the origins of contemporary france-4-第124章
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republicans; will ask nothing more。 They regard their system as a
very good one for the French people; the despotic system without which
there can be no army; that which places the absolute command in the
hands of one individual。 … Let him put down other Jacobins; let him
revoke their late decrees on hostages and the forced loan; let him
restore safety and security to persons; property and consciences; let
him bring back order; economy and efficiency to the administrations;
let him provide for public services; hospitals; roads and schools; the
whole of civil France will welcome its liberator; protector and
restorer。'150' … In his own words; the system he brings is that of
〃the alliance of Philosophy with the Sword;〃 philosophy meaning; as
it was then understood; the application of abstract principles to
politics; the logical construction of a State according to general
and simple notices with a social plan; uniform and rectilinear。
Now as we have seen;'151' two of these plans square with this
theory; one anarchical and the other despotic; naturally; the
master adopts the latter; and; like a practical man; he builds
according to that theory a substantial edifice; with sand and lime;
habitable and well suited to its purposes。 All the masses of the
great work…civil code; university; Concordat; prefectoral and
centralized administration…all the details of its arrangement and
distribution of places; tend to one general effect; which is the
omnipotence of the State; the omnipresence of the government; the
abolition of local and private initiative; the suppression of
voluntary free association; the gradual dispersion of small
spontaneous groupings; the preventive ban of prolonged hereditary
works; the extinction of sentiments by which the individual lives
beyond himself in the past or in the future。 Never were finer
barracks constructed; more symmetrical and more decorative in aspect;
more satisfactory to superficial views; more acceptable to vulgar good
sense; more suited to narrow egoism; better kept and cleaner; better
adapted to the discipline of the average and low elements of human
nature; and better adapted to dispersing or perverting the superior
elements of human nature。 In this philosophical barracks we have
lived for eighty years。
THE END。
(written in 1889)。
__________________________________________________________________________
Notes:
'1' Gaudin; Duc de Ga?te; 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 28。 Gaudin; commissioner of
the Treasury; meets the president of the revolutionary committee of
his quarter; an excellent Jacobin; who says to him: 〃Eh; well; what's
all this? Robespierre proscribed! Is it possible? What is wanted …
everything was going on so well!〃 (It is true that fifty or sixty
heads fell daily。) 〃I replied; 'Just so; there are some folks that are
never satisfied。'〃
'2' Mallet…Dupan; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。; 16。 (Letter of January 8; 1795。) …
Ibid。; 〃Correspondance avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。; 23; 25; 32; 34;
(January 8; 1795; on the four parties com posing the Convention)。
'3' Marshal Marmont: 〃Memoires;〃 I。; 120。 (Report of General
Dugommier on the capture of Toulon。) 〃That memorable day avenged the
general will of a partial and gangrened will; the delirium of which
caused the greatest misfortunes。〃
'4' Memorial of the ninety…four survivors Thermidor 30; year II。;
acquitted Fructidor 28。
'5' Carrier indicted Brumaire 21; year III。 Decree of arrest passed
by 498 out of 500 votes; Frimaire 3; execution Frimaire 26。 Fouquier…
Tinville indicted Frimaire 28; execution Floréal 28; there being 419
witnesses heard。 Joseph Lebon indicted Messidor I; year III。 Trial
adjourned to the Somme court; Messidor 29; execution Vendémiaire 24;
year IV。
'6' Cf。 chapters 4; 5 and 6 of the present volume。 Numbers of
printed documents of this epoch show what these local sovereigns were。
The principal ones in the department of Ain were 〃Anselm; who had
placed Marat's head in his shop。 Duclos; a joiner; living before the
31st of May on his earnings; he became after that a gentleman living
on his rents; owning national domains; sheep; horses and pocket books
filled with assignats。 Laimant; a tailor; in debt; furnishing his
apartment suddenly with all the luxuriousness of the ancient regime;
such as beds at one hundred pistoles etc。 Alban; mayor; placing seals
everywhere; was a blacksmith and father of a family which he supported
by his labor; all at once he stops working; and passes from a state of
dependence to one of splendor; he has diamonds and earrings; always
wearing new clothes; fine linen shirts; muslin cravates; silk
stockings; etc。; on removing the seals in the houses of those
imprisoned and guillotined; little or nothing was found in them。
Alban was denounced and incarcerated for having obliged a woman of
Macon to give him four hundred francs on promising to interest himself
in her husband。 Such are the Ain patriots。 Rollet; another; had so
frightened the rural districts that the people ran away on his
approach; on one occasion he had two of them harnessed to his carriage
and drove them along for some time in this manner 。 。 。 Another;
Charcot (of Virieu); before the Revolution; was a highway assassin;
and was banished for three years for an act of this description。〃
(Bibliotheque Nationale。 Lb。 41; No。 1318。 〃The truth in reply to
calumnious charges against the department of Ain。〃 Letter of Roux;
Vendémiaire; year III。)
'7' Decree of Germinal 12; year III: for the transportation of Collot;
Barère; Billaud…Varennes and Vadier。 Eight Montagnards are put under
arrest。 … Decree of Germinal 14: the same against nine other
Montagnards。 ?Decree of Germinal 29: the same against Maribon…
Montant。 … Decree of Prairial 6: twenty…nine Montagnards are
indicted。 … Decree of Prairial 8: putting six Montagnards under
arrest。 … Decree of Prairial 9: the same against nine members of
former committees。 … Decrees of Prairial 10 to Thermidor 22; year
III: condemning 6 Montagnards to death; one to transportation and
twenty put under arrest。
'8' Barbé…Marbois;〃 Mémoires;〃 preface; p。 VIII。 〃Except about fifty
men who are honest and intelligent; history presents no sovereign
assembly containing so much vice; abjectness and ignorance。〃 ??Buchez
et Roux; XXXVII。; 7。 (Speech by Legendre; Thermidor 17; year III。)
〃It is stated in print that; at most; there are but twenty pure men in
this Assembly。〃 … Ibid。; 27。 Order of the Lepelletier section;
Vendemiaire 10; year IV。 〃It is certain that we owe the dearth and
all its accompanying evils to the incapacity and brigandage of the
present government。〃
'9' Mallet…Dupan; 〃 Correspondance;〃 etc。; I。; 211。 (May 27; 1795。)
'10' 〃Un Sejour en France;〃 267。 271; (Amiens; March 13; April 12;
1795。)
'11' Meissner; 〃Voyage à Paris;〃 123; 351。 (The author arrives in
Paris; September 22; 1795。)
'12' Decrees of Fructidor 5 and 13; year III。
'13' Mallet…Dupan (〃Correspondance avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。; 292;
August 30; 1795)。 … Moniteur; XXV。; 518; 551。 (Session of
Fructidor 3。) The first idea of the commission of Eleven was to have
the Convention itself choose the two…thirds。 〃Its opponents took
advantage of the public outcry and broke off this plan。 。 。 。 of
the Girondist cabal。〃 Louvet; Fructidor 3; mounted three times into
the tribune to support this project; still more scandalous than the
other。 〃Eh; what electoral assembly could be better than yours! You
all know each other well。〃 Louvet adds this significant expression:
〃The armies also will vote the new constitution。 I have no fears of
its fate。〃
'14' Moniteur; XXII; 22。 (Report of Lindet; 4th sans…culottide; year
II。) 〃Each man confines himself to his family and calculates his
resources。〃
'15' Meissner; 58。
'16' Decree of Fructidor s。 〃All Frenchmen who voted at the last
primary assemblies will be admitted to vote on the acceptance of the
Constitution。〃 … Archives Nationales; A。 II。 B。 638。 (General
recapitulation of the vote on the Constitution of the year III and on
the decrees of Fructidor 5 and 13 printed by order of the Convention
Vendémiaire; year IV。) Number of voters on the constitutional bill;
1;107;368。
'17' Moniteur; XXV。; 637。 (Address to Frenchmen by Lareveillère…
Lepeaux; in the name of the Commission of Eleven; affixed to the
decree of Fructidor 13。) 〃Let all opposition to the legitimacy of this
measure cease! The only legitimate measure is that which saves the
country! Besides; if the majority of the primary assemblies of France
approve of it; who dares say that the people would have renounced its
sovereignty in thus expressing its will! 〃 … Cf。 Sauzay; VII。; 653 to
667; on the details and circumstances of the elections in one of the
departments。
'18' Archives Nationales1 A。 II。 B。; 688。 (Procés…verbaux of the
primary meetings of Seine…Inférieure; Dieppe; 〃Liberté〃 section;
session of Fructidor 20。) The constitution is unanimously accepted by
forty…four voters; on a call of names。 Then; 〃before proceeding to
the nomination of electors the law was read; concerning the mode of
electing the two…thirds of the National Convention。 The President
having asked if any one wished to speak on this law the order of the
day was immediately called for on all sides。〃 The electors are
appointed forthwith and the assembly adjourns。…The clerk; who has to
draw up the minutes; writes on the margin 〃forty…four voters
unanimously accept the Constitution as well as the decrees of
Fructidor 5 and 13;〃 which is false。 It is clear that the scribe had
been instructed to enlarge the number of votes accepting the decrees;
which suggests doubts on the truth of the total furnished by the
convention。
'19' Ibid。; A。 II。 B。; 638 (General recapitulation)。 I have taken
the number of primary assemblies in the twenty…two first departments
on the alphabetical list; that is to say; one quarter of the
territory; which warrants a conclusion; proportionately; on the whole
country。 In these twenty…two departments; 1;570 assemblies vote on
the constitution and only three hundred and twenty…eight on the
decrees。 The figures are herewith given: in the C?tes…du…Nord;
eighty…four primary assemblies; only one votes in favor of the
decrees。 Bouches du Rhone; ninety primary assemblies; four vote on
the decrees; two for and two against。 Aude; eighty…three primary
assemblies; four vote on the decrees; three for and one against。
Arriége; fifty…nine primary assemblies; two vote on the decrees。
Basses…Alpes; forty…eight primary assemblies: two vote on the decrees。
Maritime Alps; twenty…three primary assemblies; not one votes on the
decrees。
'20' Ibid。; (Procés…verbaux of the primary assemblies of the
department of the Seine; Popincourt section;