The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-04
BARON HAUSSMAN.
An Interview With Him Concern
ing His Memoirs.
OPINION OF NAPOLEON THE THIRD.
The Reconstruction of Paris-The Emperor's
Preference for Austria Over Prussia
Bismarck's Visit to Biarritz.


correspondent says that everybody is Look
ing forward with a great deal of interest
to the perusal of the memoirs of Baron
Haussman, which will be published about
the time this letter reaches New York.
When 1 called at the baron's house in Rue
Boissy d'Anglas this afternoon, l found the
baron sitting in a low arm chair by the fire,
with his back to the light Seen thus, he
might easily have been taken for a man of
not more than fifty years of age. His face,
which is clean shaved, reminds one now
of Goethe, now of Wordsworth, now of the
late Vau deville actor Christian. while at
times there comes over it, especially in the
eyes, a look that makes one think of his late
imperial master, as if long association had
left on the servant some of the personality
of the master.
L have been very i'll and can't move about
much. So it is about my memoirs that you
want to speak to me?" said the baron in
response to my inquiry. my first book
gives an account of my childhood and edu-
cation and brings me down to the time when
l first took service under the empire That
is to say, when l came up from being pre-
feet of La Garonde to be perfect of the
Seine. My second volume will give full
account of my career during the empire up
to 1876, and in the third shall give full de-
scription of all the works with which was
connected and by means of which Paris
was transformed into the city that it is
now. There will be chapter on
how we designed our improvents, how the
Emperor and l elaborated together and
devoted whole quarters of Paris to destruc-
ton, any reconstruction, for M. Empotor
deserves far more credit for what WIS done
to Paris under his reign than he has ever
been given credit for. There will be chap
tiers describing how we improved the wa
teIworks of Paris and of the canal that we
built, and chapters on the gardens and
squares welaid out. My book will explain
all our processes and give the reasons that
swayed US in everything we did from the
choice OF particular methods of blowing
upwards.
1.-THE fourth book will contain nv
career as a political man, or rath-
er "reminiscences of political affairs.
l may say at once that l am and always
have been of the firm opinion that there is
no other government than an empire posi-
BILE in France. am an imperialist by birth
and conviction, and think that the only DOS
sibe form OF democratic government under
which France can prosper is an empire.
The French Of all peoples in the world,
are one nation; the government should be
also; the executive power should be also.
The executive power should be stable by
means of hereditary, but with the SOW
ereignty Of the people firmly assured and
protected. The title worn by the chief of
the state here should be such as to put his
dignity on an equality with the loftiest
monarchs on earth. Those are my
opinions, and 1 will answer any questions
you may want to put to me with Difference
To my opinion on recent political events
in France, or as to what l think about the
present government and its principal CD
ponent, will only add that such repub-
lie as was proposed by Boulanger could
never have taken deep root here and for
the reason that the republic, whatever
form she may take, is really antipathetic
to France. She may put up with it for
many years, but as water will eventually
lind its way back to the sea, so also will
France find her way back to monarchial
government, representing the sovereignty
OF the people in one man. | can say that
agreed with the policy followed by the
Emperor | was the strongest opponent
of the war with Prussia that lived in
France. 1t was all along my dream, my
wish that France should ally herself with
Prussia, so that by the consent of that
state we might obtain the French provin-
ces. My reason for desiring that France
should obtain the French provinces was
first, that the Rhine seems destined by
nature to be the frontier between France
and Germany; and secondly, that it is from
the French provinces that the French peo-
pie originate, for, as you know, the
French are Franks and the Franks came
from the banks of the Rhine Personally,
as descendant of the lords of Andernach,
near Cologne, several generations back, I
had special reasons for whishing that nv
policy might be put into execution
over and over again was my dream near
realization; it was as good as offered to us
on several occasions by the Prussians.
When Bismarck came to spend few DAYS
with the Emperor and imperial family at
Blarrltz in 1864, he told me that he was
authorized to propose to the Emperor that
Prussia in return for France using her In
fiuence against Austria and thus assisting
Prussia in the realization of her dream of
founding German empire with Prussia at
Its head, would arrange for the cession
to France of all the territory
on the left bank of the Rhine But there was
influence in favors of Austria at work at
court and so strongly that Bismarck was
received, although guest, ''lil1e dog in a
game of sklttles." was quite ashamed at
the treatment that was shown him during
his stay, and 1 am sure that much of the
bitterness against France was caused by
the remembrance of that visit to Biarritz.
| That was before Sadowa. or course after
the Austro-Prussian war Prussia had no
longer any need of our assistance against
Austria and the Emperor in his anxiety to
court cabbage and goat alike.n had missed
a splendid opportunity.
MY first volume contains a preface in
which, amongst other things, 1 give the
names OF many OF my colleagues where as
ISOLATED with me in the gigantic work OF
Transforming the shabby Paris that the
emperor found into the city that it now is.
AT the mead OF this list place the Emperor
himself. Nobody so well as myself knows
the important role he played in municipal
improvements. 1t was he, / may tell YOU,
who first designed with his own hands the
plan OF the wonderful iron central markets
which were afterwards constructed hy
Ballard. There is hardly single improve
ment that was carried out in Paris under
the empire which was not first suggested
by the Emperor
1.-THE SECOND chapter also contains an ac.
count Of the revolution of July where
won my first decoration / cart saw de
served 1t, for it was only by chance that
was present at the melee in WEIGH re-
ceived the wound for which it was giyer
to me on May %, 1881. l was attached q.
general secretary to the prefecture of DO
lice to the department of Vienne. Twenty
one years later l came to Paris to fill the
place of project of the Seine, which 7 held
until the fall of the empire The remain
ing portion of my first volume relates m,
experience as government functionary ant
will, | think, be found an interesting con
tribution to history.'
Ottawa and Washington.