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after a good deal of trouble; grant him his life。'62' On the other
hand; the gendarmerie and the troops brought for the suppression of
riots; are always in the way of those who stir up the rioters。
Consequently; they expel; corrupt and; especially purify the
gendarmerie together with the troops。 At Cahors they drive out a
sergeant of the gendarmerie; 〃alleging that he keeps company with none
but aristocrats。〃'63' At Toulouse; without mentioning the lieutenant…
colonel; whose life they threaten by anonymous letters and oblige to
leave the town; they transfer the whole corps to another district
under the pretense that 〃its principles are adverse to the
Constitution。〃'64' At Auch; and at Rennes; through the insubordination
which they provoke among the men; they exhort resignations from their
officers。 At Perpignan; by means of a riot which they foment; they
seize; beat and drag to prison; the commandant and staff whom they
accuse 〃of wanting to bombard the town with five pounds of
powder。〃'65'… Meanwhile; through the jacquerie; which they let loose
from the Dordogne to Aveyron; from Cantal to the Pyrenees and the Var;
under the pretence of punishing the relatives of émigrés and the
abettors of unsworn priests; they create an army of their own made up
of robbers and the destitute who; in anticipation of the exploits of
the coming revolutionary army; freely kill; burn; pillage; hold to
ransom and prey at large on the defenseless flock of proprietors of
every class and degree。'66'
In this operation each club has its neighbors for allies; offering to
them or receiving from them offers of men and money。 That of Caen
tenders its assistance to the Bayeux association for expelling unsworn
priests; and to help the patriots of the place 〃to rid themselves of
the tyranny of their administrators。〃'67' That of Besan?on declares
the three administrative bodies of Strasbourg 〃unworthy of the
confidence with which they have been honored;〃 and openly enters into
a league with all the clubs of the Upper and Lower Rhine; to set free
a Jacobin arrested as a fomenter of insurrections。'68' Those of the
Puy…de…D?me and neighboring departments depute to and establish at
Clermont a central club of direction and propaganda。'69' Those of the
Bouches…du…Rh?ne treat with the commissioners of the departments of
Dr?me; Gard; and Hérault; to watch the Spanish frontier; and send
delegates of their own to see the state of the fortifications of
Figuières。'70' There is no recourse to the criminal tribunals。 In
forty departments; these are not yet installed; in the forty…three
others; they are cowed; silent; or lack money and men to enforce their
decisions。'71'
Such is the foundation of the Jacobin State; a confederation of twelve
hundred oligarchies; which maneuver their proletariat clients in
obedience to the word of command dispatched from Paris。 It is a
complete; organized; active State; with its central government; its
active force; its official journal; its regular correspondence; its
declared policy; its established authority; and its representative and
local agents; the latter are actual administrators alongside of
administrations which are abolished; or athwart administrations which
are brought under subjection。 In vain do the latest ministers;
good clerks and honest men; try to fulfill their duties; their
injunctions and remonstrances are only so much waste paper。'72' They
resign in despair; declaring that;
〃in this overthrow of all order; 。 。 。 in the present weakness of
the public forces; and in the degradation of the constituted
authorities; 。 。 。 it is impossible for them to maintain the life and
energy of the vast body; the members of which are paralyzed。〃 …
When the roots of a tree are laid bare; it is easy to cut it down;
now that the Jacobins have severed them; a push on the trunk suffices
to bring the tree to the ground。
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NOTES:
'1' De Loménie; 〃Les Mirabeaus;〃 I。 11。 (Letter of the Marquis de
Mirabeau)。
'2' 〃 Archives Nationales;〃 F7; 7171; No。 7915。 Report on the
situation in Marseilles; by Miollis; commissioner of the Directory in
the department; year V。 Niv?se 15。 〃A good many strangers from France
and Italy are attracted there by the lust of gain; a love of pleasure;
the want of work; a desire to escape from the effects of ill conduct 。
。 。 Individuals of both sexes and of every age; with no ties of
country or kindred; with no profession; no opinions; pressed by daily
necessities that are multiplied by debauched habit; seeking to indulge
these without too much effort; the means for this being formerly found
in the many manual operations of commerce; gone astray during the
Revolution and; subsequently; scared of the dominant party; accustomed
unfortunately at that time to receiving pay for taking part in
political strife; and now reduced to living on almost gratuitous
distributions of food; to dealing in small wares; to the menial
occupations which chance rarely presents in short; to swindling。
Such is what the observer finds in that portion of the population of
Marseilles most in sight; eager to profit by whatever occurs; easily
won over; active through its necessities; flocking everywhere; and
appearing very numerous 。 。 。 The patriot Escalon had twenty rations a
day; Féri; the journalist; had six; etc。 。 。 Civil officers and
district commissioners still belong; for the most part; to that class
of men which the Revolution had accustomed to live without work; to
making those who shared their principles the beneficiaries of the
nation's favors; and finally; to receiving contributions from gambling
halls and brothels。 These commissioners give notice to their protégés;
even the crooks; when warrants against them are to be enforced。〃
'3' Blanc…Gilly; 〃Réveil d'alarme d'un député de Marseilles〃 (cited in
the Memoirs〃 of Barbaroux; 40; 41)。 Blanc…Gilly must have been
acquainted with these characters; inasmuch as he made use of them in
the August riot; 1789; and for which he was indicted。 … Cf。 Fabre
〃Histoire de Marseilles;〃 II。 422。
'4' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 F7; 3197。 Correspondence of Messrs。
Debourge; Gay; and Lafitte; commissioners sent to Provence to restore
order in accordance with an act of the National Assembly。 Letter of
May 10; 1791。 Letter of May 10。 1791; and passim。
'5' Mayor Martin; says Juste; was a sort of Pétion; weak and vain。
Barbaroux; clerk of the municipality; is the principal opponent of M。
Lieutaud。 … The municipal decree referred to is dated Sept。 10; 1790。
'6' 〃Archives Nationales;〃 F7; 3197。 Letters of three commissioners;
April 13; 17; 18; and May 10; 1791。
'7' Blanc…Gilly; 〃Réveil d'Alarme。〃 Ibid。; 〃Every time that the
national guard marched outside the city walls; the horde of homeless
brigands never failed to close up in their rear and carry devastation
where