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everywhere detestable。 。 。 。 The number of discontented seems to
increase from day to day。 All the communes in Var; and most of those
in this department are against us。 。 。 。 they constitute a race to
be destroyed; a country to be colonized anew。 。 。 。
〃I repeat it; the only way to work out the Revolution in the
federalized departments; and especially in this one; is to deport all
the indigenous population who are able to bear arms; scatter them
through the armies and put garrisons in their places; which; again;
will have to be changed from time to time。〃 … At the other extremity
of the territory; in Alsace; 〃republican sentiments are still in the
cradle; fanaticism is extreme and incredible; the spirit of the
inhabitants in general is in no respect revolutionary。 。 。 Nothing
but the revolutionary army and the venerated guillotine will cure them
of their conceited aristocracy。 The execution of the laws depends on
striking off the heads of the guilty; for nearly all the rural
municipalities are composed only of the rich; of clerks of former
bailiffs; almost always devoted to the ancient régime。〃'78'… And in
the rest of France; the population; less refractory; is not more
Jacobin; here where the people appear 〃humble and submissive〃 as in
Lyons and Bordeaux; the inspectors report that it is wholly owing to
terror;'79' there; where opinion seems enthusiastic; as at Rochefort
and Grenoble; they report that it is 〃artificial heat。〃'80' At
Rochefort; zeal is maintained only 〃by the presence of five or six
Parisian Jacobins。〃 At Grenoble; Chépy; the political agent and
president of the club; writes that 〃he is knocked up; worn out; and
exhausted; in trying to keep up public spirit and maintain it on a
level with events;〃 but he is 〃conscious that; if he should leave; all
would crumble。〃 … There are none other than Moderates at Brest; at
Lille; at Dunkirk; if this or that department; the Nord; for instance;
hastened to accept the 〃Montagnard〃 constitution; it is only a
pretense: 〃an infinitely small portion of the population answered for
the rest。〃'81' … At Belfort; where 〃from one thousand to twelve
hundred fathers of families alone are counted;〃 writes the agent;'82'
〃one popular club of thirty or forty members; at the most; maintains
and enforces the love of liberty。〃 … In Arras; 〃out of three or four
hundred members composing the popular club〃 the weeding…out of 1793
has spared but 〃sixty…three; one tenth of whom are absent。〃'83' At
Toulouse; 〃out of about fourteen hundred members〃 who form the club;
only three or four hundred remain after the weeding…out of 1793;'84'
〃mere machines; for the most part;〃 and 〃whom ten or a dozen
intriguers lead as they please。〃 … The same state of things exists
elsewhere; a dozen or two determined Jacobins…twenty…two at Troyes;
twenty…one at Grenoble; ten at Bordeaux; seven at Poitiers; as many at
Dijon…constitute the active staff of a large town:'85' the whole
number might sit around one table。 … The Jacobins; straining as they
do to swell their numbers; only scatter their band; careful as they
are in making their selections; they only limit their number。 They
remain what they always have been; a small feudality of brigands
superposed on conquered France。'86' If the terror they spread around
multiplies their serfs; the horror they inspire diminishes their
proselytes; while their minority remains insignificant because; for
their collaborators; they can have only those just like themselves。
VI。
Quality of staff thus formed。 … Social state of the agents。 … Their
unfitness and bad conduct。 … The administrators in Seine…et…Marne。 …
Drunkenness and feasting。 … Committees and Municipalities in the
C?te…d'Or。 … Waste and extortions。 … Traffickers in favors at
Bordeaux。 … Seal breakers at Lyons。 … Monopolizers of national
possessions。 … Sales of personal property。 … Embezzlements and
Frauds。…A procès…verbal in the office of the mayor of Strasbourg。 …
Sales of real…estate。 … Commissioners on declarations at Toulouse。 …
The administrative staff and clubs of buyers in Provence。 … The
Revolutionary Committee of Nantes。
But when we regard the final and last set of officials of the
revolutionary government closely; in the provinces as well as at
Paris; we find among them we hardly anyone who is noteworthy except in
vice; dishonesty and misconduct; or; at the very least; in stupidity
and grossness。 … First; as is indicated by their name; they all must
be; and nearly all are; sans…culottes; that is to say; men who live
from day to day on their daily earnings; possessing no income from
capital; confined to subordinate places; to petty trading; to manual
services; lodged or encamped on the lowest steps of the social ladder;
and therefore requiring pay to enable them to attend to public
business;'87' it is on this account that decrees and orders allow them
wages of three; five; six; ten; and even eighteen francs a day。 … At
Grenoble; the representatives form the municipal body and the
revolutionary committee; along with two health…officers; three
glovers; two farmers; one tobacco…merchant; one perfumer; one grocer;
one belt…maker; one innkeeper; one joiner; one shoemaker; one mason;
while the official order by which they are installed; appoints
〃Teyssière; licoriste;〃 national agent。'88' … At Troyes;'89' among the
men in authority we find a confectioner; a weaver; a journeyman…
weaver; a hatter; a hosier; a grocer; a carpenter; a dancing…master;
and a policeman; while the mayor; Gachez; formerly a private soldier
in the regiment of Vexin; was; when appointed; a school…teacher in the
vicinity。 … At Toulouse;'90' a man named Terrain; a paté dealer; is
installed as president of the administration; the revolutionary
committee is presided over by Pio; a journeyman…barber; the
inspiration; 〃the soul of the club;〃 is a concierge; that of the
prison。 … The last and most significant trait is found at
Rochefort;'91' where the president of the popular club is the
executioner。 … If such persons form the select body of officials in
the large towns; what must they be in the small ones; in the bourgs
and in the villages? 〃 Everywhere they are of the meanest〃'92'
cartmen; sabot … (wooden shoe) makers; thatchers; stone…cutters;
dealers in rabbit…skins; day laborers; unemployed craftsmen; many
without any pursuit; or mere vagabonds who had already participated in
riots or jacqueries; bar flies; having given up work and designated
for a public career only by their irregular habits and incompetence to
follow a private career。 … Even in the large towns; it is evident
that discretionary power has fallen into the hands of nearly raw
barbarians; one has only to note in the old documents; at the
Archives; the orthography and style of the committees empowered to
grant or refuse civic cards; and draw up reports on the opinions and
pursuits of prisoners。 〃His opinions appear i