusion OF small harmless
States with great Power. And now you
have been clever enough to ALLEVIATE that
Power which owes everything to you by
keeping it out of its capital. After having
grouped real nation around the small King
of Sardinia, you have forced that Regalan
tuomo to be your enemy. You have sought
adventures in China and Mexico. The great
American Republic was from its beginning
the friend and ally of France. You con-
strained it to forget that it owed its exis-
tence to you. In the war of the secession
Your interests, as you understood them. led
you to side with the South, but you had not
the courage or the sincerity to act upon
your opinion. In Germany you tried sur
reptitiously to weaken Austria by Prussia
and Prussia by Austria. Your diploma
fists, who are supposed to be the pick and
choice of human ability, warranted success
After a long and ruinous war0he Austrians,
your secret allies, who, who had calcul ated,
would be the victOrs, were beaten, and the
Prussians, your enemies, became masters of
Germany. Prussia allied herself with Italy,
and your only compensation is the alliance
of Austria, who, thanks to you, is reduced
to the last degree OF impotence. Such, my
dear French people, is the result of your
campaigns and your negotiations. Peace
and war have been almost equally fatal to
you. And you may be very sure that, on
the first opportunity, Prussia Russia, Amer
lea and Italy will be ready 20 combine to
pay off old scores. This election of King
of Spain may be as good an excuse as any
other.