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 99notaries.[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， loads his gun， descends into the street and contends with the savage destroyers of human society. -- Nobody comes to the support of Lafayette， who alone has the courage to take the lead； about one hundred men muster at the rendezvous named by him in the Champs-élysées. They agree to march to the Jacobin club the following day and close it， provided the number is increased to three hundred； but the next day only thirty turn up. Lafayette can do no more than leave Paris and write a letter containing another protest. -- Protestations， appeals to the Constitution， to the law， to public interest， to common sense， well-reasoned arguments； this side will never resort to anything else than speeches and paperwork； and， in the coming conflict words will be of no use. -- Imagine a quarrel between two men， one ably presenting his case and the other indulging in little more than invective； the latter， having encountered an enormous mastiff on his road， has caressed him， enticed him， and led him along with him as an auxiliary. To the mastiff， clever argumentation is only so much unmeaning sound； with his eager eyes fixed on his temporary master he awaits only his signal to spring on the adversaries he points out. On the 20th of June he has almost strangled one of them， and covered him with his slaver. On the 21st，[8] he is ready to spring again. He continues to growl for fifty days， at first sullenly and then with terrific energy. On the 25th of June， July 14 and 27， August 3 and 5， he again makes a spring and is kept back only with great difficulty.[9] Already on one occasion， July 29th， his fangs are wet with human gore.[10] -- At each turn of the parliamentary debate the defenseless Constitutionalists beholds those open jaws before him； it is not surprising that he throws to this dog， or allows to be thrown to him， all the decrees demanded by the Girondists as a bone for him to gnaw on. -- Sure of their strength the Girondists renew the attack， and the plan of their campaign seems to be skillfully prepared. They are quite willing to retain the King on his throne， but on the condition that he shall be a mere puppet；that he shall recall the patriot ministers， allow them to appoint the Dauphin's tutor， and that Lafayette shall be removed；[11] otherwise the Assembly will pass the act of de-thronement and seize the executive power. Such is the defile with two issues in which they have placed the Assembly and the King. If the King balks at leaving by the first door， the Assembly， equally nonplused， will leave through the second； in either case， as the all-powerful ministers of the submissive King or as executive delegates of the submissive Assembly， the Girondists will become the masters of France.
II.