the origins of contemporary france-4-第156章

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courageous　through　fear；　and；　in　its　turn；　it　terrorizes　the

terrorists。　　The　Faubourg　Saint…Antoine　is　disarmed；　ten　thousand

Jacobins　are　arrested；＇7＇　and　more　than　sixty　Montagnards　are　decreed

under　indictment；　Collot；　Billaud；　Barère　and　Vadier　are　to　be

deported；　nine　other　members　of　former　committees　are　to　be

imprisoned。　　The　last　of　the　veritable　fanatics；　Romme；　Goujon；

Soubrany；　Duquesnoy；　Bourbotte　and　Duroy　are　condemned　to　death；

Immediately　after　the　sentence　five　of　them　stab　themselves　on　the

stairs　of　the　tribunal；　two　of　the　wounded　who　survive　are　borne；

along　with　the　sixth；　to　the　scaffold　and　guillotined。　　Two

Montagnards　of　the　same　stamp；　Rhul　and　Maure；　kill　themselves　before

their　sentence。　　…　　　Henceforth　the　purged　Convention　regards　itself

as　pure；　its　final　rigor　has　expiated　its　former　baseness；　the　guilty

blood　which　it　spills　washing　away　the　stains　of　the　innocent　blood　it

had　shed　before。



Unfortunately；　in　condemning　the　terrorists；　it　pronounced　its　own

condemnation；　for　it　has　authorized　and　sanctioned　all　their　crimes。

On　its　benches；　in　its　committees；　often　in　the　president's　chair；　at

the　head　of　the　ruling　coterie；　still　figure　the　members　of　the

revolutionary　government；　many　of　the　avowed　terrorists　like　Bourdon

de　l'Oise；　Bentabolle；　Delmas；　and　Reubell；　presidents　of　the

September　commune　like　Marie　Chénier；　those　who　carried　out　〃the　31st

of　May；〃　like　Legendre　and　Merlin　de　Douai；　author　of　the　decree　which

created　six　hundred　thousand　suspects　in　France；　provincial

executioners　of　the　most　brutal　and　most　ferocious　sort；　the　greatest

and　most　cynical　robbers　like　André　Dumont；　Fréron；　Tallien　and

Barras。　　Under　Robespierre；　the　four　hundred　mutes　〃du　ventre〃　were

the　reporters；　the　voters；　the　claqueurs；　and　the　agents　of　the　worst

decrees　against　religion；　property　and　persons。　　The　foundations　of

Terror　were　all　laid　by　the　seventy…three　in　confinement　before　they

were　imprisoned；　and　by　the　sixteen　who　were　proscribed　before　their

proscription。　　Excepting　ten　or　a　dozen　who　stayed　away；　the

Convention；　in　a　mass；　pronounced　judgment　against　the　King　and

declared　him　guilty；　more　than　one…half　of　the　Convention；　the

Girondists　at　the　head　of　them；　voted　his　death。　　The　hall　does　not

contain　fifty　honorable　men　in　whom　character　sustains　conscience；　and

who　had　a　right　to　carry　their　heads　erect。＇8＇　　In　no　law　they

passed；　good　or　bad；　did　the　other　seven　hundred　have　in　view　the

interests　of　their　constituents。　　In　all　their　laws；　good　or　bad；　they

solely　regarded　their　own　interests。　　So　long　as　the　attacks　of　the

〃Mountain〃　and　of　the　rabble　affected　the　public　only；　they　lauded

them；　decreed　them　and　had　them　executed。　　If　they　finally　rebelled

against　the　〃Mountain；〃　and　against　the　rabble；　it　was　at　the　last

moment；　and　solely　to　save　their　lives。　　Before；　as　after　the　9th　of

Thermidor；　before；　as　after　the　1st　of　Prairial；　the　incentives　of　the

conduct　of　these　pusillanimous　oppressors　or　involuntary　liberators

were　baseness　and　egoism。　　Hence；　〃the　contempt　and　horror　universally

poured　out　against　them；　only　Jacobins　could　be　still　more　odious！〃＇9＇

If　further　support　is　given　to　these　faithless　mandatories；　it　is

because　they　are　soon　to　be　put　out。　　On　the　premature　report　that　the

Convention　is　going　to　break　up；　people　accost　each　other　in　the

street；　exclaiming；　〃We　are　rid　of　these　brigands；　they　are　going　at

last　。　　。　　。　　People　caper　and　dance　about　as　if　they　could　not

repress　their　joy；　they　talk　of　nothing　but　the　boy；　（Louis　XVIII。

confined　in　the　Temple）；　and　the　new　elections。　　Everybody　agrees　on

excluding　the　present　deputies　。　　。　　。　　。　　There　is　less　discussion　on

the　crimes　which　each　has　committed　than　on　the　insignificance　of　the

entire　assemblage；　while　the　epithets　of　vicious；　used　up　and　corrupt

have　almost　wholly　given　way　to　thieves　and　scoundrels。〃＇10＇　Even　in

Paris；　during　the　closing　months　of　their　rule；　they　hardly　dare

appear　in　public：　〃in　the　dirtiest　and　most　careless　costume　which　the

tricolor　scarf　and　gold　fringe　makes　more　apparent；　they　try　to　escape

notice　in　the　crowd＇11＇　and；　in　spite　of　their　modesty；　do　not　always

avoid　insult　and　still　less　the　maledictions　of　those　who　pass　them。〃

…　　　In　the　provinces；　at　home；　it　would　be　worse　for　them；　their　lives

would　be　in　danger；　in　any　event；　they　would　be　dragged　through　the

gutter；　and　this　they　know。　　Save　about　〃twenty　of　them；〃　all　who　are

not　to　succeed　in　entering　the　new　Corps　Legislatif；　will　intrigue　for

offices　in　Paris　and　become　〃state　messengers；　employees　in　bureaux；

and　ushers　to　ministers；〃　in　default　of　other　places　they　would　accept

those　of　〃hall…sweeps。〃　Any　refuge　for　them　is　good　against　the

reprobation　of　the　public；　which　is　already　rising　and　submerging　them

under　its　tide。



II。　　　Re…election　of　the　Two…thirds。



Decrees　for　the　re…election　of　the　Two…thirds。　　…　Small　number　of

Voters。　　…　Maneuvers　for　preventing　electors　from　voting　on　the

decrees。　　…　Frauds　in　the　returns　of　votes。　　…　Maintenance　of　the

decrees　by　force。　　…　Recruiting　of　the　Roughs。　　…　The　military

employed。　　…　The　13th　of　Vendémaire。



There　is　no　other　refuge　for　them　except　in　supreme　power；　and　no

other　means　for　maintaining　this　but　in　the　excesses　of　despotism；

dishonesty；　mendacity　and　violence。　　In　the　Constitution　they

manufacture；　they　desire　to　remain　the　sovereigns　of　France　and　they

decree＇12＇　at　once　that；　willingly　or　not；　France　must　select　two…

thirds　of　its　new　representatives　from　amongst　them；　and；　that　she　may

make　a　good　selection；　it　is　prudent　to　impose　the　selection　upon　her。

There　is　a　show；　indeed；　of　consulting　her　in　the　special　decrees

which　deprive　her　of　two…thirds　of　her　elective　rights　but；　as　in　1792

and　in　1793；　it　is　so　contrived　that　she　consents；　or　seems　to

consent；　to　this　arrangement。＇13＇　…　In　the　first　place；　they　relied　on

the　majority　of　electors　abstaining　from　a　response。　　Experience

indeed；　had　shown　that；　for　a　long　time；　the　masses　were　disgusted

with　the　plebiscite　farces；　moreover；　terror　has　stifled　in

individuals　all　sentiment　of　a　common　interest；＇14＇　each　cares　for

himself　alone。　　Since　Thermidor；　electors　and　mayors　in　the　boroughs

and　in　the　rural　districts　are　found　with　a　good　deal　of　difficulty；

even　electors　of　the　second　degree；　people　saw　that　it　was　useless　and

even　dangerous　to　perform　the　duties　of　a　citizen；　they　would　have

nothing　to　do　with　public　functions。　　A　foreigner　writes；＇15＇　after

traversing　France　from　Bourg…en…Bresse　to　Paris：　〃Ninety　times　out　of

a　hundred　that　I　have　asked　the　question；







'Citizen；　what　was　done　in　the　primary　meeting　of　your　canton？'



the　answer　would　be：







'Me；　citizen；　what　have　I　to　do　with　it？　I'　faith；　they　had　hard　work

to　agree！'



Or；



'What's　the　use？　There　were　not　many　there！　Honest　folks　stayed　at

home。'〃



In　fact；　out　of　at　least　six　million　electors　convoked；　five　millions

do　not　come　near　the　ballot…box；　there　being　no　embarrassment　in　this

matter　as　they　do　not　vote。＇16＇



In　the　second　place；　precautions　have　been　taken　to　prevent　those　who

come　to　vote　on　the　Constitution　from　entertaining　the　idea　of　voting

on　the　decrees。　　No　article　of　the　Constitution；　nor　in　the　decrees；

calls　upon　them　to　do　so；　slight　inducement　is　held　out　to　them　to

come；　in　a　vague　style；　through　an　oratorical　interrogation；　or　in　a

tardy　address。＇17＇　…　In　addition　to　this；　on　the　printed　blanks　sent

to　them　from　Paris；　they　find　but　three　columns；　one　for　the　number　of

votes　accepting　the　Constitution；　another　for　the　number　rejecting　it；

and　the　third　for　〃written　observations〃　in　case　there　are　any。　　There

are　no　special　columns　for　marking　the　number　of　votes　accepting　or

rejecting　the　decrees。　　Thereupon；　many　illiterate　or　ill…informed

electors　might　think　that　they　were　convoked　to　vote