the origins of contemporary france-3-第95部分

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rhetoric　to　the　service　of　the　dominant　minority。　　Sièyes；　after

casting　his　vote　for　death；　maintains　an　obstinate　silence；　as　much

through　disgust　as　through　prudence：



〃What　does　my　glass　of　wine　matter　in　this　torrent　of　booze？〃＇45＇



Many；　even　among　the　Girondists；　use　sophistry　to　color　their

concessions　in　their　own　eyes。　Some　among　these　〃think　that　they　enjoy

some　degree　of　popularity；　and　fear　that　this　will　be　compromised。＇46＇

Again；　they　put　forth　the　pretext　of　the　necessity　of　maintaining

one's　influence　for　important　occasions。　　Occasionally；　they　affect　to

say；　or　say　it　in　good　faith；　Let　them　（the　extravagant）　keep　on；　they

will　find　each　other　out　and　use　themselves　up。〃　　Frequently；　the

motives　alleged　are　scandalous　or　grotesque。　According　to　Barbaroux；

immediate　execution　must　be　voted；　because　that　is　the　best　way　to

exculpate　the　Gironde　and　shut　the　mouths　of　their　Jacobin

calumniators。＇47＇　According　to　Berlier；　it　is　essential　to　vote　death

for；　why　vote　for　exile？　Louis　XVI。　would　be　torn　to　pieces　before

reaching　the　frontier。＇48＇　　On　the　eve　of　the　verdict；　Vergniaud

says　to　M。　de　Ségur：　〃I　vote　Death？　It　is　an　insult　to　suppose　me

capable　of　such　a　disgraceful　act！〃　And；　〃he　sets　forth　the　frightful

iniquity　of　such　a　course；　its　uselessness；　and　even　its　danger。〃　〃I

would　rather　stand　alone　in　my　opinion　than　vote　Death！〃＇49＇　　The　next

day；　having　voted　Death；　he　excuses　himself　by　saying　〃that　he　did　not

think　he　ought　to　put　the　life　of　one　man　in　the　scale　against　the

public　welfare。〃＇50＇　　Fifteen　or　twenty　deputies；　influenced　by　his

example；　voted　as　he　did；　which　was　　enough　to　turn　the　majority。＇51＇

The　same　weakness　is　found　at　other　decisive　moments。　Charged　with　the

denunciation　of　the　conspiracy　of　the　10th　of　March；　Vergniaud

attributes　it　to　the　aristocrats；　and　admits　to　Louvet　that　〃he　did

not　wish　to　name　the　real　conspirators　for　fear　of　embittering　violent

men　already　pushing　things　to　excess。〃＇52＇　The　truth　is；　the

Girondists；　as　formerly　the　Constitutionalists；　are　too　civilized　for

their　adversaries；　and　submit　to　force　for　lack　of　resolution　to

employ　it　themselves。



〃To　put　down　the　faction；〃　says　one　of　them；＇53＇　〃can　be　done　only　by

cutting　its　throat；　which；　perhaps；　would　not　be　difficult　to　do。　All

Paris　is　as　weary　as　we　are　of　its　yoke；　and　if　we　had　any　liking　for

or　knowledge　how　to　deal　with　insurrections；　we　could　soon　throw　it

off。　But　how　can　we　make　men　adopt　such　necessary　atrocious　measures

when　they　are　criticizing　their　adversaries　for　taking　these？　And　yet

they　would　have　saved　the　country。〃　Consequently；　incapable　of　action；

able　only　to　talk；　reduced　to　protests；　to　barring　the　way　to

revolutionary　decrees；　to　making　appeals　to　the　department　against

Paris；　they　stand　as　an　obstacle　to　all　the　practical　people　who　are

heartily　engaged　in　the　brunt　of　the　action。　　　　〃There　is　no　doubt

that　Carnot　is　as　honest　as　they　are；　as　honest　as　a　fanatic　spectator

can　be。〃＇54＇　Cambon；　undoubtedly　with　as　much　integrity　as　Roland；

spoke　as　loudly　up　as　he　against　the　2nd　　of　September；　the　Commune；

and　anarchy。＇55＇　　But；　to　Carnot　and　Cambon；　who　pass　their　nights；

one　in　establishing　his　budgets；　and　the　other　in　studying　his

military　maps；　they　require；　first　of　all；　a　government　which　will

provide　them　with　money　and　with　soldiers；　and；　therefore；　an

unscrupulous　and　unanimous　Convention　；　that　is　to　say；　there　being　no

other　expedient；　a　Convention　under　compulsion；　i。e。　a　Convention

purged　of　troublesome　some；　dissentient　speakers；＇56＇　in　other　words；

the　dictatorship　of　the　Parisian　proletariat。　After　the　15th　of

December；　1792；　Cambon　completely　accepts　this；　and　even　erects　the

dictatorship　of　the　proletariat　into　an　European　system。　From　that

time＇57＇　he　preaches　universal　sans…culotterie；　a　form　of　government

in　which　the　poor　will　rule　and　the　rich　will　pay；　in　short；　the

restoration　of　privileges　in　an　inverse　sense。　The　later　expression　of

Siéyès　which　has　already　come　true：　　the　problem　is　no　longer　how　to

apply　the　principles　of　the　Revolution；　but　the　salvation　of　its　men。

Faced　with　this　more　and　more　distressing　imperative；　many　of

undecided　deputies　go　with　the　tide；　letting　the　Montagnards　have

their　own　way　and　separate　themselves　from　the　Girondists。



And；　what　is　graver　still；　the　Girondists；　apart　from　all　these

defections；　are　untrue　to　themselves。　Not　only　are　they　ignorant　of

how　to　draw　a　line；　of　how　to　form　themselves　into　a　compact　body：　not

only　〃is　the　very　idea　of　a　collective　proceeding　repulsive；　each

member　desiring　to　keep　himself　independent。　and　act　as　he　thinks

best；〃＇58＇　make　motions　without　consulting　others；　and　vote　as　the

occasion　calls　for　against　his　party；　but；　through　its　abstract

principle；　they　are　in　accord　with　their　adversaries；　and；　on　the

fatal　declivity　whereon　their　honorable　and　humane　instincts　still

retain　them；　this　common　dogma；　like　a　concealed　weight；　causes　them

to　sink　lower　and　lower　down；　even　into　the　bottomless　pit；　where　the

State；　according　to　the　formula　of　Jean　Jacques；　omnipotent；

philosophic；　anti…Catholic；　anti…Christian；　despotic；　leveling；

intolerant；　and　propagandist；　seizes　education；　levels　fortunes；

persecutes　the　Church；　oppresses　consciences；　crushes　out　the

individual；　and；　by　military　foice；　imposes　its　structures　abroad。＇59＇

Basically；　apart　from　the　Jacobin　excess　of　brutality　and　of

precipitation；　the　Girondists；　setting　out　from　the　same　principles　as

the　Jacobin　〃Mountain；〃　march　forward　to　the　same　end　along　with　them。

Hence　the　effect　of　ideological　prejudice　on　them　in　weakening　their

moral　attitudes。　Secretly；　in　their　hearts；　revolutionary　desires

conspire　with　those　of　their　enemies；　and；　on　many　occasions；　make

them　betray　themselves。　　Through　these　devices　and　multiplied

weaknesses；　on　the　one　hand；　the　majority　diminishes　so　as　to　present

but　279　votes　against　228。＇60＇　　And；　on　the　other　hand；　through

frequent　failures；　it　surrenders　to　the　besiegers　one　by　one　every

commanding　post　of　the　public　citadel。　Now；　at　the　first　attack；

nothing　remains　but　to　fly；　or　to　beg　for　mercy。







IV。　　Jacobin　victory　over　Girondin　majority。



Principal　decrees　of　the　Girondist　majority。　　Arms　and　means　of

attack　surrendered　by　it　to　its　adversaries。



The　Convention　had　voted；　on　principle；　for　the　establishment　of　a

military　departmental　guard；　but；　owing　to　the　opposition　of　the

Montagnards；　　it　fails　to　put　the　principle　into　operation。　　For　six

months　it　is　protected；　and；　on　the　10th　of　March；　saved；　through　the

spontaneous　aid　of　provincial　federates；　but；　far　from　organizing

these　passing　auxiliaries　into　a　permanent　body　of　faithful　defenders；

it　allows　them　to　be　dispersed　or　corrupted　by　Pache　and　the　Jacobins。

　It　passes　decrees　frequently　for　the　punishment　of　the　abettors　of

the　September　crime；　but；　on　their　menacing　petition；　the　trials　are

indefinitely　postponed。＇61＇　　It　has　summoned　to　its　bar　Fournier；

Lazowski；　Deffieux；　and　other　leaders；　who；　on　the　10th　of　March；　were

disposed　to　throw　it　out　of　the　windows；　but；　on　making　their　impudent

apology；　it　sends　them　away　acquitted；　free；　and　ready　to　begin　over

again。＇62＇　At　the　War　Department　it　raises　up　in　turn　two　cunning

Jacobins；　Pache　and　Bouchotte；　who　are　to　work　against　it　unceasingly。

At　the　Department　of　the　Interior　it　allows　the　fall　of　its　firmest

support；　Roland；　and　appoints　Garat　in　his　place；　an　ideologist；　whose

mind；　composed　of　glittering　generalities；　with　a　character　made　up　of

contradictory　inclinations；　fritters　itself　away　in　reticences；　in

falsehoods　and　in　half…way　treachery；　under　the　burden　of　his　too

onerous　duties。　　It　votes　the　murder　of　the　King；　which　places　an

insurmountable　barrier　of　blood　between　it　and　all　honest　persons。　

It　plunges　the　nation　into　a　war　in　behalf　of　principles；＇63＇　and

excites　an　European　league　against　France；　which　league；　in

transferring　the　perils　arising　from　the　September　crime　to　the

frontier；　permanently　establishes　the　September　régime　in　the

interior。　　It　forges　in　advance　the　vilest　instruments　of　the

forthcoming　Reign　of　Terror；



*　through　the　decree　which　establishes　the　revolutionary　tribune；　with

Fouquier…Tinville　as　public　prosecutor；　and　the　obligation　for　each

juryman　to　utter　his　verdict　aloud；＇64＇



*　through　the　decree　condemning　every　émigré　to　civil　death；　and　the

confiscation　of　his　property　〃of　either　sex；〃　even　a　simple　fugitive；

even　returned　within　six　months；＇65＇



*　　through　the　decree　which　〃outlaws　aristocrats　and　enemies　of　the

Revolution〃；＇66＇



*　through　the　decree　which；　in　each　commune；　establishes　a　tax　on　the

wealth　of　the　commune　in　order　to　adapt　the　price　of　bread　to

wages；＇67＇



*　through　the　decree　which　subjects　every　bag　of　grain　to　declaration

and　to　the　maximum　（price　conrol）；＇68＇



*　through　the　decree　which　awards　six　years　in　irons　for　any　traffic

in　the　currency；＇69＇



*　　through　the　decree　which　orders　a　forced　loan　of　a　billion；

extorted　from　the　rich；＇70＇



*　through　the　decree　which　raises　in　each　town　a　paid　army　of　sans…

culottes　〃to　hold　aristocrats　under　their　pikes　〃＇71＇　　and　at　last；



*　through　the　decree　which；　instituting　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety；＇72＇　fashions　a　central　motor　to　set　these　sharp　scythes　agoing

and　mow　down　fortunes　and　lives　with　the　utmost　rapidity。　…



To　these　engines　of　general　destruction　it　adds　one　more；　which　is

special　and　operates　against　itself。　　Not　only　does　it　furnish　its

rivals　of　the　Commune　with　the　millions　they　need　to　pay　their　bands；

not　only　does　it　advance　to　the　different　sections；＇73＇　in　the　form　of

a　loan；　the　hundreds　of　thousands　of　francs　which　are　needed　to

satisfy　the　thirst　of　their　yelpers；　but　again；　at　the　end　of　March；

just　at　the　moment　when　it　ha