New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-02
ruF FRENCH PRETENDERS.
,-,,r .RDrCATION OF THE DUKE OF OR
LEANS LEAVES A FEW OIHhH0
IN THE FIELD.
rt,r YOUNG DUKES MANLY AND PATRIOTIC LEI
7ER-rHE SPANISH cLAIMANTs-THE Fhh-
KIN wARBECK oy FRANcE-BoNA-
PARr1sT PRETENsIoNs.

WARKEfk OF ffs-A-'~4s -S-''
pARr1sr PRETENsIoNs.
r.,. ,s sssuredlv the twilight Of the Pre-
,.rders in France The chief Of them all ana
.bA only one whose claims are seriously oons'd-
e~sd has Just practically abdicated his Pre-
leadership. That is the Duke Of Orleans, the
head az the House Of orleans and therefore. or
,te French Bourbons. His manifesto Of fort
,,rb, ago. in the form Of letter 20 his chief
ro,,tical manager. is not ostensibly renuncia-
zion Of his claims Yet it is in fact just that as
,s made clear by the comments made upon IL
h, nan % all parties and especially by the pro-
tests against II by those Of his own followers
vho are more royal than their would-be king
himself Writing in view Of the coming Pariia-
,oentarv elections in France. and for the purpose
of irstructing his followers and friends as 10 his
wishes he says frankly that he does not want
10 lead and does not want his friends 10 con-
duct an agitation for royalst restoration. That
such a restoration will some day come through
The will Of the French people he still believes.
but he will not take any steps toward hurrying
f. He therefore wishes his friends 70 accept the
republic loyalty and 70 support it against the
forces OF disorder which are seeking 10 over
throw f. Some Of his hothead followers have
hitherto shown a disposition 10 encourage all
such movements, hoping that in social chaos
there would be an opportunity for the Duke to
ascend the throne the savior Of society"
But he will have none Of that. Here is what he
says:
My friends have only conscientiously to con
slider, above all. not the immediate and apparent
advantage Of our party. but the supreme Interest
of France. What they Will have gained for
France Is SO much gained for my cause for |
never separate the one from the other. To-day
the duty Of the Monarchists is to work where
ever they can for The triumph Of ideas or order,
OF social preservation and liberty. Thereby
they VIII serve my cause, for they will serve
my country.
Those are manly ana patriotic words. and
there is no reason to doubt that they sincere.
In uttering them the Duke has practically taken
himself out Of the list Of Pretenders and he
has done France a great service The result Of
his manifesto may be looked for at this years
election in material strengthening of the Con
seYative Republican forces in the Chamber and
in lessening Of hostility toward the Govern
ment on the part Of th- Orleanists in the new
Chamber
The claim 70 the French throne. which is thus
happily placed in allegiance, indefinitely, If not
permanently .s the most serious one with which
Inc Republic has had to contend. 1t has a
t~ofo!d basis Down 10 the date Of the death
o. Henry v" as his adherents called the late
count u Chambord. the Orleanist claim was
merely to an elective monarchy IN succession to
Louis Philippe There was no hint OF Divine
night about IT, but rather the contrary. For
LOUIS Philippe did not inherit his throne, nor
was he the son Of d King He was the son o,
'Aai most dctestabie Of Princes Philippe Egalite,
VINO voted for the killing Of his own brother
LOUIS XVI, and happily was himself put out
o. Inc world soon after BY his brother
patriots But Louis Philippe was King Of the
French by The Will Of the French people and
90 MS descendants have claimed the right to ask
Inc French people 10 make them kings also.
After the death OF the Count Of Chambord how
ever, the claim Of that chvarous Pretender re-
veried 10 the Orleanists and brought to them
the principle Of Divine right" as well as OF
popular election. Or at least the Orleanists
claimed it, There is room for doubt as to
whether the Count Of Chambord did really desig-
nate the Count Of Paris his political heir
And in fact there are some thirty-odd other
princes who, according 20 the principles OF the
Sale law. should come before the Orleanists as
successors % the exile Of Frohsdorf Neverthe-
Tess the popular notion Is that the Orleanists
now represent the Legitimist claims as well as
1helr own. and so whatever respect still exists in
favor
There are other Legitimist pretenders IN the
Ae'o' however. First among them may be men,
TONED Don Carlos. 81 spain. otherwise the Duke
Vi Nacrd. He claims u be the righuul King
CHARLES II ~ France because his father, Don
John, was on the death Of the Count OF Cham
D1Td the mead Of the House Of Bourbon AnJou,
Whch House became. on the extinction Of the
Ilrect bourbon line. the senior Bourbon house,
ana therefore, successor to the Legitimate
.hIones Of France. Spain and Navarro. To this
only TWO objections have been offered. neither Of
mem valid. One IS that Don Carlos is for
e.eher, and thus not eligible 70 the throne OF
france. But 20 was Henry III foreigner. be
ing King OF Poland; and Henry ", the
iouhder O; the Bourbon dynasty. The other OBJ
lection IS that the Treaty Of Utrect fOrbids the
union O: The crowns Of Spain and France. But
ss mat Is the only provision Of that treaty not
Hfeacy broken, II can scarcely be deemed bind
ing al this day. Don Carlos Is, however, TO be
ieckoned out Of the race for the reason that
me Pope who y friendly 10 the French Re
public as he is 10 Don Carlos's premiership 20
the spanish throne. has compelled him 10 re-
nounce his French claims The attempt 10 pass
these on 10 another has been made, but with IT.
tie effect
AS the claim % Don Carlos rests. or rested.
upon abrogation Of the Treaty Of Utrecht, 80,
cur.ously enough, the claim Of another Legiu-
male Pretendcr rests upon maintenance OF mat
instrument This is Don Francesca Of Bour-
bon, who calls himself Duke Of Anjou and also
hlng II France since the death Of his brother,
Don Henry. Duke Of Seville. "a few years ago.
ne insists that. under that treaty. the crowns
OF France and Spain cannot be united and that
as Don Carlos prefers the latter 10 the FORMER
ana has 50 elected, the succession 10 the former
must come to him. Don Francesca. The trou-
o.e win him Is, however, that he Is not truly
u royal origin His father was only NOR
sanaucally married, and was his grandfather
s''c 80, consistently enough. is he himself lie
~ therefore, not much Legitifnist as a.
saorganatic Pretcndcr
2Aere Is yet another sO-CalIcd LegItInlst TfS-