Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-11-30
WHY DE cHAMeoRD DID NOT REIGN
Ee Promised tn Make No Objection to the
TricOlor, but Backed Out.

Tricolor, but Backed out.
Philippe de Gran1liou, who is i'll
The confidence of the royaliSts, adds,
Try an article in Lie Figaro entitled
"Dacisive Testimony, 4 final chap
ter to several recent publications. ON
the incident which il the most in
tcresting of French history since
the var with pruSsia-~that is. the
failure Of the attempt to restore the
monarchy in 1873,
The "reminiscences of NJ. dc Con
taut, the personal memoirs Of the
Due do Broglie ana tho intimate
notes of NJ Il Haussonvi'lc on tho
Comtc dc Paris have qGite cleared
the question tina. tho incident pro-
vokcd, hut NJ. Chonolong knew tho
exact reply TO several inquiries. Was
the failure of the conspiracy caused
by the political groups, which tried
to impose impracticablo conditions
OH the Comte de Chambord? Was
it caused by tho prince, who, either
because he did not understand the
sentiments of the nation or because
he did not care to reign, issued the
manifesto that made the effort Of
his partisans useless? What did the
different factions of the national as
srmbly demand? What were the
real thoughts and declarations of
the representative of royulism?
There was committee of nino
appointed by the assembly, COM
posed of delegates from the four
factions of the majority. General
Changarnier, president of the COM
mittec, wrote the constitutional
propositions to be submitted to tho
Comic dc Chambord. M. Chesne.
long was appointed to interview the
prince as the ambassador of the as.
scmbly. He had three interviews
with tho prince. There were no wit
ncsscs. The prince died II years
ago, without telling what happened
ut the interviews. M. Chesnclong
has written u memoir of $50 pages,
and which Philippe do Grandlieu
has read. NJ Chesnelong says:
"1f | break tho silence today, the
reason is that owc my testimony
to truth and justice. owe it to that
majority of tho national assembly
which the committee Of nine repre-
sented, and at which I was the con-
tldential messenger. l owe it to the
integrity of my character, the best
Inheritance which l may transmit
to my children. May I dare to add
that ! owe it to my oountry?' M.
Chesnclong had taken precise notes
Of the events in which .hc took so
in rortant part. His relation was
written from these notes i'll 1885,
and he has not altered it. He says:
Il do not relate all that was done;
! simply tell what | saw and what l
have known, tho facts and tho do
bates in which | had part, the i'm
. prcssiuns which they have left on
me. ] have told the real truth, such
rs it appeared to mo, tho whole
truth, nothing but the truth,
His loyalty, recognized by every
body who knows him, guarantees
the exactness Of his assertions and
the ilnpartiality of his Judgment.
The burden of his testimony is that
the Comte de Chambord promised
to do nothing against the use of the
tricolor flag until he had assembled
tho throne, to decide nothing before
he had taken possession of power,
and that he decided alone, without
consultation with Che,nclong or
anybody else, that he should not re-
turn to France at all unless he
might return with the white flag.
How he came to his resolution is
one of tho enigmas of history. The
fact remains that it was on the Ques-
ton of tho flags color, ON that
unique question, that the plot OF
1873, which was almost successful,
was undonc. Nj. Chesnelong's book
establishes this point invinoibly.
The authors is the most luminous
demonstration ever made of n fact
which logicians have takcn pleas
ure in obsouring with arguments.
and which most disintCrested per-
sons have accepted instinctiveiy.