New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-02

STRICKEN DUKE
Paris November %.
or all the Presidents that have held Office since
the establishment OF the Republic. there Is not
one-not even "le pare Grevy"-who has been
subjected to such viruent and universal abuse
as NJ Casimir- Perier. Not content with assail-
ing him, the people attack the ladies OF his fam
ly the Radical and Socialist press publicly de-
handing the Impeachment OF his aged mother on
account Of the alleged nefarious influence which
she exercises upon his administrative actions,
while the monarchists OF every shade nave
turned their batteries upon the Chief Magis-
trate's wife 1t seems that when the car
died Nine. Casmr-Perier, in burst OF essen
TALLY feminine sympathy for the stricken
Czarina. addressed to the imperial WIDOW
touchlngly worded dispatch Of coincidence Any
where else this would have aroused no unknd
comment, and it would have been considered as
quite natural, But here II has given the Royast
and Bonapartist press an excuse for attacking
Nine la Presidente and through her, OF course,
her husband She Is charged with assuming a
position to which she has no right, and or
usurp!ng prerogatves that only belong to per-
sons OF sovereign or royal rank. 1t Is pointed
out to her with no little brutality and coarseness
that whereas the President himself Is a public
and official character. his wife has been entirely
ignored in the framing Of the Constitution. No
mention g made OF her; she Is accorded no
precedence save by courtesy. and In one word her
position is just anomalous as that Of the wife
Of a bishop Of the Established Church OF Eng
land. Her husband is not even allowed to make
use OF a cavalry escort when he has her with
him in the carriage and while the President, as
exercising sovereign powers on behalf OF his
without ever being expected TO return visits, his
wife on the contrary. is obliged TO do so. her
failure on one occasion to comply with this re-
quirement having led 10 quite a strongly worded
protest from one OF the foreign Ambassadors
stationed here-a protest which was Immediately
followed by apologies. md a return call on the
part Of Nine. la Pres!dente. The monarchists
make a special poIn, or the alleged fact that the
wife OF the President OF the United States has
70 kind OF official standing. and declare that she
is kept in the background 10 such an extent that
a number Of people who have visited the White
House are 10 this day IN ignorance as 10 whether
the Chief Magistrate Of the United States Is
single man or married This idea, at any rate
has been voiced by the "Gauois." the chief
organ ~ the Monarchical party and Of the great
world in Paris: from which II would appear that
the fame OF Mrs Cleveland has not travelled
across the Atlantic to any such extent as
might have imagined from the frequency with
which her name and pictures appear In Ameri-
can newspapers
All this might be treated with Indifference. $
mere passing spleen were T. not for the fact
that both NJ Casimlr-Perier and his amable
and charming wife seem To take the matter very
much 20 heart That such is the case is mani
fest from the number OF private individuals and
newspaper editors who are being prosecuted and
fined nay. even imprisoned for what is described
In legal parlance Outrage au President APP
parently the republican synonyme for the Of
fence known "lese majestic" In monarchical
countries. Indeed. the frequency OF these suits
IN France just now Is almost great those
brought In Germany for speaking disrespect
fully Of Emperor William. The President has
even been impolitic enough to take exception to
one Of the comic papers. the editor OF which has
lust been sentenced TO n long term OF imprison-
ment and heavily fined for describing the Presi-
dent "A the grandson Of n usurer. This. OF
course led 10 n most elaborate discussion OF the
character OF the grandfather and of the other
ancestors OF the President in court in man
ner that must have been CALLING for the whole
II the Cas!mir-Perier family
In one word poor NJ. Casimir Perier recalls to
mind the fable Of Lafontaine concerning the
miller. his son and the donkey. In which the for
mer two after having tried In vain TO please
every one. finally wound up by dropping their
iackass into the river. There are many people
here who believe that NJ. Casimir-Perier will
end by doing the same with the Presidency No
matter what he does he Is abused When he
drove TO the Longchamps races In daumont he
was accused OF aiming al dictatorship and or
vulgar ostentation When he drove TO the au-
tumn manoeuvres In a closed carriage he was
tainted with being a coward and as afraid OF
the Anarchists. He has been assailed for his
clerical tendencies by the anti-Clericas, and
FOR being hand in glove with the Jews by the
Cler,cals When the wretched Hoffman family
committed suicide masse the other day. driven
thereto by want and starvation. their death was
laid at his door. His fortune of +0,0OO.OOO francs
is a standing source OF bitterness to every one
not possessed Of wealth. The Radicals charge
him with being an aristocrat. II not by birth. by
education and surroundings and claim that he Is
likely TO ictray the Republic; while the Mon
archists on the other hand. lose opportunity
OF reyiling Him and his family for their lack
OF SAVIOR faire, and for those faults usually at
tributed 10 parvenus. However. 1t will be Il
sad day for France II NJ. Casmr-Perier allows
himself to be driven into throwing up the Presi-
dency. Fer he s one OF the few public men OF
France whose past Is entirely clean and who Is
without "antecedents
The death OF the Vlcomtesse Lepic on Monday
last removes from the scene another Of that brill
liant cohort OF beautiful women who constituted
the circle OF which Empress Eugene was the
bright particular star. Nine. LEIPZIG was one OF
the ladies' in waiting OF the Empress. and re-
nowned for her wit and her beauty. 1t would bein-
teresting to learn by what means all these ladies
succeeded in retaining their astonishing appear
ance OF youth. their beauty and their elegance
until so late In life and long after they had be-
come grandmothers. The Comtesse Pourtaes
the Princesse de Sagan the Marquise de Gallif-
fet the Comtesse de Montebello. and the Cont