New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-25
ORLE4NrSM DECLINING.

ORLE4NTSM DECLINING.
The last words pronounced by M. Theirs IN
the French Assembly before he was oye'-
thrown by the vote OF the cath OF My,
seemed to have prophetic quality. The eni-
nept old man, IA he left the Presidency, called
his aristocratic rival, the Duke de Broglie, a
"proteg6 of the Empire This Parthian shot
was considered by some rather spiteful ana
by Others as entirely destitute of Justification
But many subsequent events have shown how
wel-founded the epithet was. Every success
full vote in the Assembly, by which the Mac
Mahon Government has confirmed its hold
upon power, or advanced its views, has been
accomplished by means of the aid given 10y
the compact little phalanx of the lmperlaiis's
who form the faction least considerable Id
numbers, but most Trustworthy i'll discipline
and most unembarmssed by scruplos, now 10
the Versailles Parliament. They do not pre-
tend TO be supporters Of the Government. Oa
the contrary. their organs are often VndiehuI
bitter against the cabinet of Dukes. Ihey
assist it on occasion for their own purposes,
without prejudice. They regard 1t as conve-
nient stops gap until the son OF the late EN-
peror becomes old enough TO repeat the ras-
caly comedy which proved so profitable TO his
father in 1870. But they mako no professions
of adhesion or loyalty to the temporary Cabi-
net of which the Orleanist mobiles are tho
leaders.
The recent election in The Pas-dc-Calais
will have tendency to press home upon the
Duke de Broglie the taunt which M. Theirs
flung at him in his last hour OF government
Ever since the cath of May the MacNahOn
Cabinet has been excrting all It's energies to
carry an election, by way of showing that 1t
rests upon popular consent as well as upon
the accident of a vote in the Assembly. They
have steadily failed in this endeavor. In spite
of every exertion of the central authority at
Paris and its delegates in the procedures, the
expenditure of money, the support OF the
clergy, and the great moral weight which the
known favor of the Government for the time
being always exeTts the voting constituencies
of France, in the provinces as well as in the
cities, have perSstently refused to send a sin
gle Orleanist or Lcgitimst to Versailles. The
Republicans have suffered only one defeat,
and that will scarcely afford any comfort
TO the partisans Of either branch OF the Bour-
bons. After a hot and close contest In the
Pas-de- Calais the BOnapartist candidate has
been chosen by small majority. This can
scarcely DO considered the beginning of Con-
sentative reaction. as ut the same time,
coalition of all the monarchcal elements has
failed to elect the Duke de Mariner IN the
department of the Haute-Saone. But 1T shows
more distinctly than will be agreeable to the
Faubourg st. German or the Ministry, that
they are making no Roadway in their scheme
of bringing back the historic dynasty to France,
and that all their efforts have no other effect
than to favor the restoration of that dlsrepu-
table regime against which they protested and
fought for twenty years.
1t is only in opposition that the house of
Orleans has ever been popular. The princes
of that family have many virtues which mis-
fortune and exile bring into special promi-
nence. They are cultivated. honest, brave and
loyal gentlemen. But they have one quality,
not perhaps objectionable in a citizen, but
which has always been fatal to the popularity
of princes. They are frugal almost to par
smony, and unrelenting IN the pursuit of any
money TO which they have a claim. They are
already immensely rich, and the restoration of
the estates of which Napoleon III. robbed
them, although it is hard to find fault with it
from the point of view of law and justice,
has been most unkindly regarded by the
voting population. At time when France is
staggering under its debt of five milliards, the
masses could scarcely be expected to look with
favor upon what appears to them present of
ut least forty millions of francs TO family
which was sufficiently Opulent before. To
add TO this unpleasant impression it is now
rumored in Paris that the Duke d'Aumale is
trying to recover from the Chancellor of the
Legion of Honor legacy of two millions be-
queathed for charitable purposes by the late
Prince of Condo, whose heir he is. Some wis
of the Boulevard has given these thrifty
princes the name of Les VOrdces, and the
parody seems greatly relished. For these and
other causes, the Orleanist Cause is not only
not gaining, but is positively losing strength
among the people of France since its parti-
sans came into power Legitimism having
been happily made impossible during the life
time OF the Comte dc Chambord the field is
left virtually free to the Republic and the
Empire. 1t would be doing injustice beth to
the princes of Orleans and their friends to
doubt that when they once recognize the fact
they will throw their influence upon the side
of the Republic, as against that vulgar con-
splracy which has its headquarters at Chisel
hurst.