The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-13
NAPOLEONS PROCLAMATION TO
THE ELECTORS OF FRANCE

NAPOLEON has at last broken his long silence
by proclamation addressed to the electors
of France, with the evident object of keep
ing alive the pretensions of his dynasty to
imperial rule. In the elections now progress
ing the Bonapartes have been well-nigh for
gotten amid the struggles between the Or
leanists and the respective republican fac
tions; but France probably still continues to
possess a considerable number of Bona
partist politicians, and the ex-Emperor wishes
to furnish them a platform on which they
can rally their shattered forces. The terrible
disasters which Napoleon invited by his
declaration of war against Prussia, and the
fearful ineficiency of himself, his chosen
leaders, and his boasted, army have
covered him with so much disgrace that
no ordinary motive could have induced him
to break the long silence which shielded his
ignominy by the protecting veil of obscurity.
But in a crisis like the present he had to
speak, or suffer the pretensions of his dynasty
for the French throne to go by default. He
therefore practically enters the political cam
paign now progressing in France as the leader
of party contending for mastery, and even
from his prison at Wilhelmshohe filings down
gauntlet at all hostile or rival organiza-
tions. Now, as ever, impudent and
audacious to the last degreee, this disgraced
and despicable usurper assumes the aggres-
sive. Instead of apologizing for his own
sins, shortcomings, and blunders, he makes a
merit of his refusal to negotiate a treaty
with the invaders, and attempts fix the re-
sponsibility of the most distressing of French
woes upon those who deposed the Empress.
Oblivious of his own delinquencies, he de-
clares that sit is time to call to account the
usurpers for bloodshed and ruin and squan-
dered resources" and while he adroitly an
nounces his indifference to what he terms his
repeatedly confirmed rights, he asserts that
until the people are regularly assembled ''all
acts are illegitimate," and he holds out, as
the last hope of a distracted nation, the
assurance that "there is only one govern
ment in which resides the national sove-
reignty able to heal the wounds, to bring
hope to fresides, to reopen the profaned
churches for prayer, and to restore industry,
concord, and peace"
The proclamation is, substantially, bid
for the restoration of Bonapartism, based on
the theory that its leader did his best, even in
the hour of his humiliation, to save France;
that his plans were thwarted by the deposition
of the Empress; that, while he failed to sub
due the Germans in battles near the frontier,
his successors did even worse by failing to
defend the citadel of the nation; that there
has been no Legitimate authority in France
since Eugenie and 'Louis and I" were de-
throned; and that peace, order, and prosperity
will not be permanently restored until the
Corsican brood gets back once more upon the
throne they have stained with so many crimes
and follies.
This plea is cunning one, and though it
is essentiply weak and false, it is still better,
in mere partisan point of view, than no
plea at all. From time to time the continued
existence of a Bonaparte faction in France,
despite the disasters at Metz and Sedan, has
been disclosed, and the hero of Strasbourg,
Boulogne, the coup detat of 1851, and the
campaign Of 1870, is determined to keep it
alive, if impudent assertions and arrogant de-
mands can maintain its existence. Louis Ma
poIeon is no soldier and poor statesman,
but he is a shrewd, desperate, and unscrupu-
lous politician, and he may give other French
politicians much trouble before they succeed
in firmly establishing new government.
The ''sbinners" are again appealing to the
l