The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-07-17

sumed In debates about technicalities. The
real issue was how the Past might be set up
again in Europe and tho Future prevented.
This profound business SO med1aeVal ana N
nne, was still on at the end Of February, lSl5,
when the startling news was borne to the Con-
gress that Napoleon Bonaparte, quitting Elba,
had landed at Cannes.
The intelligence flashed north, south, east
and west. The cowardly and pallid Past en-
throned in Paris smiled a CHASTITY smile. The
Court newspaper chronicled the landing az
Cannes thus: 1.-THE Information comes to Us
that that miserable adventurer and brigand
Bonaparte has left the island Of Elba and again
polluted the soil Of France with his bloody
feet" The next notice Of news from the south
was given In the same organ thus "Our intel
lgence is that the man Bonaparte has set out
from Cannes to Lyons, and That certain turbu
lent adventures have Joined him on the way"
On the following day the same paper said: ut
Is now certain that General Bonaparto ut the
head Of great and enthusiastic force is ap.
preaching tho city, on the Lyons road" On
the next morning the paragraph read thus
"His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon entered
the city last night, and slept at the TUilcries!"
This journalistic transcript OF events, alb
surd as 1t seems, was IN striking conformity
to the facts. On the LIST Of March the "man
out from Elba the ship Zephyr, on which he
sailed, had been accosted by the barquo In
constant, whose officer called ont through his
speaking trumpet, saying, Chow is General
Bonaparte2" Napoleon, being on deck and
hearing the call, himself took the trumpet of
the Zephyr and answered, 1.-The Emperor is
quite web, thank you'll" At the landing, when
al enthusiastic peasant came up in salutation,
Napoleon said to Bertrand: Here Is one re-
cruit already"
The spectacle that ensued has no parallel in
history. The old soldiers Of the Republic and
the Empire rose as If from the earth to greet
their commander. His progress en- route to
Paris became triumph. At Grenoble the Off.
GERS and soldiers Of the King joined him. AT
Lyons the forces of the Duke of Orleans went
over to the Emperor. Ney, who had accepted
The Restoration and become a peer of France,
bad promised tho King to put Napoleon in an
iron cage and bring him to Paris. With a di.
vision Of the army he met his old commander
ut Auxerre, forgot all his hateful oaths Of al
Aegiance to the Bourbons, and rushed into the
Emperor's arms.
For eighteen days the gathering tumult
swelled and broke into tempest of onthu
slasm. On the 10th of March, Napoleon enter
ed Paris, and the Restoration was blown like
thistle-down out Of the city. Louis fled tt
Belgium, and his Royalist followers returned
to England The Congress of Vienna rose sud
denly from the consideration Of court etiquette
and regalia to find that their card board hous.
in Paris was gone, and that the Imperial Re
atty was there again with the gray coat, ono
three cornered hat and marble face, Just e.
Of old.
From the lst of March to Waterloo was n pc
riod Of q hundred and ten days. History call
IL the Hundred Days. The iron purpose OF Ma
poleon, his tireless energy, and omniscien
perception, were never seen III such prodiCiou
eruption and glare as IN this period Of hi
fate. The allies had become desperate. TIL
whole world perceived that the Imperial re
publicauism of France, unprecedented in Bona
parte and springing In the wind of his sword
must now triumph to the borders of Europ
or perish miserably under the heels Of BANDED
kings. The two ideas which the parties of tn
past and the future represented We're irrecon
cilable: they could no longer coexist. Ethe
must Napoleon and his dynasty be- stampe'
into the earth, or the old system of politica
society in Europe disappear forever.
The French people sprang to the call In
few weeks S61, 900 men, volunteers and con
scripts, were thrown into the field. 1t was tn
last call to arms, and France was draine,
from her mountains to the sea-draincd no
only of men and horses, but of that mora
force and enthusiasm which constitute tn
soul of war. Napoleon declared that with
few additional weeks in April and May OF lSl
he would have drawn around his Empire
rim of brass and fire that no human powe
could penetrate.
But he vas obliged to take the field with In
complete preparation. The allied armies o
England and Prussia, under Wellington AM
blucher, Came on, the one from Flanders, AM