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the origins of contemporary france-3-第92章

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Constitutionalists of the Legislative body are kept at the capital;

their passports being refused to them to prevent them from returning

into the provinces and obtaining votes by publicly stating the truth

in relation to the recent revolution。  In the same way; all

conservative journals are suppressed; reduced to silence; or compelled

to become turncoats。  Now; when one has neither the possibility to

speak up nor a candidate which might become one's representative; of

what use is it to vote?  And especially; since the primary assemblies

are places of disorder and violence;'16' patriots alone; in many

places; being admitted;'17' a conservative being 〃insulted and

overwhelmed with numbers;〃 and; if he utters an opinion; exposed to

danger; also; if he remains silent; incurring the risk of

denunciations; threats; and blows。 To keep in the background; remain

on the sidelines; avoid being seen; and to strive to be forgotten; is

the rule under a pasha; and especially when this pasha is a mob。 Hence

the absenteeism of the majority; around the ballot…box there is an

enormous void。 At Paris; in the election of mayor and municipal

officers; the balloting of October; November and December collect

together only 14;000 out of 160;000 registered voters; later 10;000;

and; later again; only 7;000。'18'  At Besan?on; 7;000。 registered

voters result in less than 600; there is the same proportion in other

towns; as for example; in Troyes。 In like manner; in the rural

cantons; east of Doubs and west of Loire…Inférieure; but one…tenth of

the electors dare exercise their right to vote。'19'  The electoral

source is so exhausted; so often disturbed; and so stopped up as to be

almost dry: in these primary assemblies which; directly or indirectly;

delegate all public powers; and which; in the expression of the common

will; should be full; there are lacking six millions three hundred

thousands electors out of seven millions。'20'



III。



Composition and tone of the secondary assemblies。 … Exclusion of

〃Feuillant〃 electors。 … Pressure on other electors。… Persons elected

by the conservatives obliged to resign。 … Elections by the Catholics

canceled。 … Secession of the Jacobin minorities。 … The election of

their men made valid。 … Public opinion not in accord with official

selections。



Through this anticipated purge the assemblies of the first degree find

themselves; for the most part; Jacobin; consequently the electors of

the second degree; appointed by them; are for the most part; Jacobin;

in many departments; their assembly becomes the most anarchical; the

most turbulent; and the most usurping of all the clubs。 Here there is

only shouting; denunciations; oath…taking; incendiary motions;

cheering which carry all questions; furious speeches by Parisian

commissaries; by delegates from the local club; by passing Federates;

and by female wretches demanding arms。'21'  The Pas…de…Calais

assemblage sets free and applauds a woman imprisoned for having beaten

a drum in a mob。 The Paris assembly fraternizes with the Versailles

slaughterers and the assassins of the mayor of Etampes。 The assembly

of the Bouches…du…Rh?ne gives a certificate o virtue to Jourdan; the

Glacière murderer。 The assembly of Seine…et…Marne applauds the

proposal to cast a cannon which might contain the head of Louis XVI。

for a cannon…ball to be fired at the enemy。  It is not surprising

that an electoral body without self…respect should respect nothing;

and practice self…mutilation under the pretext of purification。'22'

The object of the despotic majority was to reign at once; without any

contest; on its own authority; and to expel all offensive electors。 At

Paris; in the Aisne; in Haute…Loire; in Ille…et…Vilaine; in Maine…et…

Loire; it excludes as unworthy the members of old Feuillants and

monarchical clubs; and the signers of Constitutionalist protests。 In

Hérault it cancels the elections in the canton of Servian; because the

elected men; it says; are 〃mad aristocrats。〃 In Orne it drives away an

old Constituent; Goupil de Préfeln; because he voted for the revision;

also; his son…in…law; because he is his son…in…law。  In the Bouches…

du…Rh?ne; where the canton of Seignon; by mistake or through routine;

swore 〃to maintain the constitution of the kingdom;〃 it sets aside

these retrograde elected representatives; commences proceedings

against the 〃crime committed;〃 and sends troops against Noves because

the Noves elector; a justice who is denounced and in peril; has

escaped from the electoral den。    After the purification of persons

it proceeds to the purification of sentiments。 At Paris; and in at

least nine departments;'23' and in contempt of the law; is suppresses

the secret ballot; the last refuge of timid conservatives; and imposes

on each elector a verbal public vote; loud and clear; on his name

being called; that is to say; if he does not vote as he ought to; he

risks the gallows。'24' Nothing could more surely convert hesitation

and indecision into good sense; while; in many a place; still more

powerful machinery is violently opposed to the elections。 At Paris the

elections are carried on in the midst of atrocities; under the pikes

of the butchers; and con ducted by their instigators。 At Meaux and at

Rheims the electors in session were within hearing of the screeches of

the murdered priests。 At Rheims the butchers themselves ordered the

electoral assembly to elect their candidates; Drouet; the famous post…

master; and Armonville; a tipsy wool…carder; upon which one…half of

the assembly withdrew; while the two candidates of the assassins are

elected。 At Lyons; two days after the massacre; the Jacobin commander

writes to the Minister: 〃Yesterday's catastrophe puts the aristocrats

to flight; and ensures us the majority in Lyons。〃'25'  From universal

suffrage thus subjected to so much sifting; submitted to such heavy

pressure; heated and refined in the revolutionary alembic; those who

control it obtain all they want; a concentrated extract; the

quintessence of the Jacobin spirit。



And yet; should this extract not seem to them sufficiently strong;

wherever they are sovereign; they throw it away and begin over again。

At Paris;'26' by means of a purifying and surplus ballot; the new

Council of the Commune undertakes the expulsion of its lukewarm

members; while d'Ormesson; the mayor elect of the moderates; is

assailed with so many threats that; on the verge of his installation;

he resigns。 At Lyons;'27' another moderate; Nivière…Chol; twice

elected; and; by 9;000 out of 11;000 votes; is twice compelled to

abandon his place; after him; Gilibert; the physician; who; supported

by the same voters; is about to obtain the majority; is seized

suddenly and cast into prison; even in prison; he is elected; the

clubbists confine him there more rigidly; and do not let him out even

after extorting his resignation。  Elsewhere in the rural cantons;

for example; in Franche…Comté;'28' a number of elections are canceled

when the person elected happens to be a Catholic。  The Jacobin

minority frequently secede; meet in a tavern; elect their mayor or

justice of the peace; and the validity of his election is secured

because he is a patriot; so much the worse for that of the majority;

whose more numerous votes are null because given by 〃fanatics。〃  The

response of universal suffrage thus appealed to cannot be other than

that which is framed for it。  Indisputable facts are to show to what

extent this response is compulsive or perverted; what a distance there

is between an official choice and public opinion; how the elections

give a contrary meaning to popular sentiment。  The departments of

Deux…Sèvres; Maine…et…Loire; la Vendée; Loire…Infèrieure; Morbihan;

and Finistère; send only anti…Catholic republicans to the Convention;

while these same departments are to become the inexhaustible nursery

of the great catholic and royalist insurrection。 Three regicides out

of four deputies represent Lozère; where; six months later; thirty

thousand peasants are to march under the Royal white banner。  Six

regicides out of nine deputies represent la Vendée; which is going to

rise from one end of it to the other in the name of the King。'29'



IV。



Composition of the National Convention。 … Number of Montagnards at the

start。 … Opinions and sentiments of the deputies of the Plain。 … The


Gironde。 … Ascendancy of the Girondins in the Convention。 … Their

intellectual character。 … Their principles。 … The plan of their

Constitution。 … Their fanaticism。 … Their sincerity; culture and

tastes。 … How they differ from pure Jacobins。 … How they comprehend

popular sovereignty。 … Their stipulations with regard to the

initiative of individuals and of groups。 … Weakness of philosophic

thought and of parliamentary authority in times of anarchy。



However vigorous the electoral pressure may have been; the voting

machine has not provided the exp
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