The Topeka state journal., 1899-09-14

II the Royalists of France desire g
King and are strong enough TO place
one upon the throne, they will not have
to go far from the line of direct success
sion, from the great Napoleon l., to find
a man who is fitted to reign by that
right, which is called the divine right
of Kings"
England has made a greater jump
many a time in her history when the
succession has reverted to nieceS and
cousins, and, it is claimed, many of the
thrones of Europe are now supplied
with rulers about whose kingly right
there is a constant question.
The most pleasing succession is al
ways that by which the crown de-
scends from father to eldest son, and so
on down through countless generations,
the former teaching the latter to rule
well.
In France there is no direct living de-
there are sons and daughters of the
brothers of Napoleon, and these con-
stitute to-day the royal family of
France, the French Pretenders,H they
are called, who should be upon the
French throne and occupying the mag
n1hcent palace of the Elysee in place
of the President and his wife, accord
Ing to the opinion of a very large party
of people in France.
The Republicans of France are those
who desire to maintain a republic ruled
by a President and Cabinet, but the
RoyaliSts sigh for a return of the days
Of a King, and, SO, between the two
opposing factions, France is always un-
certain.
1t is likely that, If sufficient time is
allowed to pass, the Royalists will grow
weaker: or at least the politicians of
Europe so declare; but as long as there
live people who remember the French
Kingdom as it existed in the days of
Napoleon and Eugene, Just so long will
there be people who long to see those
days return, and who are willing to
fight to bring them back.
OF late the ROyaIist feeling has grown
stronger; and strangely enough the
DreyfuS case has been made the pivotal
point upon which the people swung.
The anti-Dreyfusites are in favor of a
monarchy again; but those who believe
in Dreyfus want a republic and a con-
1inuance of the days of President Lou
bet and his present Cabinet. All
through the days Of the Dreyfus trial
the Royalists and Republicans waged a
wordy war and it was feared, and is
still feared, that the Dreyfus matter
may end in the overthrow of the Loubet
government. To make the matter
worse, President Loubet has shown by
his actions that ne favored Dreyfus or
at least favored justice for him, and
plicated.
The best people in France are said
TO be the Royaiists, but of that it is
dinhcult for foreigner to decide.
Count Castellane, a man of undoubted
ar1stocracy, has declared himself for
the ROyalists and has admitted that he
supplied them with funds; and to the
Counts name might be added a hun
ored better known in Europe.
The man whom the Royalists are anx-
1ous to see upon the throne, in place of
Loubet in the Presidents chair Is
Prince Napoleon Victor, the son of the
late Prince Napoleon, who is directly
descended from Jerome Bonaparte, the
brother of Napoleon the Great
THE FUTURE KING.
Prince Napoleon Victor was born in
1862 and is consequently thirty-seven;
no boy, surely, but younger than many
rulers of as great countries as France
The Prince is very quiet in disposition
and has lived for many years quietly
in Brussels. where he maintains very
comfortable bachelor quarters fire.