The morning call., 1890-05-01
BARON HAUSSMANN.
The First Volume of His Memoirs
Presented to the Public.
The Ally and Admirer Of Napoleon III Writes
for the Purpose Of Demonstrating
Napolson's Innocence.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

PARIS, April 12.-October 81, 1888,
wrote to THE CALL, Baron Haussmann
is preparing his souvenirs for publication,
and they cannot fail to be entertaining"
Yesterday appeared the first volume of
these souvenirs. So infinitely has the ex-
Project of the Seine described every detail,
that four volumes will be necessary for the
history of Paris under the second empire.
Although written with no reference to
style, Baron Haussmann's souvenirs are
generally truthful. and everywhere we fad
proof Of gratitude toward the Emperor.
Indeed, Napoleon LII was surrounded by
friends, for to his auxiliaries he was
kind. generous sovereign; these he over
whelmed with attention, honor and wealth,
so that around the Emperor's throne there
was guard, faithful even after the events
of 1870. Baron Haussmann. like Nine.
Carette, seems to have only one ambition
to demonstrate Napoleon's innocence. at
was not the Emperor who made the war of
1870; it was the work of a thoughtless min
istry."
The book begins with this apology for the
Emperor, but happily Mr.. Haussmann il
not always occupied with politics. Geog-
raphy, topography, history and anecdotes
occupy much space, and the old man even
relates many incidents of his youth. AL
though Baron Haussmann is grandson of
a conventional, he boasts that his grand
father was not among those who voted for
the death OF Louis XVI Those well ac-
quainted with facts say that, happily for
the grandson, the grandfather was not in
France at the time this sovereign was con-
demned to death. Had he been with his
colleagues. the ex-Prefect would have been
obliged to reproach his ancestor with the
sacrifice of human life.
MIR, HAUssMANN SPEAKS
OF his life as school-boy, as youth. He
remembers his dinners as student, where he
paid six and eight sous for outlets aed beef
steaks. He recalls that, when he carried to
MIR. Latfitte copy of the journalists proc
lamation against the ordOnnances, he found
the banker at table surrounded by the dep
utes named to torn part of the Provisional
Government, and that they were eating
melon that made my mouth water"
In school he was the neighbor of pretty
blonde boy, who was always at war with
the professors, because lie preferred ro-
mantle to classic writer's, and this pretty
boy was nlcknamed "Mademoiselle Mus
set"
The Duke d. Orleans was also his class
mate, and the Duke de Nemours he cOnsid-
cred good pupil"
DdlUH 1duSoiiidDH WIS DOlu uuIluS lIH
reign of the great Napoleon, and educated
to believe in imperial traditions When. IN
1913, Louis Napoleon was elected, NJ.
Haussmann was among the first to welcome
him, and so great an impression did the
firmness and stability of the future Pre-
fects character make upon the future En-
perOr that the former was commissioned to
control the south of France at the time of
the coup d'etat.
One OF the most interesting chapters of
the Souvenirs is that relating to a jonr-
ney to Sens, made by Louis Napoleon,
President of the Republic when Hauss-
mann was Project of Yonne. Reclining
on dIVan at one end of his wagon salon,
with eyes closed, the President seemed to
sleep, while the officials who accompanied
him in this journey talked OF the political
situation, OF the increasing hoStillties, of
the petitions for the Increase of power
given to the President. etc. Naturally, |
was questioned about the inhabitants of
my department
What they WISH" said /, laughing.
"Tbey make you understand clearly; they
supposed that they had implicitly voted De
cember 10th, and, for them, that means in
crease of the Presidential power. They
are astonished because all these petitions
seem necessary to fulfill their wishes, and
that is why they profit by each favorable
circumstance to loudly proclaim their
wishes, too loudly, perhaps, for delicate
ears"
MY ANSWER
Was followed by silence, at last broken
by NJ. Freury, Representative of onne.
And their project" said he, jokingly,
does he know more feasible method ?"
" OhW l answered in the same manner,
their project is not politician; he is a
man of action. who for the past two years
and half has performed work for which
he had not been prepared by the past, but
ne has become so adroit that he marches
toward obstacles instead of gliding past
them-in other words, he takes the bull by
the horns But that is not parliamentary
proceeding"
No." observed NJ. Freury. but it has
good qualities"
d" Listen" said 1, pretending to restrict
the conversation to US and to seem less and
less serious. l dreamed recently that
was present at very interesting spectacle.
First act: Government ordered the projects
to make O careful list of the dangerous men
in their respective department. agitators,
correspondents and principal agents of
Paris committees, and to send these to the
sea coast, from whence ships in waiting
would transport them to Nouka-Hiva,
there to found model democratic social
republic, republic after their own hearts.
Second act: Government after accom-
plishing this announced to the Legislative
Assembly the decided measure taken for
public safety. As usual, the Assembly was
divided in two groups-that of warm ap-
But this time, at the termination of the
seance, the indignant ones were compelled
not to take the road to Punishment but that
leading to place conducive of reflection.
Third act: Call:to the nation that an
sweIed what we have just heard at Lens,
what we shall still hear at Tonnerre."
December I'd were accomplished the sec
ond and third acts of my pretended dream.
The first was realized only in 1852. NJ.
Dupin, President of the Assembly, beside
N..l d.,
salon. as not long after in the Imperial
Senate, muttered: but there is a dis
lance between the dream and the reality"
MIR. President" said l, tRrning toward
him, 81 have seen realities that surpassed
dreams" The eyes of Napoleon, opened to
glance at me when the conversation began,
seemed to smile as | spoke of those who
troubled the Legislative Assembly, and
again TO sparkle when | reached the call to
the nation. Immediately after, they were
closed,
APPARENTLY IN SLEEP,
And / pretended TO see nothing, but from
that moment knew what would be the So
luton of the conflict that preoccupied every
body.
Haussmann found Paris city of compar-
alive novels and left it city of palaces.
When he was Project OF the Seine, from
1851 until 1870, he increased the annual
budget from 66,000,000 francs to 225, 900, 600
francs. The City Hall at that time was
palatial, and never again will Paris know
such superb dinners, concerts and fetes as
were given during the Haussmann admins
tration; True, Baron Haussmann made
Paris the admiration Of the civilized world,
but he also fOstered the mania for spec ula-
ton and the love of show that makes the
inhabitants by-word among nations
His downfall in 1870 was for France a
catastrophe. He, could have saved the
country after a declaration of war had he
been placed at the helm of state When the
Empress proposed to make him Prime Min
lister, Baron Haussmann replied, 81 ac-
cept on condition that the Emperor return
to Paris" The condition was refused-the
result we all know. As Project, Deputy,
Senator, historian, poet, Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honor. and member of all Euro
pean orders, NJ. Haussmann is one of the
remarkable men of this century, and,
throughout his long career, he has never
lost confidence In the ultimate triumph of
the Bonapartes. The first volume of his