National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-07
THE YOUNG NAPOLEON.

Writing to the London Times on March 10,
the Paris correspondent of that journal says:
/ "Chiselhurst figures prominently in the Paris
papers, and the speech of the Prince Imperial
Is the topic Of the day. It Is curious to OBJ
serve the various effects It produces on various
persons. The Radicals and the Legitimists vie
with each other in abusing 1t. The organs of
these extreme parties had taken pains to prepare
for it an unfavorable reception. The Gazetts de
France contains long denunciation of the i'm
perial dynasty under the heading The Titles OF
the EMPIRE Ito the confidence, gratitude, and
affection of France, y and commences It with
curious, recently published letter from Lueien
Bonaparte to lady, in which he describes the
dispersion of the representatives of the nation
on the 18th Brumaire.
"All the mistakes and misfortunes Of both
Emperors are brought into prominent relief,
and even the childish letters of the Prince I'm
perial to his mother during the fatal campaign
of 1870 are quoted to swell the indictment.
These things are too well known to have much
weight at the present time. Innumerable
books and pamphlets, including the publication
of the papers found in the Tuflleries, have ex-
posed for the most part in their least favorable
light, and often with some exaggerations, the
errors and shortening Of the Second Empire,
while impartial historians have done justice to
those of the First Napoleon. II Is perfectly well
known that the war of 1870 was plunged into
foolishly, wickedly, madly, and everybody who
had to do with that plunge desires to shift the
responsibility from his own shoulders
"Those who maintain that the fault was less
the Emperor's than that of his Ministers and
advisers will perhaps do well to leave his justi-
ication to history, or, at any rate, to defer It
to a period when the minds of Frenchmen shall
be less oppressed and embittered by heavy mis- {.
fortune. 1t Is wonderful enough that within
four years of Sedan and theee of the treaty of
peace which crushed the pride of France to the
very earth, there should be so much kindly
feeling towards the imperial dynasty, and that
its chances of restoration should not be consd-
cred extent. It Is this recognized possibility
which so exasperates the adversaries of the
empire. The RepubEiqHe FrGRcdiss, which for
some time past has tilted persistently against
the young pretender across the channel, is quite
beside itself with anger. The Royslists and
the Republicans had alike assumed that the
Chiselhurst manifestation must be ridiculous
fdseo.
SNOW, so far as we can consider ourselves
correctly informed, pending the arrival of to-
days London papers, that does not appear to
have been the case. The nl-temper of the Re
1rbliqus is so great that it ignores the dispatch
distributed by the usual agency, and which
speaks of from three thousand to five thousand
Frenchman as having gone to England to greet
the Prince Imperial on the attainment of his
majority. It confines itself to abuses of the
speech, the authors of which, it says, have
rendered their candidate ridiculous. The Or0Te
says 1t was submitted to Rouher, Layelette,
Grammont, Chevreau, and eight other ex-Inin-
listers or functionaries of the Empire. The re-
suit of the combined wisdom of this jury of
twelve is condemned by NJ. Gambetta and his
friends, who gave vent to their vexation In IN
measured language.
''The organ of that party forgets nearly all
the power it possesses has been won by its
moderation of tone, and not by SCOTS and jeers.
The Libsrte, which becomes daily more Bona
partist, is In haste to eulogize and vindicate the
father while lauding the SON. 1t believes his
tory will declare that the real guilt rests, not
upon those who declared the war, but upon
those who pushed their country into it without
proper preparation. And 1t does not shrink
from placing the young Woolyich cadet in
juxtaposition with Louis XIV.
''CaHing to mind the prophetic words ad-
dressed by Mazarin to Marshals Villeroy and
De Grammont with respect to Louis XIV, who
also was but eighteen years old when the emil
nent Cardinal shrewdly appreciated his pupil,
we will not go so far as to say, speaking Of the
exile Of Chiselhurst: He has in him the
stuff of four kings and one honest MAN. but
what we have Just read authorizes rs to think
and say of the young prince: We see in him an
honest man, patriotic prince, and also citi-
zen animated by the true sentiments of his
epoch"