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usefulness to the public; one which may even compromise it a great
deal more?。。。〃
'48' Deposition of Lareynie。 The attitude of Santerre is here clearly
defined。 At the foot of the staircase in the court he is stopped by a
group of citizens; who threaten 〃to make him responsible for any harm
done;〃 and tell him: 〃You alone are the author of this
unconstitutional assemblage; it is you alone who have led away these
worthy people。 You are a rascal!〃 … 〃The tone of these honest citizens
in addressing the sieur Santerre made him turn pale。 But; encouraged
by a glance from the sieur Legendre; he resorted to a hypocritical
subterfuge; and addressing the troop; he said: 'Gentlemen; draw up a
report; officially stating that I refuse to enter the king's
apartments。' The only answer the crowd made; accustomed to divining
what Santerre meant; was to hustle the group of honest citizens out of
the way。
'49' Depositions of four of the national guard; Lecrosnier; Gossé;
Bidault; and Guiboult。 Reports of Acloque and de Lachesnaye;
commanding officers of the legion。 〃Chronique des cinquante jours;〃
by R?derer。 … Ibid。 p。65: 〃I have to state that; during the
Convention; the butcher Legendre declared to Boissy d'Anglas; from
whom I had it; that the plan was to kill the king。〃 Prudhomme;
〃Crimes de la Révolution;〃 III。43。 〃The king was to be assassinated。
We heard citizens all in rags say that it was a pity; he looks like a
good sort of a bastard。〃
'50' Madame Campan; 〃Mémoires;〃 II。 212。 〃M。 Vannot; commander of the
battalion; had turned aside a weapon aimed at the king。 One of the
grenadiers of the Filles…Saint…Thomas warded off a blow with a sword;
aimed in the same direction with the same intention。〃
'51' Declaration of Lachesnaye; in command of the legion。 … Moniteur;
XII。 719 (evening session of June 20)。 Speech of M。 Alos; an eye…
witness。 (The king does this twice; using about the same words; the
first time immediately on the irruption of the crowd; and the second
time probably after Vergniaud's harangue。) Declaration of Lachesnaye;
in command of the legion。 … Moniteur; XII。 719 (evening session of
June 20)。 Speech of M。 Alos; an eye…witness。 (The king does this
twice; using about the same words; the first time immediately on the
irruption of the crowd; and the second time probably after Vergniaud's
harangue。)
'52' The engraving in the 〃Révolutions de Paris〃 represents him
seated; and separated from the crowd by an empty space; that is a
falsehood of the party。。
'53' The queen produces the same impression。 Prudhomme; in his
journal; calls her 〃the Austrian panther;〃 which word well expresses
the idea of her in the faubourgs。 A prostitute stops before her and
bestows on her a volley of curses。 The reply of the queen is: 〃Have I
ever done you any wrong?〃 〃No; but it is you who do so much harm to
the nation。〃 You have been deceived;〃 replies the queen。 〃I married
the King of France。 I am the mother of the dauphin。 I am a French
woman。 I shall never again see my own country。 I shall never be either
happy or miserable anywhere but in France。 When you loved me I was
happy then。〃 The prostitute burst into tears。 〃Ah。 Madame; forgive me!
I did not know you。 I see that you have been very good。〃 Santerre;
however; wishing to put an end to this emotion; cries out: 〃The girl
is drunk 〃 …(Madame Campan; II。 214。 … Report by Mandat; an officer of
the legion。)
'54' Mortimer…Ternaux; I。 213。 〃Citizens; you have just legally made
known your will to the hereditary representative of the nation; you
have done this with the dignity; with the majesty of a free people!
There is no doubt that your demands will be reiterated by the eighty…
three departments; while the king cannot refrain from acquiescing in
the manifest will of the people。 。 。 Retire now; 。 。 。 and if you
remain any longer; do not give occasion to anything which may
incriminate your worthy intentions。〃
CHAPTER VI。 The Birth of the Terrible Paris Commune。
I。
Indignation of the Constitutionalists。 Cause of their weakness。 …
The Girondins renew the attack。 Their double plan。
As the blow has missed the target; it must be repeated。 This is the
more urgent; inasmuch as the faction has thrown off the mask and
〃honest people〃'1' on all sides become indignant at seeing the
Constitution subject to the arbitrariness of the lowest class。 Nearly
all the higher administrative bodies; seventy…five of the department
directories;'2' give in their adhesion to Lafayette's letter; or
respond by supporting the proclamation; so noble and so moderate; in
which the King; recounting the violence done to him; maintains his
legal rights with mournful; inflexible gentleness。 Many of the towns;
large and small; thank him for his firmness; the addresses being
signed by 〃the notables of the place;〃'3' chevaliers of St。 Louis;
former officials; judges and district…administrators; physicians;
notaries; lawyers; recorders; post…masters; manufacturers; merchants;
people who are settled down; in short the most prominent and the most
respected men。 At Paris; a similar petition; drawn up by two former
Constituents; contains 247 pages of signatures attested by 99
notaries。'4' Even in the council…general of the commune a majority is
in favor of publicly censuring the mayor Pétion; the syndic…attorney
Manuel; and the police administrators Panis; Sergent; Viguer; and
Perron。'5' On the evening of June 20th; the department council orders
an investigation; it follows this up; it urges it on; it proves by
authentic documents the willful inaction; the hypocritical connivance;
the double…dealing of the syndic…attorney and the mayor;'6' it
suspends both from their functions; and cites them before the courts
as well as Santerre and his accomplices。 Lafayette; finally; adding
to the weight of his opinion the influence of his presence; appears at
the bar of the National Assembly and demands 〃effectual〃 measures
against the usurpations of the Jacobin sect; insisting that the
instigators of the riot of the 20th of June be punished 〃as guilty of
lése…nation。〃 As a last and still more significant symptom; his
proceedings are approved of in the Assembly by a majority of more than
one hundred votes。'7'
All this must and will be crushed out。 For on the side of the
Constitutionalists; whatever they may be; whether King; deputies;
ministers; generals; administrators; notables or national…guards; the
will to act evaporates in words; and the reason is; they are civilized
beings; long accustomed to the ways of a regular community; interested
from father to son in keeping the law; disconcerted at the thought of
consequences; upset by multifaceted ideas; unable to comprehend that;
in the state of nature to which France has reverted; but one idea is
of any account; that of the man who; in accepting a declared war;
meets the offensive with the offensive; l