Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-02-28
THE COST OF EMPIRE,
An Inside View Of the Corruption an
ProfIiSacy of the Third Napoleon.

! From the Evening Post.
| One of the first things done by the French
government after the war was over in 1870
was to appoint a commission to collect classify
and publish the private papers and correspond.
ence of the imperial family found in the Tlile-
ries after their flight. The commission was ap-
pointed in September, 1870, and early in Octo
Der IT had issued two volumes, one of 49, and
the other of 2SS' pages, which were extensively
distributed but strange to say almost immc(li-
ately disappeared, and have ever since been
all but impossible to find. A writer in the Janu.
airy number of the Edinburgh Recieao seems to
have got hold of copy, and makes q synopsis
which certainly contains some facts which no
French man ought to be able to read without a
blush. The papers show that the French nation
in 1851, 20 years after the great revolution.
allowed vulgar adventurer to take almost as
complete and as irresponsible control of its
treasury as Louis NV, who had all the ira
ditions of the old monarchy behind him, and
who governed in an age when no continental
nation had ever voted its taxes or seen a
budget.
The private correspondence of the emperor
and the memorandum books of his secretaries
prove that the Bonaparte family-that is the
emperCrS relations. far and near-received
from him between So3 and 1870, in the way
of Sits or allowances, and without any service
rendered therefor to the state, over S14 100000
Besides this the emperor distributed in ''aIlo-
cations, subventiOns, pensions, gifts succors,
indemnities and cncouragements to art
science and literature over S1O.OO0,OOO To
ln1S must be added various ALLEGATIONS on "the
prlvy purse, special fund reserved by the
emperor for his personal use. Under this head
about 100000 was distributed annually by
NJ Ihelin, 1.-The keeper of the privy purse" Then
there were other distributions of a similar
character by PerSigny, one of the cOuspiratOrs of
the coup d'ctot. when he was minister of the in
terror, making altogether the commission esti-
mate about S1i,OOO,OOO more All this
S2e 100000 comes under the head of '.munifi-
cence." 1t has nothing to do with the regular
civil list or salary paid to the emperor, rather
appropriated ny him. as ''chief of the state
The IrZnber OF smaller pensioners and bene-
fciaries was very great. His mistress before his
marriage, Il Miss Howard, received between
! So; and 800 $ .Os2 600. Letters were found
from her later in 1860 asking for $500 600
more There are memoranda showing that in
one year. not mentioned. but doubtless soon
after his marriage there was sent to his mother
ln-!aw in Spain, the Countess de MOntjO, no
less than 81 sos. 16O. the empress had a resl,-
lar allowance OF 500 900 Il month. He was, in
fact, very generous to various women. 4 certain
Mile Marguerite Bellanaer &C lnoWledgcs CRATE
fully the receipt of con >idcrabe amounts hut
there is no trace of the exact sums. Countess
Emile Cainpana had Endorsed q note for him
when he Wa President for SO. 500 BY 1870
she had received nearly $4,000. Miss Mary
Gwynne, another mistress. apparently received
SION: then she got $4,000 by way Of dot on
her marriage in 1852, and then 81 800 by way
OF ''succor" in 1SGs. a lady named at -
got In 1857 alone the enormous sum of
$4,000 Another. Mile. AlcXandrine Nergeot
got numerous sums, finishing up with 50, O0Oi in
1852. The christening Of the prince imperial
cost 81 O.o00. Besides all this il appears that
the emperor had in 1866 on dcroSit with the
Earnings in London nearly S5,0O0,00O in
money and securities as a provision for rainy
day.
The corruption of the rest of the gang, o:
course. kept pace according to their opportuni-
ties, with that of their chief. Morny got 80 per
cent on the .icckcr bonds for his influence in
forcing u recognition OF them from Mexico, and
grew. as is wcll-kuOwn, enormously rich in sim
liar ways. Magnan another cOnfidant Of the
corp detdt, was made Il marshal, with good pay,
allowances and chances, but nevertheless died
Sl61 900 in debt, which was discharged by the
emperor. Fialiu, alias PcrSi.ny, pocketed, un-
doubleday, large amounts also, but they We're
mainly through salaries and allowances for the
high offices he held. He was undoubtedly. too
Louis NapOleon's go-between in. many dirty
transactions.