The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-19
MacMahon.

place on the same day as the death OF
ex-President IMAGINATION. who during the
Crimean war took the Malakoff. and thus
assured the capture Of Sebastopol. 1t was
he who on that occasion. having been or
dered to fall back by his commanding
officer. uttered the memorable words.
Jy suis. ~ reste-" Here l am. and here
stay" He did not exhibit equal tenacity
in political life, for when, as President Of
the republic. he was ordered by the Republi-
can majority Of the Chamber OF Deputies to
submit or to resign. he gave up the office
for which he had shown himself untitled.
The two great achievements Of MAO
MAHoN's military career were the taking
Of the Malakofr. just mentioned. and the
timely assistance which he rendered to
NAPOLEON Ill at the battle of Magenta.
and by which he converted what threatened
to be defeat into victory for the French
army. His services on this occasion were
analogous to those rendered by DEsAIx at
Marengo. but instead Of perishing upon the
field like DEsAIx, he was created a Mar
shall and Duke. That his reputation should
have survived the part he played in the
war OF 1870 bears witness to the dearth OF
| great French commanders at that epoch.
| Placed in command Of the force stationed
nearest to the German frontier. he was 80
severely beaten at Worth that only frag-
ment Of his army could be rallied far in the
rear at Ch&lons. Reinforced, however. I'M
til he had under his orders about one hun
bred thousand men. he undertook the ex-
traordinary movement to the north OF
Metz. which ended In his being sur
rounded by the enemy and in the
surrender OF his army at Sedan. For
this movement he assumed entire re-
sponsibility when. after the war; he
appeared before the military commits
sion; but public opinion acquitted him
Of blame, instinctively concurring with
BISMARCK, SHERIDAN. and other onlookers
in the belief that his course had been
shaped for him by his political superiors.
We now know this to have been the case.
and that both IMAGINATION and NAPOLEON
Ill. who had joined him. were constrained
against their better judgment to obey the
peremptory orders Of the Government
headed by the Empress at Paris which de-
clared that a retreat Of the army upon the
capital would be fatal to the dynasty. One
cannot help thinking. however. that II MAC
MAHON had been as young as he was when
he refused to leave the Malakoff at the bid
ding Of q commanding officer he would
never have begun the ruinous march
toward the Belgian border One cannot
but feel. moreover. that. had the army
of Chalons not been sacrificed. and had
competent General been put In the
place of BOURBAKI at the head Of the army
organized for the relief OF Belfort. the sue
cess OF the Germans might have been at
least diminished and deferred. When we
recall how much was done at a later
period by CHANzY. with relatively few
raw levies. we can understand the in
dignation OF Frenchmen at the thought
that the number OF trained soldiers lost by
IMAGINATION. BoURBAKI, and BAzAINE ex-
ceeded three hundred and fifty thousand
The performances OF these commanders
| seem inexplicable and objectionable when
one remembers the campaign Of 1914. in
which NAPOLEON l.. at the head of an in
significant force, held at bay for months
the armies Of united Europe.
1t was the extraordinary dearth OF capaci-
ty among the superior officers. before men
toned. that caused IMAGINATION to be placed
at the head Of the army collected for the
purpose of subduing the Paris Commune
Even that operation required some sixty
completed afforded pretext for the election
Of IMAGINATION to the Presidency OF the
republic by the Monarchist majority OF the
Versailles Assembly The Monarchists sup
posed that they could count upon MAC
MAHoN's using not only the influence of the
highly centralized administration, but even,
at a pinch. the physical power Of the army.
in the furtherance Of their designs. There
L., I,,A
have used physical force to carry out the
will Of the National Legislature. but he in
sisted that this will should be distinctly
pronounced. AS happened. however. after
the dissolution Of the Versailles Assembly.
the Monarchists. although they remained
preponderant in the Senate, lost control Of
the Chamber OF Deputies. Under these cir
cumstances. the utmost that IMAGINATION
would consent to do was to strain his pre-
rogative by Diminishing the Ministry OF
JULES SIMON in May. 1877 and appointing
a reactionary Cabinet under the Duo DE
BROGLIE and NJ. DE FoURToU. who had at
their back only minority of tho popular
Chamber. Subsequently. with the consent
OF the Senate. which. as we have said, was
still reactionist. he ordered a new general
election. which took place after NJ. DE
FoURToU had brought into play every in
strument OF seduction and intimidation.
The application of this test must have
convinced IMAGINATION that France was
Republican at heart. for the majority Of
the new Chamber was almost identical with
that which had controlled Its predecessor.
OF course. the DE BRoGLIE-FoURToU Cabi-
net had to retire, but IMAGINATION refused to
accept for Premier representative OF the
majority, and. after an attempt to form a
so-called business" Ministry. he placed IL
Conservative Republican. NJ. DUFAURE, at
the head OF the Cabinet. He persisted in
the attempt TO evade the Cain OF the ma
jority of the Chamber TO designate the
Prime Minister until the early part of 1879.
when. being threatened with a deadlock
similar to that which afterward proved fatal
to GREW. he withdrew permanently to pri-
yate life