... All the moderate Republicans regard the result as a severe blow at the Republic and lament it. The Legitimists rejoice at it. “A Napoleon was fatal to the Republic of ‘93-a Napoleon will be fatal to the Republic of '48, and a second restoration will be, they think, more fortunate than the former.” The Red Republicans are not sorry; they regard it as a blow not at the Republic, but at the administration of Cavaignac and the state of siege of which they are impatient to be rid. To say the least, the result is a striking one: Napoleon a pretender whose purposes, or rather those of his friends, are masked but not extinguished; could an extreme reactionist whose Republicanism is more than doubtful; Raspail a violent Revolutionist, and an aspirant for the succession of Marat, a leader in the outbreak of May 15th. These men do not portend peace and quiet, but disturbance and convulsion, and the weakness of those who represent moderate opinions in the press and the chamber only strengthen them. Louis Napoleon in ordinary times and ordinary circumstances would pass for nothing more than a hare-brained and very foolish young man; now he is magnified into a danger to the Republic, and the people vote for him because he is made a greater man than he is [and], because he represents the medium of the emperor. ...This closely enough foreshadows the course of history in respect to that extraordinary man and his career, to stand for prophecy. In connection with a previous remark of Dana's, that Louis Napoleon would rather have the empire than the republic, and with the fact that he finally overthrew the republic and made himself emperor, it must be conceded that this was a prophecy which hastened hot-foot to fulfilment. In connection with Louis Napoleon's election to the Assembly, Dana calls attention
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was full of interest to Dana, and he made haste to report and comment upon it to the journals which he represented.
To the Tribune he said:
Harper and Brothers, New York and London, 1907.
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