The Washington herald., 1911-07-16
Biography of Emile Olivier.

There is a great deal of apprehension
in French diplomatic circles with regard
to the forthcoming autobiography OF
that grand old French 6tatesman OF the
second empire, Emile Olivier.
Though, Of course, politically dead to-
day-he is verging on ninety years OF
age-Mr. Olivier was one of the fore
most men of his time He is the Oldest
living Immortal" and when elected to
the French Academy in 1870 he was
prime minister to Napoleon III.
A political orator OF extraordinary
ability-forcible, poetical, and persuasive
Emile Olivier appeared to have a splen-
did career before him, when suddenly
came the Fpanco-Prussian war with its
resultant disaster, and the "debacle' OF
Sedan, and Olivier Twas hurled from pow
er into obscurity.
While premier of France he had the
misfortune to allow Empress Eugene and
her notorious clique to embroil him with
Bismarck in regard to the Spanish sue
cession issue, which made war with Prus-
sia inevitable. The Empress, being ma
tive of Spain-she was Countess of Mon
tijo-used all her power over her languid
husband, and that power was great, too
great in fact for the good Of France, to
interfere when the report reached the
Tuileries that after the many misdeeds
of Isabella and an order to end the civil
strife, the Spanish crown had been Of
fered Prince Anton of Hohenzollern, OF
the Catholic South German branch OF
the reignIng house Of Prussia
It is well-known historical fact that
the two branches Of the House Of Hohen-
zollern have drifted apart for centuries,
and King William Cater the first German
EMPEROR stated nothing but the abso-
lutte truth when he told Count Benedict,
the French Ambassador at the court of
Berlin, that not only did he have no
right to dictate to the Hohenzollern Hech-
ingens or Sigmarigens what to do or
what not to do, as personally he hardly
even knew any of them, but were he to
I do so, ne. would be told to mind his own
business. a'thing that actually had been
| done once before when the King of
Prussia tried to dissuade another Hohen-
| zollern prince of that branch from ac-
cepting the Roumanian crown (the pres
ent King Carol, and husband of Carmen
sylvia, former Princess of Wied.)
. Empress Eugenie appears to have had
reasons Of her own for refusing to accept
| the aged Prussian Kings mo- for an
answer. She forced Napoleon to order
Benedetti to follow the King to a little
place in Rhcnish Prussia, Ems-on-the-
Lain, where he took the waters (Emser
Kraehnchen), and to demand a posi-
tive" assurance that he would forbid
] DrN, Anfn fn "a he
rest Is history. AS matter OF fact the
! Hohenzollern prince never had any IN
tention of accepting the burden and worry
Of Spanish kngship.
Eugene wanted war. Perhaps she be-
lieved that the France over which she
ruled" was still the ''grande nation" of
the days of the first Napoleon. and she
thirsted to have her spineless husband
repeat the glorious feats Of his great
ancestor and to wipe out the ignominy
of Leipzig and Waterloo.
1t has never been known exactly why
Emile Olivier should have espoused the
cause Of the Empress, why he made hel
| hatred OF Prussia his own affair, for
surely he must have been aware Of the
fact that the French army of those days
was actually incompetent to try issues
with Prussia's brilliant forces, and that
the commissary department not even was
prepared for the needs of a marching
army But having shouldered all re
sponsibIlity, he stuck to 1t to the end
even so far as to begin a letter to the
Iron Chancellor" after the terrible de-
nouement, with the words. Yes; 1t was
who wished for war" though all the
world had been told by the implacabl5
Empress herself that it was her war.
After Sedan and that catastrophe in
his political career, Emile Olivier de-
voted himself to literature and he has
succeeded in building up an undying