The herald., 1896-03-22
DUKE OF ORLEANS ON DECK
the YOUNG SPRIG OF THE HOUSE LOOK.
THRONEWARD AGAIN
Royalists Are at Work-They Figure Upon the
Chances of the Oame-Prepared to Take
Advantage Of Any Shift In the French
Political situation

According to come foreign politicians
France is approaching crisis. A crisis
in France means history. And it is
history of the dramatic kind, for the
French seem unable to do anything Of
importance without throwing in q
heavy coloring OF the theatrical. Some
of the royalists in France claim that
the republic is doomed. The men who
are forcing the crisis laugh at this pre-
diction and say that the crisis merely
means the downfall of one political
party and the uplifting of another.
It is known that the young duke OF
Orleans, the baniehsd head of the Bour-
bons, is highly elsted st the turn Of
public affairs in France. None OF the
politicians who have figured in the
unique battle between the French SEN
ate and the French cabinet have per-
.hsps given this young man the slight
test thought, but he aud his friends ar
Sgue that anything which shakes the
l,solidity of the republic gives them an
fopening.
No one has ever said that Louis
EPhillipe Robert, the duke OF Orleans,
tthss the good sound sense which
Fsdistinguished his father, the late
hcount of Paris, but at the same time
phe, il acknowledged to be more ag-
j@gressivs and to possess certain quail
[ ties which might land him on the
throne. Most of the French kings
thave not been altogether flawless, and
Athe young d1ke can be placed iu this
rClass.
A HEADLESS POLICY
In the fall of 1894, ut tho time Of his
fathers death, this interesting young
man gave vent to this expression, which
clearly explained his future course in
Irelation to the French throne: Exile
skued my father. will endure any
ftning rather than inaction. l will risk
rmy haSd to return to France, and il l
Fam fortunate enough to reign, I will
risk my head rather than be driven
out"
According to this the young man
who says by 'divine right" he is en-.
titled to lord it over the whole Of
France seems to care very little for his
head. But az yet France has not
deemed it of enough Importance to de-
prive him OF it. The time may come,
however, when his rscklessnsss So will be
put to the test.
There is little doubt that il anything
like favorable opportunity presents
itself the duke of Orleans will axe an
effort to mount the throne of France.
y be is thoushtles5 and reckless enough
to do it. His whole life has been given
up to this idea, and with poor advisers
at his back he could be induced to at
! tempt any foolishness. He is but 27
years old, but talks as il he possessed
ths wisdom of a patriarch. In some
things he i, not unlike Emperor Will
lam of Gsrmsny, and if placed il posi-
tion of power he could be counted upon
doing things in a manner equally &C.
centric.
He has an income of 100000 a year,
and most of it hes been spent since his
fathers death in subsidizing purchase
BILE newspapers in France to keep alive
the royalist agitation. Nearly ali these
papers are those which circulate in the
rural district, and they are chosen
with the purpose of tanning into flame
the peasant. When the time comes for
the duke to make his attempt he hopes
to have at his back a vast army of the
peasantry of France, as we'll hs all the
aristocrats of the old regime.
WORK OF THE ROYALISTS
The duke has hundreds of aristo-
cratic agents constantly at work in his
behalf in France. Nearly every man
and woman Of tbs nobility longs for q
renewal of the times when their titles