The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-11-29
PARIS LETTER.
Prince BisIaarck's GOssip-He Express
es Himself Freely about some
Distinguished Personages.
Our Own Letter

j
in Berlin, that will not allay the bitter,
ness that exists between the French and
the German peoples. 1t appears that
Prince Bismarck, during and after the
siege of Paris, was in the habit of ex-
pressing himself very freely in regard to
the distinguished personages with whom
he had been in contact in a diplomatic,
political or military capacity. And
gentleman of his personal staff was also
in the habit of writing down very freely
what the great Chancellor had said; and
now the words that he spoke in the clos
ct are proclaimed from the house top.
He is represented to have spoken as fol
lows of the late French Emperor:
'Whatever may be thought of the coup
d etdt, Louis Napoleon is really good
natured, full of feeling, even sentimen-
tai. As to intelligence and knowledge,
(toissen), he has but little of either. He is
particularly badly off with respect to &C.
ography, although he was brought up
and went to school in Germany; and he
lived IN all manner of fantastic imagina-
tions. His requirements are of that sort
that he would certainly be able to pass
our examination for the post of refend-
cry. I knew this long ago but nobody
believed me. told the king so in 1854
and 1885. He (Napoleon( has not the
least idea how matters stand with US.
When was made minister in Paris I
had long conversation with him in
1861. 1t was then his opinion that we
should not last long; that there would
be an enaeute in Berlin and a revolution
throughout the whole country, and if a
plebiscitum were held the king would
find everything against him. told him
then that our people were no barricade
builders, and that in Prussia nobody but
kings made revolutions; that if the king
only chose to endure the strain then ex-
listing for three or four years he would
win the game. That if his majesty did
not get weary of the whole business, and
did not give me up, should not fall -;
and that if he even then appealed to the
people, and allowed them to vote, nine
tShtho VI "OdAO NC A4Ao lawn.
The emperor speaking OF me at the time,
said: 'Ce nest pas an hOmme serfe."
did not remind him of this when
we met in the weaver's cottage at Don
cheryr'
1t Will be remembered that Jules
Favre was sent to treat for peace when
the Prussians were before Paris The
incident of his weeping having been
mentioned, Prince Bismarck said
"True, he certainly looked like it, and I
endeavored to comfort him to some ex-
tent; but when 1 watched him a little
more closely, I came to the conclusion
that he had not squeezed out a single
tear He probably thought that he could
work upon me by theatrical perform
ance, as the Paris advocates doupon their
audiences; and 1 am positively convinc-
ed that at Ferieres he had painted his face
white-especially the second time that
he was of much grayer tint than be
fore, in order to play the part of one
overcome by grief and in deep suffering.
Perhaps he may really have felt some
thing, but he is no politician-he ought
to have known that explosions of feeling
are not appropriate to politics. When I
mentioned something about Strasburg
and Metz, he made grimace, as though
l had been cutting a joke. l might
have told him what the great furrier in
60
with my wife to look out for fur coat,
and he asked me long price for the one
which best pleased me. You are surely
joking, l observed. No. he replied,
never in business"
In Versailles Favre got still grayer,
and stouter to boot-the latter, probably,
on horse flesh. But he looked, on the
whole, like a man who had gone through
so much vexation and excitement that he
did not care curse what happened to
him. 1t was extremely difficult to make
military matters at all ineligible to him
He often remarked to me that France
was the land of freedom, whilst we were
reigned over by despotism. On one oc-
casion l mentioned to him that we
were in want of money, and that Par
is would have to find some for us. He
replied that we could tissue loan" ]
rejOined that 1--WE could not do that with
cried, you can manage to get hold OF
500 millions of franks without the cham
bers." answered, mo; not five francs y
He would not believe me, but told him
that had lived for four years in a chron
&c state of war with the national repre-
sentatives; but that the issue of loan
without the consent of the Diet had al
ways been the barrier up to which haC
arrived, and that it had never even oc
CURED to me to step over it. This ap
peared somewhat to shake his convic
tons; he only remarked that sen Franc,
on ne segenerdtt pGsP' and promptly re
turned to his theorem that France was
in possession of enormous liberties. L
is really uncommoRly funny to heal
Frenchmen talk in this way, especially
Favre, who always belonged to the oppo
sition. But that's how they all are. Yor
can administer five-and-twenty lashes t.
any Frenchman, if you will only make
him fine speech all about the freedom
and human dignity expressed in thos,
same lashes, making the appropriat,
gestures to your grafton; he will forth
with persuade himself that he is not be
| ing fioggedl
A curious anecdote about Morny is re
lated by his former diplomatic colleague
at ST. Petersburg: When Morny wa.
appointed as minister in the Russian
capital, he arrived with long process
sion of elegant carriages, and countless
trunks, all crammed full of laces, silks
and ladies' toilettes, for which, as for
eign envoy, he had no duty to pay. Ev
cry single servant had his own carriage
every secretary and attache at least two
and he himself five or six. Two days af
ter his arrival he sold the whole lot by
auction-carriage lace, fashionable cos
tunes and all The profits by this trans
action were enormous. He had no con
science whatsoever, but he was really {
charming person"
Speaking of Moltke, Bismarck said