The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1886-12-17
THE ORLEANS PRINCES.
How They Have Gradually Lost
Ground Since tho Establishment
of the Republic


is probably destined to have more effect
than is generally imagined upon the
situation of the Orleans princes, and.
although it may BE- too much to say that
the gift of this splendid domain to the
nation viii bring about the immediate
return Of the Comtc de Paris and the
Due d Aumale, it may make the way of
Cancellation more easy. But in order
TO understand what the situation of tie
Orleans family now is, it is necessary
TO revert for moment to the events
which have occurred since the close OF
the war, i'm the course of which more
than one member of the family served
his country with the greatest distinc-
tion. There can be no doubt that a
considerable proportion of the deputies
elected to the national assembly in the
beginning of 1871 imagined that the
restoration of the constitut .onal mon-
archy would be matter of little or no
difficulty; but whether because the Or
leans princes themselves were lacking
in decision, or because they allowed
themselves to be out-maneuvered by NJ.
Theirs. the opportunc moment was al
lowed to pass; the legitimists had time
to rally their forces and the republicans
to increase their strength The restitu-
ton of the property which had been
confscated by the empire was also
used as a weapon against them soon
afterward, though, as matter OF fact,
they only received back, out Of the "a,
O00,0 900 sterling worth of land, ETC., ia
ken from them, property of the value
of FL, 100000. And this, it should be
remembered, was given back, not in
money, but in land and houses. Still,
though they were surrendering more
than half of what belonged to them,
this restitution deprived them Of many
friends, not only among the peasantry
and artisans, but among the more en-
lightened classes of the community.
Following upon this came the visit of
the Comtc dc Paris to Frohsdorf in
1873, and although this step was taken
with the best of motives, in the hope
of diminishing the number of parties in
France and of rallyng round one flag
all those who believed that monarch
zeal form of government was better
adapted to France than Il republic. it
did not increase his popularity with
the legitimists. while it had quite the
opposite effect on the moderate men,
who, accepting the republic as being,
to use NJ. Theirs phrase, the form of
government which divides us the
least" would have preferred constitu.
tional monarchy.
After this. and until the death of the
Comte de Chambord. the Comte de
Paris held almost entirely aloof from
politics. and when he became the chief
of the house of France the republic had
the prestige which an existence of
nearly thirteen years confers, had
grouped numerous interests around it,
and had obtained a clear majority in
the senate as well as in the lower
chamber. All this made the Comte de
Paris position very difficult one, and
there can De 40 doubt that Prince Bis
marck has from that day to this set his
face resolutely against anything like
the restoration OF the monarchy of July,
being firmly convinced--and in this he
is nc doubt right--that such restora-
ton would tend to make France more
powerful than she can be under existing
circumstances. 1t was because the Due
d. Aumale, who did not share the views
of his nephew with regard to the fusion,
saw that he could do nothing as poll
tician that he asked to be restored to
his rank of general in the army,
and did not seek reelection to
tho new chamber at the dissolution of
the national assembly. 1t will be re-
membered to his credit that after pre-
siding with great credit at the Bazaine
trial, he was appointed to the command
of the Seventh army corps at Bcsancon.
and it is admitted even by his political
adversaries that he had brought it TO
high state Of efficiency when he was
deprived of his command. 1t was only
then that no retired to Chantilly and
commenced the restoration. not to say
the reconstruction, of the chateau VIII ch
he had inherited from his great-uncle.