The Irish standard., 1896-01-18
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as& q recognized upstart among the royal
s3 souses of Europe, wished to strengthen
S8sis position sby elevating a legitimist to
throne His choice tell on Maximillian
santi Charlotte as the most brilliant pair
MS candidates for-the throne of Mexico,
Youth, Beauty, charming manners,
( wealth, connection with almost .every
=,eigning house OF Europe, in the very
shadow Of two thrones, born to rule---Who
could step into this niche so we'll as they,
and create a Latin empire III a new
world? They would owe it TO Napoleon
ILL.,, and Napoleon ". could demand the
aand of a Hapsburg for his services.
The action Of Napoleon was unwar-
.anted" He went counter to the declared
principles of the United States in inter-
iering. with the internal policy OF an
American republic, and lie could only
4 nope to maintain his position in the event
of the general government being defeated
by the states in rebellion. ). In 1862 ana
1868 This termination OF the civil war
seemed not improbable, The Mexican
empire would then have the sympathy OF
he southern confederacy so aristocratic
in its tendency. Politics is a game OF
dice; he who wins must throw.
A delegation was sent from Mexico
inviting MaXimilian and Carlotta to the
throne They hesitated and refused:
They had heard strange tales-of the SEMI
civilized Indian and revolutionary Span
ish population and Mexico, and however
gilded with imperial splendor, life would
still be exile. Six months later the dele
cation came again, this time with such
5nnnlistakab'e proofs that they were the
choice Of the country that the young
couple accepted.
From q Hapsburg point. OF view ths
venture does not seem SO Guixotic. The
tradition of sovereignty has been in-
grained in the family for forty genera
ticns. IT. is improbable that the United
States figured in their calculations at ali,
as it had never figured in European poll
2 ties The United States; too, was at that
time threatened with dismemberment it
self. A republic of less than one hundred
Years standing in a new country, In the
throes Of revolution must have seemed
to them not thing to be seriously con-
fined by Maximilian himself:
s.*2 .asseople Of as lofty birth as we are set
apart TO become blessing. or to suffer
martyrdonl. 1t is seldom we are vouch-
safed tranquil ife' - and truly they set
about the task OF freeing unhappy Mexi-
co from wasting revolutions after the
manner of their house, by a kind of pa
ternaI tyranny. ssa..-., .. ..-.. .
And indeed they We're received at Vera
Ciuz with royal honors; the way to Mex
leo City being literally a pathway Of
flowers. Not a shadow of their impend-
ing fate clouded their prospects II there
had been the least lack of enthusiasm in
their reception they were prepared to go
!, back, for they had no wish to foist them
selves on an unwilling people. The lib
erals were temporarily crushed and
cowed by the presence of the French
troops, and the young soverelgns were
greeted with such adulatlons as they had
never seen in the capitals of Europe. The
party in power actually believed that
Mexico had at last secured strong CEN
tFalized government The monarchy was
established and all who opposed it were.
henceforth to be traitors. Hapsburg alb
sU)uLeism was to be the ant1dOte to this
revolutionary sickness.
There is no doubt whatever but that
stheaconseryative element. The winters
Of '64 and '65 were the brightest in the
i history of Mexico since the fall Of Monte
zunla The French troops and Belgian
guards, the Austrian mobiles and ladies OF
the court gave an air Of cosmopolitan
splendor like one Of the smaller capitals
OF Europe. The opera was subsidized,
and there were weekly balls at the Pal
azzo SO that the old Mexican nobility
might become attached to the new re-
sime. An Aztec princess was brought to
the palace as maid of honor. Every day
the emperor and empress drove in pub
lie; Maximiiian scrupulously dressed, tall
and handsome. He had frank and
charming countenance, blue eyes, fair,
curling hair and an indescribable ali OF
culture and elegance. He looked older
than 80 because OF his thoughtful air and
gravity Of behavior.
Beside him Carlotta had the appear
ance of young English princess, with
her full face fresh color, and English
way of dressing. At the court balls the
sovereigns We're head and shoulders tall
er than. anyone else present. She flat
tered the Mexicans by her regal dress
and beautiful jewels. Etiquette was as
strictly observed as at Vienna. In all
ways they strove to give the experiment
the air Of permanency of an old court.
At the close of the civil war the United
States compelled France to withdraw
the French troops from Mexico. Now,
indeed, the revolution which had only
sumbered in Mexico, broke forth. The
brave young couple, believing that the
best element OF the nation was with them
stayed at their post. In this trying time
The empress instituted charities and
made a Journey to Yucatan keeping a di
AIRY and publishing her impressions Of
her adopted country, growing so dear.
Conditions became intolerable to the
foreigners at the court, and one by one
they returned to Europe, abandoning the
rulers to the care and society of an alien
race. It was then, in desperation, and
under pressure Of the party that had
called him to the throne, that Macmillan,
signed the ..blaek decree" condemning
all captured rebels to death. He intended
this merely to terrorize the revolutionists
4, but many We're actually executed against
his wish, and. the followers Of Jaurez be-
came bold for vengeance. RI
~ All but two of his generals had now de-
serted the emperor. A new calamity
and new hope also came to him in their
extremity News came that Carlotta's
father; Leopold l., of Belgium, was dead,
leaving her an inheritance Of $4,000. 900.
She conceived the plan of going to Eur
ope, getting possession OF this money, Sc
curing fresh troops from Napoleon Ill.,.
and special help from the pope, and
spending her entire fortune in securing
the position of her husband. Vain hope
ofaa fond delusion. 1t was with high