San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-11
NAPOLEON AS CONSUL.
His Tireless Efforts to Secure for
Himself the Crown.
Tricked and Overreached by His Own
Tools His Rage Knew No bounds
How He Was Made First
Consul for Life.

When the treaty of Amiens was to be
formally ratified, the opportunity was
at last found for step which had long
been desired by Bonaparte with an
eagerness but poorly concealed from
his friends. This act, writes Prof.
Sloane, in Century, marked the closing
Of the temple " Janus, the pacifica-
ton Of the world, the contamination SC
long and so ardently desired In France.
The popularity of him who was the
author of the peace could reach M
higher limits. To mark the gratitude
of the state for his services, to guaran-
tee the perpetnity of his great work,
his power must be prolonged. As to
what extent, no one could learn his
wishes; whatever recompense the great
powers of the state chose to bestow he
would accept. In vain were all at
tempts to sound the depths of his de-
sires. The browning honor must be
forced upon him. But his friends were
not astute, and even the sympathetic
senate failed to apprehend what would
be considered its duty. The programme
laid down was consequently of petty
dimensions.
When the treaty was laid before the
tribunes their president proposed that
some striking mark of national graft
tude should be bestowed on Gen. Bona
parte, first consul. There had been, in
private conversation, a question of pre-
senting him with the Castle of st.
Cloud, the royal residence nearest to
Paris; but he declared that he would
accept nothing from the people during
his term of Office, and the proposition
was dropped. The resolution offered
to the tribunes meant, however, some
thing of the same sort. 1t was adopted,
and committee of conference at once
carried it to the senate in order that
"the first assembly of the nation should
interpret a general sentiment" which
the tribunss could only express.
With dexterity acquired by habit
the complaisant senate made ready to
formulate a decree. Both the pro-
longation for life of the consulate and
making the Office hereditary were pro-
posed as fitting testimonials. Pretend
ing to believe that the first consul's
public virtue would repulse anything
so radical, the majority rejected these
suggestions and prolonged the term of
his Office for ten years. When he saw
himself thus overreached by his own
tools, the reticent chief magistrate was
boundless in his rage, aud displayed a
dangerous passion. But he soon mas
tered himself, and received the senators
with formal thanks.
That night there was a council of the
family, with many confidential friends,
in which either Lucien or the "wise
Cambaceres" suggested an appeal to
the nation. Next day Q99 FloreaD the
first consul appeared before the senate
and declared that his respect for the
sovereignty of the people would not
permit him to accept the prolongation
of his magistracy without the authori-
cation of the nation, and proposed to
ask for plebiscite on the question:
Shall Napoleon Bonaparte be consul
for life? Roederer wished to add;
"And have the right to name his sue
cessor," but the general declared that
that would be an encroachment on pop
ular rights, and struck out the words.
Three months elapsed before the re-
turns were complete. In the interval
both tribunate and senate fastened to
vote In favor of both the measure and
its object. Generalization as to the
foregone conclusions soon began to
reach the Tuileries from all quarters.
1t was in this interval, moreover, that
the two servile bodies finally stamped
with their approval the measures which
reestablished the slave trade, even
though nothing decisive had as yet oc-
CURED at San Domingo. 1t is impossi-
BILE to analyze the motives of men rep
resenting a country the most enlight-