Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1902-01-05
NAPOLEON'S ORDER.
'He LEGION Or HONOR AND Row
IT WAS FOUNDED.

''"' hh''''H iSs snaGt. urnt d n
Proved - Napoleon Knew
French Hun nature
Franco owes the Legion OF Honor to
/ Napoleon. Nh orders Of chiYilrv had
! o'''' aoo''Sh'" by the revolution and
had itlt a gap which ii WAS not easy to
/ M. hey are mere "crgaWs."' said
Aloil$". The chemist, who had TAUGHT
IN" reNolutioniStS how TO make gun
IoWaer cut Of plaster of paris Gee
SaWS, IL You Will the first consul an
SWcfch, but people Ike them. Let US
approach the question frankly. All
men are cnamor"d Of decorations
! the French moro than any They posi-
lively hunger for them, and they have
always done So
4 his WiS at MalmaiSan in 1902 In
! May the conScii d'"tnt was iayitcd 10
consider the project OF the institution
OF the Legion Of Honor II was riai-
cuied by nany, notably by Moreau,
who as victor Of iiolsaalin,,en was hit
ter!y j"AioG& cf tha victor of Maren@e.
At a 6ilnef paFtNh II" SEM fos his ogh
ana said to him iii the presence Of his
GUESTS: '..A3ieA3. am pleased with
Your dinner. LII n44e indeed dislin-
.'isi2eL ye1rs4ff vi award Fga =
s;:leepan Of h59zs..' AIme dc Stapi
WIS at:o= =satjrfezl tfzaa he a.ig4f4ef.
+ '.stt=one f 4asp+f5.54,s: :s'=.=}3, teee}
:. a5iy .aeh s.'.1at ~ a7 47sIs stl.va fi-U
ha.#sT.o.t.
i.4 #.z#fsat As=.-' eI fe~r a#aa-
t;ff7 - 1s7F 57 5=fj.
f'.= =1I7.'g =
Af5zHr t. 1.#
tA"a b@>
#t.rs= Hathzaa 3aa; 49, tG@ 49,
=t5'cfseHa;s f.I.s# =. tho
Lvaauy", tn p II GIn nos u1l5tel1a
name omitted Was that of aarualsin
d" st. i'jgrrp, Just then in disgrace f5r
chaHpionin2 Nine. &c Stari whom Ma.
poiapn had haRished, bHt he got the
lueen llortenSe.
! After .!eha Goethe was decorated. \
little later Gi-:h promotion in the order
was given to General IauarqUe, to
whom Sir Hudson Lowe had surrender
ed ut Capri. What did YOU do with
! him. asked Napoleon. The king Of
Naples had him exchanged for Il Nea-
politan general who was prisoner in
Sicily" VERY Well there is no harm
in letting this English colonel go. He
is not dangerous 1t seems not un-
likely that Sir Hudson Lowe remem-
! berea this sarcasm when he was Ma
poleon's jailei ii few years afterward.
After Napolcons downfall the ques-
ton OF suppressin@ the Legion of Hon
or arose ChatcaubriaaH. whom Napo-
leon had not Decorated, strongly urged
lis abolition. so did puzzo eli Borgo.
Nar&llals Victor. Marmont and Mac
donald opposed. After debate it was
decided to recognize and retain the or
der. net On any high moral or patriotic
grounds, but because Louis \Niil.
could not afford to make himself more
unpopular than He WAS already by
stripping people OF their decorations.
CEateaubri;lnd and l.anartine consent
ed to accept the red ribbon. but it was
also conferred upon great number Of
worthless perSonages and so brought
ln(O contempt.
There have been many Legion Of
Honor scandals since those Gays. but
one OF them SURPRISES all the others in
magnitude. This is. of course the Viii
son scandal. the history of which.
though intricate. is worth recalling.
The trouble may be said to have be
gun on the day on which Mile. Alice
4, ,ll il, !, Si NC
who need hot be mentioned here. He
wanted 10 marry her and she wanted
to marry him, ana the papers We're be
ginning to couple the two n.illes in y
manner most embarrassing to the pres
idcnt of ttn reNublic The president.
however, SeHt ttc opera singer about
his business and founti his daughter
i another husband, not !; Very Sood hus-
band but the best husband he could
procure on the spur OF the moment.
His clu.ee fell upon w. banel Wilson,
who had long been oae OF NJ. Grevy'>
political supporters and was i financier
Of some mark.
4 No sooner WAS NJ. Wilson established
at the ElySee than he proceeded to en-
rich himSel: 10y various means. Among
other things. he founded Il paper called
lie Monitcur de TEXposition Univer
sel!e. which really covered Il traffic in
decorations The whole story came
out in a state trial toward the end of
1857. 1t WAS prcNcu that Wilson had
made Il regular practice of selling the
Legion of Honor. or. rather of iavit-
ing people who wanted it to hrioe him
to use his .ntucncc to obtain ii for
thtn. His 1vertureS were presented
through his iaskals, Generals dAud-
lan and CHi2rel and Mines. limoNSin
ard Elta;szi. ANA tli' whole party had
stand il the cock together.
Wilson WIS S@utrncyi. to two Years
iuNci>onment. Il linc of :i,too fra3cS
ana sXe yeaTs, deprivation of evil
ri~Ats.~ lie #rp2al't; and ti" ooGt Of
cessation annulled th' iud9rlan ihe