Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-11
PRAISING EUGENE.
THE EMPRESS RiGHTFUL PLACE IN
HISTORY DESCRIBED.

arc has created sensation by the publica-
ton of documents which throw a new light
on the conduct and character of Empress
Eugene. His story reads like a novel.
| The writer says:
1T is not defense that am undertake
| ing, the empress would forgive no friend
for that; it is not a biography, for whole
book would hardly suffice to tell the story
of a life so full of bewildering contrasts. L
wish simply by facts to destroy an iniqui-
tous legend which tends to distort our his
Ory ard rests solely upon falsehood and
dishonesty.
| During the past few years there has
been pu blished almost everywhere a series
of books, pamphlets and articles calculated
to mislead the public opinion. People have
discussed even the most trivial acts of
sovereign whose misfortunes should be
barrier against injustice. They have
scrutinized her life, her projects, her
thoughts, and even her inconsOlable griefs
| And they have invented and linked with
her name vulgar fables which have been
| adopted alike by persons who have involun-
tarily forgotten the past and by those who
have never known anything of it.
1T is for the friends of old, to whom she
was so lind and generous in happier days,
to protest against this overflow of insults.
/ therefore ask permission to raise my fee
! bic voice to establish some impartial
truths The empress herself may perhaps
| be inclined to blame me for reviVing the
past that is buried for her and dear ones
gone forever; but l am certain to have
with me all those who remember her, in
Guiding the thousands of mothers whose
children III the days of splendOr were the
godsons of the sovereign lady who was
once beloved and applauded by all France.
! THE MARRIAGE.
Il vii not recall the different visits to
Paris OF the Countess de Teba with her
mother, the Countess de Montiio, but
must refer to a detail imperfectly under
stood and often exploited against her.
Certainly the Countess de Teba was highly
fiattered, honored and happy the day when
the emperor asked her to share his destiny;
but, superstitious and timid. she was
frightened at the very excess of her good
fortune. She considered the difficulties
and the burden OF her sudden elevation and
the loss Of that independence which up to
that moment was assured to her by her
rank, her birth and her fortune, and, filed
with gra -itude, Loyalty and honestly sought
I to dissuade the emperor from his project
But the emperor firmly persisted in his
resolution. As he declared to the corps
legislatif when he announced his mar
riage, he expected to find in her n wife
pious, gracious and good, who would be an
ornament to the throne and its most cour-
ageous supporter in the days of danger
By the robleness of her attitude, by her
tact and the great purity of her life, Eugene
won the sympathy and the respect of all
Europe"
After detailing some of the numerous
acts of charity of the empress, her weekly
I vie IN Il ~ Do,
where more than 800 families received as
sistance from her generous hand in utter
ignorance of the name of their benefac-
tress, the writer comes down to the aimee
terrible.
IT WAS NOT HER WAR
1.-THE phrase this is my war, attributed
to the empress, has been repeatedly and
widely published everywhere. Nothing
could be more false. The empress desired
peace The emperor and his government
endeavored sincerely to avoid a conflagra-
ton, but since 1866 the opposition repre-
scented France as Inundated by Prussia
and conquered Mt Sadowa, and the public
opinion was in favor of France taking up
the gauntlet. The cry was for war, and it
was uttered with a tumultuous energy that
nobody forgets If the promoters of this
movement have, since our reverses, de-
clined all responsibility for their attitude
in order to throw the blame upon the en-
press, history will have no such partiality.
Moreover the newspapers of all shades
published in 1870 and the official reports Of
the debates in the corps legislatif establish
beyond contradiction the fact that the pop
ulation of Paris wanted war. The feverish
eXaltatiOn in the midst of which our regi-
ments left the capital was such that when
the emperor decided to go with his army,
he avoided passing through Paris. A his
torian, who has certainly never been over
indulgent to the empire, NJ. Rotham, adj
mits that f the empress was the victim of
those warlike passions, she never showed
them.
'She an,liously asked NJ. de Parieu what
he thought of the resolution taken. I
think, madam said the president of the
state council, that if tomorrow England
could find Il formula that would permit us
to avoid his war. she would do Il great
service to France The empress replied
That is precisely my opinion
THINK OF THE ARMY"
J But what was the attitude of the en-
press regent when the news came of our
: first disaster? A man known for his at
tachment to other princes, General Cha,
7 baud-Latour, gives this testimony: On the
{ night of the 9TH to the Sth of August we
: udu JUST uedTu Oh OrDaCn ana t(elS-
choffen. 1 was called to the empress
with the ln.nisters. Nothing could be
more noble or dignified than her language
at that hour: eve are now looking after
the presery alton of the empire" she said
1--WE must see to the safety of France. y
: Here is Trochu's testimony: THE empress
has displayed GOODNESS, character and cour
} age, sentiments far more French than i'm
: perialstic. ! wish to do her this justice"
when it was proposed to reinforce the
army of MacMahon shortly before Sedan
the empress was told that the %, 900 mer
under Gene raj Vinoy constituted the guard
of Paris, and that if they We're to leave the
capital might be at the mercy of dema
gogues. Der reply, faithfully reported by
NJ. Henri Chevreau, was as follows: Let
me entreat you now, once and for all, moi
to think of me. Think of the army, think
of France. Twill hear no discussion of the
question. Don't lose moment. Let Gen
: eral Vinoy leave this very dayP"
ba 81 %l,., &c, ,.rN