The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-12


 try waxed prosperous beyond all prece- dent Taxes were light and the national bonds rose in two golden years from lZ francs to Go.
 Yet the republic perished. The operation was successful, but the patient died!
 4 Benevolent Despot
 The consulate was a brilliant and be- neVolent despotism IL took away only the peoples dream of liberty and their ideal of a free republic. two boons they never had enjoyed. It gave them in exchange the abounding genius and en- ergy of Napoleon, who served them bet ter than they could serve themselves
 A wise and pure despotism is the wisest and purest of governments But its fatal defect is that it dries up the springs of its wisdom and purity, public opiniQn As the first consul waNed more master ful, the French people sank into dumb subserviency until he could no longer hear this voice. As he grew stronger, they grew weaker, until they trembled at the thought of standing alone and at last surrendered themselves wholly to his iron will
 Many look back upon the consulate, with it's standardization of power, it's re- vival of official ceremonies and It's in auguration of the Legion of Honor, as one long, crafty, cold-blooded conspiracy against the republic on the part of the first consul, who warily and steadily crept day by day toward the throne.
 This opinion, however, gives too much credit to his foresight, a quality in which he was strangely deficient. For this man was not the architect of his own for tunes. His plans were overruled in near ly every important instance. and he was always the creature of circumstances lie had chosen to be writer rather than a soldier, to go into the real estate busi- ness rather than into the revolution, to be Corsican rather than Frenchman, to be d drillmaster for the Sultan of Turkey rather than serve in. the army of the re- public, to seek martial glory in Asia rather than in Europe and finally to re- turn to the army of Italy rather than be first consul.
 Once he was installed as dictator of France the throne was the natural if not inevitable goal of the dictatorship. 1t was as unnecessary for him to conspire for the crown as for the consulship as unnecessary for him to plot against the republic as against the directory. He frankly said to the council of state; France is not yet republic; whether she will be one is stil highly problemat- ical the next five or six years will de- eide"
 That true, and nine Frenchmen out of 10 knew it. The tottering nation had invoked the mighty arm of Napoleon as it's crutch, and France no sooner leaned upon it than she was filled with dread forebodings of what would happen when it should be withdrawn from her support. Would the terror or the Bourbons re- turn? The aristocrats and the church looked upon him as their only shield from the former, while the revolutionists and the pea sant land owners regarded him as their protector from the latter.
 He himself was well warranted in de- nla who care for nothing but anarchy and few honest men who dream of a Spar tan republic. the whole nation is crying out for a strong and stable government" Not merely the placeholders felt their dependence on him, but all who were shar- ing in the new security and prosperity of q hourishing national business found themselves limited in their calculations to his 10-year term; then the abyss!
 A King Except in Name
 Napoleon was hardly in office before a movement began to lengthen his term to 20 years but the proposal was immedi- ately amendeds and his election sfor life was provided instead, with authority to nominate his successor He himself struck out this last provision. for he was still arguing that "heredity is irreconcilable with the principle of the sovereignty of the people and impossible in France"
 There was only one vote against the consulate for life in the tribunate and that was cast by Carnot. But Napoleon was wise in insisting on having the la submitted to referendum of the voters who indorsed it with unanimty amazing to English speaking people: Yes, 356S, ,SSs votes; no, S374.
 The first consul for life. with an annual allowance from the treasury of S1 200,00O felt himself king in all but the crown. His 33d birthday was celebrated with the riS aI knows how to display, and on the tower of Notre Dame there blazed through the night a great fiery star the star of Ma poleon's destiny
 Dropping the signature of Bonaparte, he began to sign his Christian name Ma poleon, after the maner of a royal per sonnage. He fairly clapped his hahds this giant sprung from the loins of the peo- pie, as he thought of himself on an equal ity with the crowned pigmies of Europe "I am on level now with foreign sov- ereigns. They. like me, are rulers for their lifetime only. They and their rnin- isters will have much higher respect for me now" The Cisalpine republic in Italy also called him to its presidency.
 Lafayette's Protest
 Among the dissenters from the life Con- suIate was Lafayette, who wrote on inc election register that he could not vote for an unlimited magistracy unless polit- lcdi iiDerty NdS BudfdIteeu inc pdtfiotlC Marquis appealed in q letter directly to the first consul: Tt is impossible that you, general. the foremost in the ranks of those great men who are but rarely found throughout the ages should de- sire that such a revolution as ours, SC many victims, so much bloodshed, sucf misfortunes. such prodigies. should termi- nate in the establishment of an arbitrary regime"
 On reading that communications Ma Toleon contemptuously eXclaimed: Al ways thinking of Washington" and dis missed the writer from his thoughts as "a political ninny,' 'an idealogue' who is "constantly harping on America with out understanding that the French are not Americans" It was Lafayette's last