The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-26
M. THEIRS AND vsCrOR MUCO.

trHS IeSJlVlUlcS. M t.r n.
NJ. THEIRS AND VICTOR WUCo.
suxo'- Aspirations and The"rics-Thicrs
Eccentric sister.
The most important man In France
lust now is unqtiestionably Victor Hugo.
All the newspapers in the country are
filled with praise or blame Of him. The
Figaro. which abominates the republi-
can doctrines OF this great writer, never
theless devotcs ut least half a page, or
more than ono eighth Of its whole space.
daily to ridicule and abuse him. The
Figaro has taken infinite pains to find
out, first, that Victor Hugo Is really
Count OF Cogolludo," an absurd title
which is alleged to have been conferred
on his father by the Donaparte King OF
Spain; second, that he descends from
a family which has no pretence at all to
nobility; and third, that he said and
wrote some very silly things when he
was a young man. 1t does not matter
much who he is or what he Is, or
whether he talked or wrote wisely half
u century ago. At present, it Is an open
question whether he does or does not
hold the destinies of France in his keep
ing. Furthermore, in the present tenn
per of the national mind, it is doubtful
whether he would not be chosen
| PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
instead of Theirs or Gambetta, should
anything occur suddenly to dispossess
MacMahon. He Is an aStOnishingly
vigorous old man, and he would shrink
from no responsibility which his fellow
citizens might desire to impose upon
him. Indeed, he would probably con-
slider the chief political Office In the
State as the browning glory Of his life.
| for he has always been ready to ex-
change the pursuit OF literary fame for
parliamentary distinction. SO be it. If
the near future among the surprises it
assuredly has in store for us should
bring this one out of it's budget OF won
ders, France might be in worse case
than with Victor Hugo for q master.
She would have much wholesome. and
still more speculative legislation applied
| to her needs, real and alleged. She
would be governed by a born king or
men. Many people besides radicals
and dreamers would welcome the advent
OF Victor Hugo to power. But, unfor-
tunately for France and for himself, he
would not be content with the posses
sion Of high authority in his own per-
son. He is evidently determined to drag
~ queer persons who belong to his party
following. He has many of the
HATREDs OF HIS EXILE
unappeased; many wild and dangerous
projects formed i'm solitude and sorrow,
which he would realize without hesita-
ton. One OF the first acts OF his gov
eminent would be to make M. Louis
Blanc Prime Minister, and his next
would PROFESSIONALLY be to deprive the
clergy OF all support from the State.
His third measure would be
A GENERAL AMNESTY,
which the French Republicans now de-
scribe us " u two-sided contract" which
signifies not only that the Government
is willing to pardon alleged criminals,
but that the alleged criminals are will
ing on their part to forgive unmerited
sufferings. These wholesale measures
would be followed by the
ABOLITION OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT,
and the setting up Of an absolutely free
press, while all restrictions on public
meetings and public speeches would be
likewise abandoned. A government
framed, however, upon these Utopian
principles could hardly last three weeks !,
and therefore M. Victor Hugo's friends
should rather desire to see him in oppo-
sition than in Office. As a Senator, whose
every word commands the attention of
the French people, he may raise his
voice effectually against many forms of
evil. He may often startle corruption
into honesty and abate the cruel AFRO
gance Of power which must render ac-
count to him. But as the chief of the
State himself he could be nothing bet
ter than a sublime failure. Il a .s4SfF fl
NJ THEIRS
seems rather to have declined in popu-
larity during the last few weeks. He
has been several times more or less in
disposed, and has not been able to take
an active part in the recent elections.
At first his physician attributed the
symptoms from which M. Theirs suf-
fered to slight cold, but they could not
be shaken off so easilyas he anticipated,
and "the eminent man." as he is called,
sometimes in respect, sometimes in de-
rision. has been u good deal confined to
morning by his intimates, toward 0
o'clock, with his black coat buttoned up
to his chin and booted ready for jour
ney because he repudiates the effem-
macy of dressing gown and slippers),
but he has lost much of that petulant
manner, that peremptory accent, which
he made so vivacious and amusing. He
ought to be in good health, however,
for he has just got rid of one OF the great
plaques Of life-a poor relation at once
rapacious and impudent. His terrible
sister, Nine. Gravier, died very recently
at Marseilles, and it might have been
more agreeable to M. Theirs had she
departed this life long ago, for, not be-
ing able to levy sufficient blackmail
upon her famous brother, she pretended,
in 1919, to be a legitimist who was indig-
nant with him on patriotic grounds, and
up an eating house with a board over
the door bearing these words: "a table
d,hote kept by the sister of M. Theirs"
The obnoxious notice was ultimately
removed by the police, but NJ. Theirs
has not generally been fortunate in his
relations. be had q brother who was
such very astonishing person that IL
was impossible to give him anything
better than an ordinary consular post