Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-09-14
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gaped and wondered, and went to
sleep the next night still puzzled and
incredulous about the whole affair
How was il all donel How was II
possible that a Republic, embracing /
so many scholars and intellectual
readers, could have gone ont like
snuffed candle in a single mighty But
hero was precisely the difficulty; The
Republic of France had not in its be
half single great leader. II had
plenty of scholars, orators, poets, phi-
losophers and dreamers, and reiormers
without number, but il had no great
leader. 1t had host of such famous
men as Lamartinc and Victor Codsid
Grant, but Lamartine was a poet and
Victor Considerant was a dreamerj
both grand in idea but excessively
small in action giants in thought but
pigmics in political-physical momen-
tum. But this physical momentum is
precisely the only thing that that tells
at all in the hour of revolution.
If the world was startled over the
extraordinary events of 1913, 1t was
omazed in 1870 to learn that in sin
gle moon an Emperor had offered bat
tic to ncighboring Kingdom, and ere
the end of that moon finds himself a
dethroned monarch, and this once
proud President of betrayed Repub-
| lie seeking safety in the camp of the
enemy.
Let us look for a moment at the
history of the last years of the Empire
of France, which was nothing more
than a stock gambling concern r.
joint stock company for working mp
the national wealth Of France-the
dividends of which were shared among
the ministers and their more or less
numerous dependents. Louis Napo.
Icon was the George Hudson of the
company - Robert Macaire on the
throne - taxing, expressing and i'm
poverishing the people to build up the
wealth Of his imperial supporters, the
ministry. 1t was this that FASTENED
the great disaster The masses, in
lamen;able ignorance Of tho true con.
dition Of the Empire, and suffering
under the oppressive drains Of the
demands Of their rulers, clamored for
war; clamor which Napoleon was
compelled to heed, although be knew
he was not in condition, financially
or otherwise, TO war with a great
nation like Prussia. This the French
people did not know for, under the
deccpiions practiced on them, they
we're constantly inflated and choercd
with the false reports Of the prosperity
Of the Empire. But, arrogant in hi:
false pretences, and hopeful in bis
weakness, Napoleon yielded TO the
cry, trusting to his former good for
tune, gave the declaration of war tc
Rhine revealed the whitening truth tC
France that she was not ready, bel
armies not equipped, her soldiers moi
, properly prepared, her forts not sufli
GENTLY garrisoned, her treasury almost
, empty, the money, the sweat and toi
of the masses squandered by the prodi
gality of the ministry, and the results
disgrace and defeat
The condition Of the United States
, to day is not unlike that of France.
We have the same recklessncss OF
expenditure, the same bouudless inna.
ton, the same universal display Of
means, the same financial roguery,
the same confidence and impudcnce
Oh the part of tho rich, which France
profcssed before her recent tumble.
The laws that govern finance, the
laws Of initiation and collapse, are the
same in all time and in all lands.
Our millionaire of to day, loaded with
grccnbacks, five twontics and other
baseless bits of paper, swims proudly
on the sea Of pride and insolonce, in
idiotic blindness to the inevitable
storm that must soon drive him upon
the shore. If you quote history, he
gazes at You with vacant stare If
you tell him in plain words ;hat the
collapse is near at hand, be answers
you with a snoor If you tell bin
that the same thing that is now going
en- here has swept away thousands OF
Kings before Napoleon came TO grief,
he laughs outright. But the poor fool
will not be able to laugh away the
doom chat will fall. OF the DAY and
the hour when it viii come no man
can tell, but our own country is no
s.sesrt'e- e. . law thaf has been
hitherto unvarying, and if America is
wise she will not disregard the warn
ings Of history.
LAND SALEs OF THE UNioN PACIFIC
RAILROAD The sales Of the Land
Department Of tho Union Pacific Rail
road Company for themonth Of August
were ,5Ss,5I-1O0 acres, amounting
to SIS, ,765.9Oaveraging $40 per acre
The total land sales Of the Company
amount to sl,0I2, ,597TL
GOSPEL Turn The New York
Sun asks .What would have been
thought Of Lincoln, IT, after our Bull
Run, he had, like the Empress Eugenie.
rent the air with cries of despair ~
Well we have this to say oft: Inall I