The Indianapolis journal., 1890-10-21
D,UzEs AND BoULANGER.
How the Unhorsed General Received tn
Grand Danes Devotion and Fortune.

How the Unhorsed General Received the
Grand Danes Devotion and Fortune.
Paris Letter in Boston Transcript
The great washing day of Boulangism
is not Yet over. The unpleasant steam has
been hanging over France for month; but
1t still rises, and almost every day some
fresh candidate for distinction comes for
ward and takes q turn at the tub. The
lady who presides over this great lessive-
there can be little doubt of it nOw-is the
Duchesse Dues. and the chief garcon de
lavoir is M. Mermeix. He was carried
by q wave of BoulanGIsm into
the Chamber, and. being safely there
aud realizing full we'll that the Generals
game is lost one. he has undertaken to
write (Or rather to edit for the Figaro the
nearly plunged France again into the hor-
rOrs of civil war. and TO let all the cats out
of their bags. 1t is most evident. however,
that he could not have done what he has
done had there not been a complete under
standing on the subject between himself
and the lady of great wealth and ancient
lineage, who, by Il deplOrable error of judg
ment, allowed herself to be drawn into the
Boulangist current, and who exposed
herself thereby to those inevitable insinu-
ations, which, in France, moro than In any
other country, a woman should forecast
and fear. Long since there were whispers
which must have reached the ears of the
Duchesse through members of her family,
ferred to treat them with contempt. Now
something has happened which she could
never have imagined possible. The brave
General himself, through the medium Of
one of the papers which reflect his thoughts,
has had the almost lnconcelyabIe mean
ness to tell the world that the Duchesse
Dues, at the time when she allowed her
money to flow in a continuous stream to
nourish the cause of Boulangism. had forgot
ten monarchy and princes. Her dream was
fD fat a1kh fhnV. fhDf fnf hnl
restoration. Her aim was centered upon
person v hom she wished To see great.
This is how man who has been command
er-ln-chlef of an army corps, and who Is
known 10 have shown great bravery on the
battlefield, avenges himself on woman
who. having allowed three millions of
francs TO be extracted from her by him OF
his agents, has at length told the public
frankly the whole truth of the business.
These base insinuatiOns, coming from such
a quarter, are in reality more calculated
than nything else that could have hap
pened to disarm calumny. They show that
the Duchesse has not feared to make
Boulanger an open enemy. On the other
hand, they have fallen upon his own
head with crushing effect. for they have de-
stroyed the lingering belief IN the minds OF
many that, notwithstanding all his mis-
takes, he was gallant homme. The follow
ing from the Radical is a specimen of the
caustlc criticism which his explanation of
Tue DucucSSe generosity mas caliou IOT6u.
The reproach was cast upon him that he
had received money from persons interested
in the restoration of the monarchy. He
protests. if rich lady gave him money, it
was not with a political object. bnt for the
sake of his handsome head. He wishes the
public to know this, for he is proud of it..
As the kind lady no longer sends him q sou
he compromises her like coward"
The opinion that there is deep political
intrigue underlying the revelations of the
fnl- -fr,rr Form NJ hn
there could be no longer any doubt that the
Duchesse d'Uzes plays prominent part in
stirring up all the commotOn, the question
naturally asked was what her motive could
have beenf She must have been guided by
something stronger than feminine Wilma
frivolous craving to be talked about. When
people have beenduped they generally like to
keep the matter quict If they are sensible.
For the world shows more rIdicule than COM
passion for persons III this position. Mme
600 in the case of Boulangism. OF rather
royalty. for she quite believed that when
the General on the black charger had over
thrown the republic. the monarchy would
take its place. Had the conspiracy sue
ceeded this would probably have been the
resnlt and Boulanger would have been
well enough sati sfied with the splendid
compensation which would have been made
him to keep him quiet. But it failed be-
cause there were too many cooks in
euo hitonCu' anu euoy epoiIe VIC uloeh
Rightly or wrongly. the Dnchesse Dues
is said to have thrown the Comte de
Paris over as q dull prince incapable of
playing the part of pretender IN such a
way as to win the enthusiasm of the French
people, and that the object of the revela-
tIons In the Figaro. which have proved
very damaging to the CoElte de Paris, has
been to compel him virtually to abdicate
from his pretensiOns in favor of his son.
/ think there is more than one grain of
truth in this view of the affair. French
women, when they do dabble in politics.
embark upon intrigues which men would
finch from. They are intriEuantes of the
first water. and possess brilliant genius
for conspiracy. The history of France
affords only too ample testimony Of the role
they have played in politics.