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declining; the (Jacobin) representatives on mission having taken all
his coin; plate and assignats。 Hence; during the following month;
buyers find on his unfurnished counters nothing but rubbish and
refuse。
In like manner; after the proclamation of the maximum;'42' the peasant
refuses to bring his produce to market; while the revolutionary army
is not everywhere on hand to take it from him by force: he leaves his
crop unthrashed as long as he can; and complains of not finding the
men to thrash it。 If necessary; he hides it or feeds it out to his
animals。 He often barters it away for wood; for a side of bacon or in
payment for a day's work。 At night; he carts it off six leagues to a
neighboring district; where the local maximum is fixed at a higher
rate。 He knows who; in his own vicinity; still has specie in his
pocket and he underhandedly supplies him with his stores。 He
especially conceals his superabundance and; as formerly; pretends to
be poor and suffering。 He is on good terms with the village
authorities; with the mayor and national agent who are as interested
as he is in evading the law; and; on a bribe being necessary; he gives
it。 At last; he allows himself to be sued; and his property attached;
he goes to prison and tires the authorities out with his obstinacy。
Hence; from week to week; less flour and grain and fewer cattle come
to market; while meat becomes scarcer at the butcher's; and bread at
the baker's。 … Having thus paralyzed the lesser organs of supply and
demand the Jacobins now have only to paralyze labor itself; the
skilled hands; the active and vigorous arms。 This is simply done by
replacing the independent private workshop by the compulsory national
workshop in this way replacing piece…work by work by the day; and the
attentive; energetic workman who minds his business and expects to
earn money in return by inattentive apathic workmen pressed into a
poorly paid service but paid even when they botch the job or laze
about。 … This is what the Jacobins do by forcibly commanding the
services of all sorts of laborers;'43' 〃all who help handle; transport
and retail produce and articles of prime necessity;〃 〃country people
who usually get in the crops;〃 and; more particularly; thrashers;
reapers; carters; rafts men; and also shoemakers; tailors; blacksmiths
and the rest。 … At every point of the social organism; the same
principle is applied with the same result。 Substitute everywhere an
external; artificial and mechanical constraint for the inward; natural
and animating stimulant; and you get nothing but an universal atrophy。
Deprive people of the fruits of their labor; and yet more; force them
to produce by fear; confiscate their time; their painstaking efforts
and their persons; reduce them to the condition of fellahs; create in
them the sentiments of fellahs; and you will have nothing but the
labor and productions of fellahs; that is to say; a minimum of labor
and production; and hence; insufficient supplies for sustaining a very
dense population; which; multiplied through a superior and more
productive civilization; will not long subsist under a barbarous;
inferior and unproductive régime。 When this systematic and complete
expropriation terminates we see the final result of the system; no
longer a dearth; but famine; famine on a large scale; and the
destruction of lives by millions。 … Among the Jacobins;'44' some of
the maddest who are clear…sighted; on account of their fury; Guffroy;
Antonelle; Jean Bon Saint…André; Collot d'Herbois; foresee the
consequences and accept them along with the principle。 Others; who
avoid seeing it; are only the more determined in the application of
it。 However; they all work together with all their might to aggravate
the misery of which the lamentable spectacle is so vainly exposed
under their eyes。
IV。 Hunger。
Famine。 … In the provinces。 … At Paris。 … People standing in lines
under the Revolutionary government to obtain food。 … Its quality。 …
Distress and chagrin。
Collot d'Herbois wrote from Lyons on November 6; 1793: 〃There is not
two days' supply of provisions here。〃 On the following day: 〃The
present population of Lyons is one hundred and thirty thousand souls
at least; and there is not sufficient subsistence for three days。〃
Again the day after: 〃Our situation in relation to food is
deplorable。〃 Then; the next day: 〃Famine is beginning。〃'45' … Near by;
in the Montbrison district; in February; 1794; 〃there is no food or
provisions left for the people;〃 all has been taken by requisition and
carried off; even seed for planting; so that the fields lie
fallow。'46' … At Marseilles; 〃since the maximum; everything is
lacking; even the fishermen no longer go out (on the sea) so that
there is no supply of fish to live on。〃'47' … At Cahors; in spite of
multiplied requisitions; the Directory of Lot and Representative
Taillefer'48' state that 〃the inhabitants; for more than eight days;
are reduced wholly to maslin bread composed of one…fifth of wheat and
the rest of barley; barley…malt and millet。〃 … At N?mes;'49' to make
the grain supply last; which is giving out; the bakers and all private
persons are ordered not to sift the meal; but to leave the bran in it
and knead and bake the 〃dough such as it is。〃 … At Grenoble;'50' 〃the
bakers have stopped baking; the country people no longer bring wheat
in; the dealers hide away their goods; or put them in the hands of
neighborly officials; or send them off。〃 … 〃 It goes from bad to
worse;〃 write the agents of Huningue;'51' one might say even; that
they would give this or that article to their cattle rather than sell
it in conformity with the tax。〃 … The inhabitants of towns are
everywhere put on rations; and so small a ration as to scarcely keep
them from dying with hunger。 〃Since my arrival in Tarbes;〃 writes
another agent;'52' 〃every person is limited to half a pound of bread a
day; composed one…third of wheat and two…thirds of corn meal。〃 The
next day after the fête in honor of the tyrant's death there was
absolutely none at all。 〃A half…pound of bread is also allowed at
Evreux;'53' 〃and even this is obtained with a good deal of trouble;
many being obliged to go into the country and get it from the farmers
with coin。〃 And even 〃they have got very little bread; flour or wheat;
for they have been obliged to bring what they had to Evreux for the
armies and for Paris。〃
It is worse at Rouen and at Bordeaux: at Rouen; in Brumaire; the
inhabitants have only one quarter of a pound per head per diem of
bread; at Bordeaux; 〃 for the past three months;〃 says the agent;'54'
〃 the people sleep at the doors of the bakeries; to pay high for bread
which they often do not get 。 。 。 There has been no baking done to…
day; and to…morrow only half a loaf will be given to each person。
This bread is made of oats and beans 。 。 。 On days that there is
none; beans; chestnuts and rice are distribu