Evening star., 1901-06-01

TITLES FOR CASH
Business Of Conferring Decorations
is Profitable.
IT'S ALL A MATTER OF FEES
Any One Can Be Noble if He
Has the Price.
GENEALOGIES TO ORDER
GENEALOGIES TO ORDER

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PARIS, May -. 1901.
In France you can be arrested Cor wear
Ing red ribbon in your button hole. In
deed, article 80 of the Penal Code Furnishes
with imprisonment of from six months to
two years the person who illegally wears
| any decoration, French or foreign. But
when it is red, the crime is graver. for the
red ribbon is sacred to the French Legion
of Honor. Again, foreign decorations may
be obtained legally with ease. Therefore,
the same article ordans that when the rib
bon of the foreign order happens to be red.
in whole or in great part. you must attach
TO 1t the cross or emblem of the foreign
| order. Finally, that no mistake be made,
no Frenchman may wear his fosign dec
oration. howsoever legally obtained, with
out the written authorization of the presi-
dent Of the republic, granted on the recon-
mendation of the grand chancellor Of the
Legion Of Honor, and after the payment
of the latters legal dues, called droits de
chancellerie. The latter is phrase to re-
tain In the memory; for the thing it stands
for Is found at the bottom of a deal of
honorS-and dishonors
1t was to raise money by means of such
dro1ts de chancelierie that his highness,
Dom Leon, Prince Laforge de Vitanval Ro-
man prince and sovereign chief and grand
master OF the pontificdl order of St Leon,
Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory
| the-Great, chevalier of the crown of Italy
and without his titles the simple French
citizen, Leon Louis Laforge-established his
order Of st. Leon. For a time the cheva-
liers of st. Leon illuminated the streets of
Paris with their colored bits of ribbon But
the sovereign chief and grand master flew
TOO nigh. In the gold-laced dress coat of
his own academic heraldique. he made him
self conspicuous at the receptions of the
Elysee and the various ministries shaking
hands with president and cabinet function
aries. conducting women he did not know
to the buffet, making fine acquainrances
and offering his protection right and
left One day minister asked: who is
that incumberfng person." The question
was passed on to NJ. Lepine, prefect of
police. A week later the Prince de Vitanyal
was languishing in Jail. The other day he
was tried and sentenced to six months i'm
prisonment- Cases Of this kind always are
cropping up in Paris, but the trial of La
forge brought out such peculiarly laugh
able atrocities that his chevaliers of St.
Leon are likely to remain the record bear
ers OF this species of credulity and guile.
His Titles Legal.
Inc beauty of his case was that all the
titles Of Dom Leon were correct and legal.
True. he had not settled with the Vatican
functionaries for the p 800 francs worth of
droltS de chancellerie without which the
actual parchments could not be delivered
He who had shown such brskness in col
iectlng MS own drOitS as sovereign chief of
the pontifical order of St Leon displayed a
dlsconcertng backwardness in coming for
ward to the pontifical business office But
as Mgr. Campana testified at the trial. the
payment or the dues in such a case Is not
sine qua non condition. The titles were
his from the moment they had been con-
ferred on him. Let me make a comparison,
Mr.. PRESIDENT the latter said to the pre-
cod
tlons and the university made you bachelor
You paid your 60 francs dues but YOUR
science was worth more than 90 francs; and
you did not buy your diploma for that price
drawn your diploma you would none the
less be bachelor
Two Ranks of Dfgnitarfes.
The prince created two sorts of dfgnita-
ries, those whose names would figure use
fully on his lists, such as NJ. Hanotaux
then minister of foreign affairs: Gen. du
Barrail. NJ. Rochard, &c. (all of whom seem
to have accepted the titles seriousty), and
those from whom he collected the droits de
chancellerie on which he lived. NJ. Fores-
tino, chief of the blue-coated orchestra of
the Taverne Royale, was named officer for
having dedicated a waltz to Laforge. His
wife was named chevalier Each paid a
"a gold piece. NJ. Forestino paid. besides.
10 francs for the red cross of Spain That
is all right" said Laforge at the trial; Il
have the signed diploma. 1t was seized
with the other papers at my rooms My
chancellor at Madrid is grand cross of the
Red Cross. 1t was an exchange of decora-
tons" While ne was about it the greedy
Forestino thought he might as we'll have
the French academic palms. To obtain them
he paid to LaforSe $1OO. while madame
gave to him valuable ring. 1t was this
particular that ruined Laforge. For every
other he had a technical excuse His ex-
planation that he and Minister Leygues
were chevaliers of the Order of Sts. Maurice
and Lazarus, and had, consequently, the
right to ask mutual favors would not go
down.
The printer who furnished to the prince
his letter paper lent to him $500 A restau-
rant proprietor paid IS to be made cheva-
lier An organ manufacturer paid SO. To
NJ. Demandre, chamberlain of the King of
Araucania-who is still alive and granting
dignities-waS offered the same situation by
Prince Laforge de Vitanval. He refused.
He would not quit the King of Araucania.
You would be the first. prince. to blame
such felony" he said. and Laforge re-
piled with emotion, You are a brave and
honest man." He also must have thought
him a valuable man: the chamberlain of
the King Of Araucanta ought to know the
ropes pretty well by this time. The curious
part Of 1t is that not one of his dupes
showed resentment against Laforge. They
believe in him still. IT beg the tribunal to
be indulgent to him." sobbed the wife of
the leader Of the Taverne Royale Orches-
theless, he was sentenced to six months
Imprisonment.
San MarfnO's Decorations.
There are no more chevaliers Of ST. Leon
but certain officials Of the giddy little re-
public of San Marino offer to the public
handsome and authentic decorations and
titles on terms almost as moderate. For
those who are content with sky-blue rib
bonedged with red there is it's medal of
civil and military merit. For those who
want to call themselves chevalier there is
its Equestrian Order of San Marino (for
civil and military meriD. Its ribbon Is
barred blue and white. Its T-shaped NAL
tese cross is of blue and white enamel, with
four towers and a crown. In France it is
mistaken easily for the colors of the colo
nial medal. The republic also turns out
authentic dukes and marQuises at low
price. Although 1 cannot vouch for them,
I have heard the following figures men
toned: Duke, $500: marquis, $1,000; chev-
alier Of the Equestrian Order. $1O0: plain
medal and ribbon, SIS to $50. All are droits
de chancellerie. it is well understood.
And while mentioning these business
houses that Of the old-established King of
Araucania ought not to be omitted In the |
year 1851 Antoine Tounens, French law
yer from Periguex, found himself at the |
head Of a revolutionary party among the |