New-York tribune., 1870-08-23

|
in the plot The former of these it is suspected was
100 oiv the right hand but also part of the brain,
| of NspoIeon Ill while he lived. All were equally
| odventurers having everything TO gain by success,
! od nothing TO lose by failure. But even on the 4th
| of November when the National Assembly, and the
oyp d[tdt according TO Bonapartis writers, was al
IL, nrenared Louis Napoleon did not scruple to
roneat the solemn declarations of his previous mes
sage. His Presidential oath may be forgotten but
fhis gratuitous perjury is established by the tesl-
,ponv of his own friends. Nothing further is needed
to illustrate the deliberate falsy of all his former
professions the unmitgated baseness of his nature.
His demand for the restoration OF universal SUI
frage at this time was clever expedent. 1t seems,
according TO NJ T6nots showing to have entirely
deceived the Republican party, while it placed the
monarchical factions in an embarrassing POSITION
Another circumstance less favorable to his plans,
was the proposition of the qu9stors laid before the
Assembly on the 9Th of November. Ii gave the
President of the Assembly the right to command
armed force whenever he should judge 1t necessary
Although il was intended measure OF defense, IN
view of the apprehensions among the members OF
the Assembly especially the Right, it was repre-
sented to the people a dangerous menace to the
President whose ardent patriotic expressions they
had just received. Had the proposition been car
ried the revolution secretly prepared by the Govern
]
the 17th after exciting debate, it was rejected by
vote of 4OS to 500, one hundred and fifty Repub-
| licans voting nay.
This vote was naturally interpreted by the people
as a triumph of the Government. Moreover, the
Presidents proposition to repeal the law of May 81,
1850 limiting the right of suffrage, had come within
six votes of being adopted. The latters influence
and popularity, and his security against any hostile
action on the part of the Assembly, were assured
The pretext relied upon for the cause of the coup
dfat the proposition of the quRstors) had been re
moved, and the people, weary of their long un-
easiness, relapsed into quiet and confidence.
One fact however, was generally overlooked-or, at
least its peculiar significance was not suspected III
five months there was to be an election for PRESIDENT
and by the provisions of the Constitution, Louis Ndpo-
leon BOnapdrte Was not permitted to be candidate
Another term of four years must intervene, before
he could be eligible for reelection Had this clause
not existed-had his term of Office peacefully ex-
pired and been succeeded by election-it would
only have delayed, not changed, the result.
The manner in which the coup d6tdt was carried
ont is now well understood, in all its details DR..
V6ron, Cassamac and Mayer. have told, in some re-
spects more than they intended, and NJ. Tenot very
skillfuy forces them to testify to the true story
In addition to the original cOnspiratOrs, DE Morny,
PersiCny and Fleury, st. Armand had prepared Gen
| Magnan, VINO IN ms turn Dau gwen ulhJ VI soho
impending movement to twenty-One general officers
(among them Canrobert and Forey), fortnight be-
fore the I'd of December and received assurances of
their obedience Maupas the Prefect of Police, was
the last admitted to the plot, and, as it appears,
the least determined, for Persigny was obliged to
brace him to his work by presenting pistol at his
head. The reader has but to glance at these names
TO see that they represented portion of the French
/ people. no slightest interest in the country. They
were obscure political gamblers who supplied their
chief with the bodness and reckessness he lacked.
in return for the use of his name.
NJ T6not thus states the plan it was arranged in
| advance, and afterward carried out
ls The nocturnal Of the Representatives. above
All the generals whose influence seemed the most TO be
feared This was the part reserved TO the
3D. The nocturnal occupation Of the Palace of the
Assembly distribution of the troops at the strategic
3D. The printing and publication of the deerees and
iican or parliamentary newspapers.
1t was agreed that these various operations should be
moment of execution fixed between $50 and $50
o'clock in the morning, the hour when Paris sleeps
deprived of its most energetic and influential nehDei
scsiohs Sne rod stemp oHy vain proesatons There
were good for suppOng that the people would
hatred of the Royasfs, combined with the resta6sh-
of universal suffrage permitted If not enthusiastic
apprObatiOn, at least nOnntererence to be hoped for
The army of Paris comprised OF carefully selected reg
imentS, commanded by chiefs upon whom the President
could rely was numerous enough 10 oppose lhe most ol
midable resistance II composed not less han 5000 men,
could be reinforced in hours by 10000 soldiers OF
Louis Napoleon had neglected nothing in order to pre-
pare troops for secOndng him i'll enterprise which
the concurrence of the army alone rendered possible
The most remarkable circumstance connected with
the execution of the plot is the skfu instinct with
which the many minor agents-to whom nothing
could be revealed until the critical moment had ar
rived-were selected. Only long preparatory es-
pionage could have accomplished this; for, of the
agents detailed on the morning of the I'd to arrest
the seventy-eight prominent citizens, among them
Cavaignac Thiers and LamoTiciere, not one refused
to perform his part. The special duties of De MOrny
Gen. Magnan, Prefect Maupas and Fleury had all
been arranged beforehand. The latter, with com
pany of gensdarmes took possession of the National
Printing Office, and each cOmpOsitOr stood between
two armed men while the decree and the two proca-
nations of Louis Napoleon put into type. These
were printed and posted all over Paris by daylight
Maupas had charge of the arrests, which made
| simultaneously at o'clock in the morning. Magnan
took military possession of all the newspaper offices
| except the two Imperialist journals, and Persigny
acted as factotum running hther and thither, and
carrying reports of progress to Louis Napoleon.
1t was highly important to gain possession of the
Palace Of the National Assembly in whichthe qu9st-
Ors were lodged and which was guarded by battal-
ion of infantry; but Col. Espinasse by little
easy strategy (snce there suspcions carried
out this part of the plot By sunrise, the whole plan
was executed, and with so little disorder that very
few except the cOnsprators and the families of the
arrested citizens had any idea of what had happened
The people learned the truth from the decree and
procamatiOns which were, by this time, posted all
over Paris. Even then the fraud and falsehood en-
bodied in them not Immediately recognized. We
need only quote the opening passages of the Appeal
| 10 the PeOple: