New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-04
TOPICS IN PARIS.
SCANDALS IN THE LEGION OF HoNo'
REAL PATRIOTISM IS APPARENT IN FRANCE
THE TEMPERATE MODERN STAIEo"iH>-
QUEER sWINDLERs.

REAL PATRIOTISM IS APPARENT IN FRANCE
THE TEMPERATE MODERN STATESMEN
QUEER swINDLERs
Paris. July 90
VIII NJ Casimir-Perier accept the vacant post
of Grand Chancellor OF the Legion OF Honor!
That is the all-absorbing question or the mo-
ment and the general impression is that ne
would do well to .ollov the example or gaiiah'
old Marshal MacMahon. who. when the post
was offered to him by President Carnot. repiicu
that ne would only accept on one cohul'io"'
namely that no more crosses should be con-
fcrred for Exceptional services" This Is term
used to evadc obedience to that statute OF 'he
order which provides that no knighthoooa oi
the Legion shall be conferred unless the gazette
publishes in detail the precise services Tor winch
the cross he's been granted. Now. since the dc-
cession to the throne Of Napoleon III, ana more
especially since the war Of lSlO-I1 the Legion OF
Honor stead Of being used exclusively 10! re-
warding long years OF service 10 the o'"te Va
acts Of glliantry in battle. has been iarseS ue-
voted to ne payment Of Obligations mostly po-
lltical but often Of a still less aVo"aoe Shd'-
actor :, was t. meet such cases as these that
the term services exepuonnels was invented
which. Ike charity. was cloak tha' served u
cover multitude Of sins.
General Fevrier's resignation of the Chancel-
lorsnip of the order--a step which was iminedl-
ately followed by that Of the entire council-was
owing to he action OF the Chamber Of Deputies
IN passing vote condcmning the council and
demanding It's reorganization on the ground that
il had declined t. remove the name Of NJ Einel
from the roster Of the order. ". Einel. it may
be Remembered was sentenced. along with ".
odd her incr.Tluatet
Panama scandals to term If scrvitude Tor
fraul tie sentence being finally committed By
The Supreme Court Of the land not because the
man was innocent. but merely because the in
dlctmcni had not been found within the very
short statutory limit II time after the perpetra-
ton of the offence. This. Of course. while It re-
uev,d H. Einel II the necessity Of going 70
prlson in no way removed the stain from his
honor In spite Of this. however. the Council Of
the legion persisted In retaining his name on Us
lists in defiance not only u the verdict Of the
criminal courts. bur also - that particular
statute Of the order which supuates that any
one Il the Knights who snail have been guilty
+ conduct in any way questionable and dishon-
orablc even n no; criminal. shall have his name
erased from the roster.
This Is only one u the scandals that have
smircheI the fame Of IN grand order during
the last my years. President Grevy, among
others having owed his overthrow to improper
distribution az decorations Yet. In spite II al
this the cross remains the great distinction
which every Frenchman. no matter whether Re-
publican or Monarchist. starts out in lie u OBJ
tain II is his one ambition above all others.
his incentive To- many deeds Of heroism and de-
votlon the record 81 which completely casts In
the shade Incidents such as the one when
has led - the resignation + General Fevrier.
Among those who have been thus led 10 dis
tingulsh themselves have been mere boys. such
as FOR instance. young Delrat. who was barely
sixteen years old when he received the cross for
capturing five insurgent flags on the barbados
during the bloody days Of the Commune
PATRIOTISM coNQrERs PARTIsANsHIP.
t. what extent patriotism has obtained the
upper hand ~ mere party spirit in recent years
Is apparent from the manner In which the Mon
archists = every shade and description have re-
ceivol the recent proposal 10 erect at Qulbcron.
IN Brittany, a memorial church 10 those royal
lists who were either killed in battle or subse-
quently shot down in cold blood on that small
peninsula a hundred years ago. The names OF
those who persisted thus were among the most
illustrious and noble In France In fact. there
was scarcely single member OF that royalist
expedition who not emigre and did not
belong to the French aristocracy. II might have
been expected therefore that their descendants
would have been among the first 70 applaud
the proposition Of the Able Seveno. rector OF
the parish Of Quiberon But instead of that
they are unanimous In condemnlng his project.
as well as what they describe as mis- lack Of
patriotism. They inform him-even in print
that. although they mourn the fate Of their
forebears who persisted at Quiberon. yet they
can In no way c0untenance the erection OF
memorial which would appear to express their
approval Of the misguided conduct OF their an
cestors In allying themselves with the troops of
England. a country then al war with France for
the purpose OF invading their native land They
add that the only condition on which they would
consent TO subscribe to any such memorial would
be II il were destined TO honor not only the
royalist insurgents but likewise the Republican
soldiers who fell while lighting against them in
the defence of France. This reply shows true.
healthy and patriotic spirit the part OF the
French mobiles OF the present day and proves
that they are Frenchmen before being royasts.
instead Of being as were their ancestors. royal
lists before being Frenchmen. 1t is the spirit Of
which Marshal MacMahon was the most honest
pcrsonincaticn and the great Taeyrand the
most dishonest. both being alike convinced that
their duty toward France superior to loyalty
to any mere dynasty. While this relatively new
departure the part Of the French nobility
BODIES Ill for the cause OF the several pretenders
NNNNNNN1>UANN
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