New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-23
THE ORLEANS PROPERTY.

There will be very little objection made to
the vote of the French Assembly on last Sat
urday restoring TO the family Of Orleans the
property Of which decree of the late lmpe-
rial Government deprived them. In the first
place there was no warrant whatever for the
spolation of this family. The property which
belonged to them was not derived from the
temporary occupancy of the throne by Louis
Philippe 1t was the result of careful man
agement and prudent matrimonial alliances for
many generations. The marriage of Castor,
the brother of Louis Kill, with Made
moiselle do Montpensier brought an enormous
estate into the family, and the union of Phil
lippe Egalit6 with the Duchesse of Penthievre,
the richest heiress in Europe, doubled the al
ready immense wealth of the house of Orleans.
Louis Philippe. was doubtless taught the les
son of frugality by the vicisSitudes of his
early life, and when with the restoration he
came to his estates, he administered them with
the greatest care and skill. so that at the time
of his accession to the throne, in 1880, he was
reputed the richest private citizen in the world.
The confscatiOn Of this vast property was an
act of robbery entirely in keeping with the
general immoral course of the late Empire.
There is no decent reason for refusing to re-
store it to the plundered family.
There is no warrant for the fear that this
act of restitution will prove detrimental to
the interests of the Republic The progeny
of Louis Philippe is so numerous that no
very large portion will go into the hands of
one person. The amount to be restored is
estimated at forty millions of francs, or say
eight millions of dollars. This is to be di-
vided into eight portions of one million of
dollars each to the following families The
first to the Count of Paris and the Duke of
Chartres, grandchildren of Louis Philippe, both
married and with children; second to the
Duke of Nemours third to the Prince Of
Joinville fourth to the Duke of Montpen-
sier fifth to the Duke of Aumale the
surviving sons of the King, all of
whom have families. The other three
portions 60 to the three daughters or their
heirs; the sixth to the King of the Belgians,
the Count of Flanders, and the Empress Char
lotte of Mexico, as the heirs of their mother,
the Princess Louisa; the seventh to Prince
Philip of Wurtemberg, from his mother the
Princess Marie; and the eighth to the Princess
Clementine of Saxe-Coburg, sole surviving
daughter of the King of the French. 1t is
probable that even this large fortune, when
divided among the ffty-two persons who have
claims upon it, will not appear enough to
seriously threaten the liabilities of France.
On the other hand, the fact that the already
opulent princes of this house have asked and
obtained the restitution Of these estates will
greatly injure them in public opinion. At
time whom the nation is in such terrible need
of money it will not conduce to the popu-
larity of these noblemen that they have taken
so large sum from the treasury. The weak
point of tho 0rleanists has always been their
thrift. Ono of the most effectual means
adopted TO break the loyalty of the people in
the agitation that preceded tho revolu-
ton of 1913 was the charge of ava
rice and greed directed against Louis
Philippe and his family. Every time he
asked for dOtation for member of his
household the demand was met by q storm of
caricatures and pasquinades. The King was