Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-13

the time was not far distant when the
German people would put down the SORT
of gambling in which he was engaged. so
ne began to look about for some new
country in Which to set up his temple of
fortune.
On the coast of the Mediterranean, be-
tween the Kingdoms of France and Italy
there was little independent princIpali-
". 1t was not more than two miles and
quarter long and hardly three-oliarters
OF mile wide, but it was an independent
Kingdom, with an old and royal house
Charles Ill. WAS the reigning prince.
bGt he was Il tattered monarch. and
ms court was beggarly make believe
In ms desperate situation it is said he
! applied TO a shrewd Partisan for cotln-
sci, who advised him To set up gam
ing tables and thereby ruin other
peoples subjects since YOU have al
ready ruined your own"
Charles III. followed that pregnant
advice. He sold a gambling conces.
sion in the princiRality to two atven-
turers Duval and LefeVre These men
built the casino but their venture was
not particularly successful. They as
serted that Charles avdricp could not
be satisfied. and when Francois Blanc
arrived on the Mediterranean around
1860, ,he bought the concession and
m"vtf his gambling establishment
, fromn the Kursaal at Homburg to
Monaco.
Francois Blanc was bold and dar-
ing adVenturer The little principality
was divided practically into thre.
towns-Monaco Condanine and Monte
carlo. 1t was the last that Francois
Blanc occupied He employed the best
architect to be had. built a great ca
sino. laid OUT beautiful gardens and
terraces and expended over 50 900 O0D
upon the mere prospect of making
Monte carlo the gambling headquar-
ters of Europe.
FRANCOIS Blame the eN-convict from
H6ni'urg, WAS no ordinary man. Lord
Erpugham said that Blanc was the
! greatest financier Of his time AT any
rate, his great financial adventure
justified itself. Blanc came To live in
spltndor He married his daughters to
| princes, he accumulated n fortune of
250 ,oo0,000 francs. and he left behind
| him an establishment that nets at
least $5,o00,h00 a Year in profits.
More than this. Francois Blanc
| bought and paid for the principality of
| Monaco He paid Charles III 500 900
| francs year and all his expenses
| with percentage of the profits: he
! kept up all the roads and gardens for
| the prncipalitY; he paid the police and
ma glStEtes and all fixed charges OF
the kingdom. Moreover, when the
merchants of Nice endeavored to per-
suade the French senate to resist
gambling a Monte Carlo and when
the subject Of the principality threat
ened TO revoke Blanc, daring and full
| of resources, had Charles issue an
! edlct abolishing all taxes in the prin-
| cipality, and out of his concession, in
| addition to what he had already paid,
Blanc paid all the taxes of Monaco
| When Albert Honore Charles, the
| present Prince of Monaco, came to the
| throne he remained upder the thumb
| of the famille Blanch, and in 1898 the
| concession they had obtained was re-
/ neWed for fifty years upon the pay
| ment of 100000 francs down, IL, o00.-
/ 600 to be paid in 1914 and other vast
| sums, together with practically all
| fixed charges Of the principaiity. All
| this is done by company called La
| Societe des Bans de Mer de Monte
/ Carlo.
And so the genius of gambling ate
a king and his court, a monarch of
| one of the oldest feigning houses in
Europe palace, an army, a princi-
| pality with its subjects and bishop
and cathedral 10 boot, Melville Da-
visson Post. in the Saturday Evening
| Post.