Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-06-02
PRINCE" YrURBioE.

Are the American people sincere
In their protessed love for pure re-
publicanism? This question some-
times forces itself on the observant
mind in spite OF the loud acclaim
OF "our fierce democracy" The
United States has well maintained
its free Institutions and has even
progressed in making all men po-
litically equal. No such thing as a
royalist or imperial party has ever
asserted itself In this land of the
free and our model republic seems
to be running in the most even of
order. But in spite of all this, have
we not a large population who are
more charmed with the pomp and
tinsel of royalty than they are with
the simplicity of republicanism +?
Do we not as much, if not more,
than our European cousins stand
gaped at the sight of some live rep
resentative of kingly blood?
We are led to this reflection by
the homage that our neighbors of
Nashville have recently been pay
ing to Prince Yturbide, who graced
the prize drill with his august pres
ence. No poorer specimen of royal
ty could hardly be found than this
sO-called prince and it is almost
ridiculous that he should make any
preteniions to such a dignity. We
could in a measure excuse the toady-
ism among our fellow countrymen
that would show undue Difference
to Hapsburg or even Hohen-
zollern, but when that spirit is
manifested to a grandson of a Greas-
er who for few months called him
self Emperor of Mexico, it fatigues
us to think about it. 1t IS a sad
commentary on our boosted Mon
roe doctrine for the American peo-
pie to make much OF this puny off
spring of petty tyrant for no better
reason than that he calls himself a
prince. We clip the following
from the American of the 9th,
which gives some idea of the fond
ness we sons of freedom possess for
sprigs of royalty even in the person
of SO pitiable pdrUe,au as this young
Mexican:
"The brilliant reception given to
the young Mexican Prince, Don
Augustin de Yturbide, last evening,
at the residence of Mr.. and Mrs. !
Platter, on VauXhall street, was a
fitting close to week of interesting
events, and one which has set socie- |
ty all agog, by bringing it together |
under somewhat novel circumstan-
ces, the occasion being graced by |
modest young gentleman of swarthy
complexion, who may some day
become an Emperor, as was his
grandfather. His name has been
before the public of late through
the press of New York, where he
has recently spent several weeks,
his history and his personnel having
been a topic for interesting COM
ment with the daily and illustrated
papers, and in the social world of
the metropolis.
When Mexican independence of
Spain was declared in 1921, Angus
tin Yturbide was president of a pro-
visional junto then established and
in the following year became EN-
peror. His reign was short and
gave way to a republic. After some
of fortune and exile in
Europe, YturDide returned to Mex
leo and attempted to regain his
dignity but was seized and shot on
the 10Th of July, 1924. This is all
that - knnwn Of the imperial an
cestOr of the prince" whom our
Nashville neighbors have delighted
to honor. This is his only title to
except that the Arch-Duke
MaXamillian, of Austria, whom
Napoleon III of France attempted
to make Emperor of Mexico, adopt
ed this young man as his heir in
order to propitiate the MeXicans
with the hope of having one of their
own race on the throne.
We will certainly have to go off |
of the North American continent to
find a genuine prince. They are
not indigenous to this soil and don't |
well bear transplanting here. We
would assuredly not go to Mexico to |
look for a noble parsonage in any
sense of that phraze. John Ran |
dolph was probably too bitter when
he called the MeXicans "a nation OF
hooded harlOts and blanketed |
thieves" but that people have |
never produced any very exalted |
types of the genus homo and if they
have ever evinced a very noble
national trait it is their determina-
ton not to be governed by an EN-
perOr.