the origins of contemporary france-3-第82部分

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departments　and　districts　with　the　power　of　acting　for　the　greatest

advantage　of　the　commune；　but　which；　the　moment　it　elects　its　own

administrators　and　agents；　can　no　longer　revoke　the　powers　it　has

bestowed；　without　a　total　subversion　of　order？　etc。〃　　All　the

documents　belonging　to　this　affair　ought　to　be　quoted；　there　is

nothing　more　instructive　or　ludicrous；　and　especially　the　style　of　the

secretary…clerk　of　Saint…Firmin：　　〃We　conjure　you　to　remember　that　the

administrators　of　the　district　of　Senlis　strive　to　play　the　part　of

the　sirens　who　sought　to　enchant　Ulysses。〃



＇110＇　Letter　of　the　central　bureau　of　the　Rouen　sections；　Aug。　30。



＇111＇　〃Archives　Nationales；〃　F7；　3195。　Letter　of　the　three

administrative　bodies　and　commissaries　of　the　sections　of　Marseilles；

Nov。　15；　1792。　Letter　of　the　electors　of　Bouches…du…Rh？ne；　Nov。　28。　

（Forms　of　politeness　are　omitted　at　the　end　of　these　letters；　and　no

doubt　purposely。）　Roland　replies　（Dec。　31）：　〃While　fully　admiring　the

civism　of　the　brave　Marseilles　people；　。　。　。　do　not　fully　agree　with

you　on　the　exercise　of　popular　Sovereignty。〃　He　ends　by　stating　that

all　their　letters　with　replies　have　been　transmitted　to　the　deputies

of　the　Bouches…du…Rh？ne；　and　that　the　latter　are　in　accord　with　him

and　will　arrange　matters。







CHAPTER　III。



I。



The　second　stage　of　the　Jacobin　conquest。　　The　importance　and

multitude　of　vacant　offices。



The　second　stage　of　the　Jacobin　conquest　will；＇1＇　after　August　10th

and　during　the　next　three　months；　extend　and　multiply　all　vacancies

from　the　top　to　the　bottom　of　the　hierarchy；　for　the　purpose　of

filling　them　with　their　own　men。　　In　the　first　place；　the　faction

（the　party）　installs　representatives　on　the　summits　of　public

authority　which　represent　itself　alone；　seven　hundred　and　forty…nine

omnipotent　deputies；　in　a　Convention　which；　curbed　neither　by

collateral　powers　nor　by　a　previously　established　constitution；

disposes　at　pleasure　of　the　property；　the　lives　and　the　consciences　of

all　French　people。　　　Then；　through　this　barely　installed　convention；

it　decrees　the　complete　renewal＇2＇　of　all　administrative　and　judicial

bodies；　councils　and　directories　of　departments；　councils　and　communal

municipalities；　civil；　criminal　and　commercial　tribunals；　justices　and

their　assistants　in　the　lower　courts；　deputies　of　the　justices；

national　commissaries　of　the　civil　courts；　with　secretaries　and

bailiffs　belonging　to　the　various　tribunals　and　administrations。＇3＇

The　obligation　of　having　practiced　as　a　lawyer　is　abolished　by　the

same　stroke；　so　that　the　first　comer；　if　he　belongs　to　the　club

（party）　may　become　a　judge　without　knowing　how　to　write；　and　even

without　being　able　to　read。＇4＇　　　Just　before　this　the　staff　of　the

National　Guard；　in　all　towns　above　fifty　thousand　souls；　and

afterwards　in　all　the　towns　on　the　frontier；　has　again　passed　through

the　electoral　sieve。＇5＇　In　like　manner；　the　officers　of　the

gendarmerie　at　Paris　and　throughout　France　once　more　undergo　an

election　by　their　men。　Finally；　all　post…masters　and　post…office

comptrollers　have　to　submit　to　election。　　　Even　better；　below　or

alongside　the　elected　officials；　this　administrative　purge　concerns

all　non…elective　functionaries　and　employees；　no　matter　how

insignificant　their　service；　however　feeble　and　indirect　their　office

may　be　connected　with　political　matters。　This　is　because　tax　receivers

and　assessors；　directors　and　other　agents　of　rivers　and　forests；

engineers；　notaries；　attorneys；　clerks　and　scribes　belonging　to　the

administrative　branch；　are　all　subject　to　dismissal　if　they　do　not

obtain　a　certificate　of　civism　from　their　municipality。　At　Troyes；　out

of　fifteen　notaries；　it　is　refused　to　four；＇6＇　which　leaves　four

places　to　be　filled　by　their　Jacobin　clerks。　At　Paris；＇7＇　〃all　honest

folks；　all　clerks　who　are　educated；〃　are　driven　out　of　the　navy

offices；　the　war　department　is　getting　to　be　〃a　den　where　everybody　on

duty　wears　a　red　cap；　where　all　thee…and…thou　each　other；　even　the

Minister；　where　four　hundred　employees；　among　which　are　a　number　of

women；　show　off　in　the　dirtiest　dress；　affect　the　coolest　cynicism；　do

nothing；　and　steal　on　all　sides。〃　　Under　the　denunciation　of　the

clubs；　the　broom　is　applied　even　at　the　bottom　of　the　hierarchical

scale；　even　to　secretaries　of　village　councils；　to　messengers　and

call…boys　in　the　towns；　to　jail…keepers　and　door…keepers；　to　beadles

and　sextons；　to　foresters；　field…custodians；　and　others　of　this

class。＇8＇　　All　these　persons　must　be；　or　appear　to　be；　Jacobin；

otherwise；　their　place　slips　away　from　them；　for　there　is　always　some

one　to　covet　it；　apply　for　it　and　take　it。　　　Outside　of　employees

the　sweeping　operation　reaches　the　suppliers　and　contractors；　even

here　there　are　the　faithful　to　be　provided　for；　and　nowhere　is　the

bait　so　important。　The　State；　even　in　ordinary　times；　is　always　the

largest　of　consumers；　and；　at　this　moment；　it　is　expending　monthly；

merely　on　the　war；　two　hundred　millions　extra。　What　fish　may　be　caught

in　such　disturbed　waters！＇9＇　　　All　these　lucrative　orders　as　well　as

all　these　remunerated　positions　are　at　the　disposition　of　the

Jacobins；　and　they　seize　the　opportunity；　they　are　the　lawful　owner；

who　comes　home　after　a　long　absence　and　gives　or　withdraws　his　custom

as　the　pleases；　while　he　makes　a　clean　sweep　in　his　own　household。　

The　administrative　and　judicial　services　alone　number　1；300；000

places；　all　those　in　the　treasury　department；　in　that　of　public　works；

in　that　of　public　education；　and　in　the　Church；　all　posts　in　the

National　Guard　and　in　the　army；　from　that　of　commander…in…chief　down

to　a　drummer；　the　whole　of　the　central　or　local　power；　with　the　vast

patronage　flowing　from　this。　Never　had　such　rich　spoils　been　made

available　to　the　general　public　in　one　go。　Lots　will　be　drawn；

apparently；　by　vote；　but　it　is　evident　that　the　Jacobins　have　no

intention　of　surrendering　their　prey　to　the　hazards　of　a　free　ballot；

they　mean　to　keep　it　the　way　they　got　it；　by　force；　and　will　leave　no

stone　unturned　to　control　the　elections。



II。



The　elections。　　The　young　and　the　poor　invited　to　the　ballot…box。

Danger　of　the　Conservatives　if　candidates。　…　…Their　chiefs　absent

themselves。　　Proportion　of　absentees　at　the　primary　assemblies。



They　begin　by　paving　their　way。＇10＇　A　new　decree　has　at　once

suppressed　the　feeble　and　last　legal　requirement　for　impartiality；

integrity　and　competence　of　the　elector　and　the　eligible　candidate。　No

more　discrimination　between　active　and　passive　citizens；　no　longer　any

difference　between　　poll　tax　of　an　elector　of　the　first　degree　and

that　of　the　second　degree：　no　electoral　poll　tax　qualification

whatever。　All　Frenchmen；　except　domestics；　of　whom　they　are

distrustful；　supposing　them　under　their　employer's　influence；　may　vote

at　the　primary　assemblies；　and　not　longer　at　the　age　of　twenty…five；

but　at　twenty…one；　which　brings　to　the　polls　the　two　most

revolutionary　groups；　on　the　one　hand　the　young；　and　on　the　other　the

poor；　the　latter　in　great　numbers　in　these　times　of　unemployment；

dearth　and　poverty；　amounting　in　all　to　two　millions　and　a　half；　and；

perhaps；　three　millions　of　new　electors。　…　At　Besan？on　the　number　of

the　registered　voters　is　doubled。＇11＇　　Thus　are　the　usual　clients　of

the　Jacobins　admitted　within　the　electoral　boundaries；　from　which　they

had　hitherto　been　excluded；＇12＇　and；　to　ensure　their　coming；　their

leaders　decide　that　every　elector　obliged　to　travel　〃shall　receive

twenty　sous　mileage；〃　besides　〃three　francs　per　diem　during　his

stay。〃＇13＇



While　　attracting　their　supporters　they　drove　their　adversaries　away。

The　political　banditry；　through　which　they　dominate　and　terrify

France；　has　already　taken　care　of　that。　Many　arbitrary　arrests　and

unpunished　murders　are　a　warning　to　all　candidates　who　do　not　belong

to　their　party；　and　I　do　not　speak　about　to　the　nobles　or　friends　of

the　ancient　regime　that　have　fled　or　are　in　prison；　but　the

Constitutionalists　and　the　Feuillants。　Any　electoral　enterprise　on

their　part　would　be　madness；　almost　a　suicide。　Accordingly；　none　of

them　call　attention　to　themselves。　If　any　outrageous　moderate；　like

Durand　de　Maillane；　appears　on　a　list；　it　is　because　the

revolutionaries　have　adopted　him　without　knowing　him；　and　because　he

swears　that　he　hates　　royalty。＇14＇　The　others；　more　honest；　　do　not

want　to　don　the　popular　livery　and　resort　to　club　patronage；　so　they

carefully　stay　away；　they　know　too　well　that　to　do　otherwise　would

mark　their　heads　for　pikes　and　their　homes　for　pillage。　At　the　very

moment　of　depositing　the　vote　the　domains　of　several　deputies　are

sacked　simply　because；　〃on　the　comparative　lists　of　seven　calls　by

name；〃　sent　to　the　departments　from　Paris　by　the　Jacobins；　their　names

are　found　on　the　right。＇15＇　　Through　an　excess　of　precaution　the

Constitutionalists　of　the　Legislative　body　are　kept　at　the　capital；

their　passports　being　refused　to　them　to　prevent　them　from　returning

into　the　provinces　and　obtaining　votes　by　publicly　stating　the　truth

in　relation　to　the　recent　revolution。　　In　the　same　way；　all

conservative　journals　are　suppressed；　reduced　to　silence；　or　compelled

to　become　turncoats。　　Now；　when　one　has　neither　the　possibility　to

speak　up　nor　a　candidate　which　might　become　one's　representative；　of

what　use　is　it　to　vote？　　And　especially；　since　the　primary　assemblies

are　places　of　disorder　and　violence；＇16＇　patriots　alone；　in　many

places；　being　admitted；＇17＇　a　conservative　being　〃insulted　and

overwhelmed　with　numbers；〃　and；　if　he　utters　an　opinion；　exposed　to

danger；　also；　if　he　remains　silent；　incurring　the　risk　of

denunciations；　threats；　and　blows。　To　keep　in　the　background；　remain

on　the　sidelines；　avoid　being　seen；　and　to　strive　to　be　forgotten；　is

the　rule　under　a　pasha；　and　especially　when　this　pasha　is　a　mob。　Hence

the　absenteeism　of　the　maj