Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-20
6 GREAT EMPIRES
GONE SIECE 1871;
BRAZIL WAS FIRST
Wane of Republicanism From
America Swept From Power
Rulers of 500, 100000
People.
KINGS GALORE GO DOWN

L
the memory Of living men Nearly eieiit
hundred million people close to one han
tho worlds population. have been released
from the shackles of imperialism since
1871 History has ne parallel Tor such
changes In the retrospect ol history ~
wears IRE hut flash IN the march ol the
ages and vet since 1871, the doctrine oi re-
puhlcauIsm has been embraced hy nan
the world Not all the preceding ZouO
wears of mankind's march toward liper'y
records such progress
n, cmncrors have lald down crown and
scentcr SINCE Theodore Roosevelt became
tbc c>poncnt of the strenuous life Three
ba,.c dicd ono murdered the other Two nv
owl, ,-h,le of the three still living, only
ono the Rov Emperor Of China. is Stlll
cn;oyinp the luNurics that swcCten lite
Tor those IN high places II was Napoleon
III who lrd tins dehaclC of imperialism
Dom Pedro of Brazil was next and the last
or the Nlanchu dynasty followed. The
crash of the three remaining European
cmpirtS. Russia Austna-iiungary and
Germany. resulted from the war for de
mocracv When II comes to mere kings
memory cannot recall them all Tor they
have umblcd everywhere from iiawali 20
Portugal. from SaNony 70 bulgaria
NAPOLEON THE LITTLE TRUE TO NAME
Napolcon I'll has been immortali7cd
~ Victor Hugo IN m ImperiSilahic pen
portrait rs Napoleon the Little \ lew
Iiu,, from that masterpiece oi literature
picture the uan on December 20. lSiS
~ he came bcforc thC National Assembly
M { o'clock IN the afternoon. lust alter hc
had been proclaimed President ci tho
rcnch Republic.
Fhc president made 4 sign the door on
tbs right opened and there was seen 20
enter the hal and rapidly ascend tho
tribune. man still young. attlrcd IN
black. having IN ms breast the band and
riband nf the Legion oi Honor
"All ewes were turned toward this man
Ills face wan and palhd IFS hony emaclat
ed angles developed IN prominent rchct
bv the shaded lamps; his nose large and
long. his upper lip covered with mus
tachcs a lock ni hair waving over mar
row forehead ms eyes small and dull his
attitude tmId and ANXIOUS, bearing In NO
respect a resemblance to the emperor
this man was the Citizcn Charles LOUIS
Napoleon Bonapartc
Hesitation. tmldlty. egOtiSm. these
qualities prcdomnatcd throughout Ma
poleon's administration Making hlm
self emperor hv a coup d'ctat few years
after he had sworn 10 preserve the French
Republic. he led France from ono adj
venture 10 another until tho Franco
prlISsian War broke him and the empire,
Trle 10 his character he whIncd 10 BIS
mark after he had con captured at
Sedan that il was not he ,ut the French
peo4e who had desired war; that public
opinion in France had forced him To dc
clare wsr Imprisoned for time at the
castle Of Wilhelmshocho near CaSsel.
he joined his wife Eugene, n Chlscl-
hurst. near London in March 1871, and
died there two years later.
France. meanwhile. her spirit Inbrokcn
DESPITE the disastrous results OF tho war,
passed through the period ot the Com
mIne. the Bolshevist agitation Of that
day, and firmly established the foundations
of the third republic, which had been pro-
claimed September 4, 1870, few hours
after the news Of the disastrous battle Of
Sedan had reached Parls
DOM PEDRO FINEST or EMPERoRs.
OF All the c1pcrors who have had 10 hid
farewell % imperial pOmp within the
memory of hying men, Dom Pedro Of
Brazil was without a doubt the most
genial democratic and generally delight
ful personality II il were ever possible 70
elect as the first president Of a republic a
man who had served IL as emperor, Dom
Pedro would have been entitled TO that
distinction During the latter Cos of the
last century EnClishmen were very fond
of pointing TO the inconsistency Of the
United states. which, after interfering
with the plans Of LOUIS Napoleon and
Navimihan to set up an empire in Mexico,
permitted tl.e Brazilian Empire to 90 its
ilnmolcsted way The answer Is to be
found in the democratic character of
Dom Pedro's administration.
Dom Pedro has the distinction of being
the only emperor who ever paid visit 10
the United states lie came TO visit the
Centennial Exposition al Philadelphia in
lS76 and attended many private func-
tons. his simplicity and amiability max
ing him widely popular. His arrival at a
New York hotel wearing a straw hat q
linen duster and carrying a satchel has
become an historic incident
But the imperial system was an anon-
alv in the new world even half century
ago. and in the latter SOS, II became evi-
dent that in spite OF Dom Pedro's pOpu-
larltv, which had been enhanced by the
decree abolishing slavery, imperialism
was doomed Without bloodshed, with
very little resistance from imperiallsts or
from Dom Pedro himself. the empire was