the origins of contemporary france-4-第13章

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sweeping　and　universal。



　　〃You　are　too　remote　from　the　conspiracies　against　you；〃　says　St。

Just；＇116＇　〃it　is　essential　that　the　sword　of　the　law　should

everywhere　be　rapidly　brandished　and　your　arm　be　everywhere　present　to

arrest　crime。。。。。　　The　ministers　confess　that；　beyond　their　first　and

second　subordinates；　they　find　nothing　but　inertia　and　indifference。〃

　　〃A　similar　apathy　is　found　in　all　the　government　agents；〃　adds

Billaud…Varennes；＇117＇　〃the　secondary　authorities　which　are　the　strong

points　of　the　Revolution　serve　only　to　impede　it。〃　Decrees；

transmitted　through　administrative　channels；　arrive　slowly　and　are

indolently　applied。　　〃You　are　missing　that　co…active　force　which　is

the　principle　of　being；　of　action；　of　execution。　　。　　。　　。　　Every　good

government　should　possess　a　center　of　willpower　and　the　levers

connected　with　it。　　。　　。　　。　　Every　government　activity　should

exclusively　originate　from　the　central　source。〃　…



　　〃In　ordinary　governments；〃　says　Couthon；　finally；＇118＇　〃the　right　of

electing　belongs　to　the　people；　you　cannot　take　it　away　from　them。　　In

extraordinary　governments　all　impulsion　must　come　from　the　center；　it

is　from　the　convention　that　elections　must　issue。　　。　　。　　。　　You　would

injure　the　people　by　confiding　the　election　of　officials　to　them；

because　you　would　expose　them　to　electing　men　that　would　betray　them。〃



　The　result　is　that　the　constitutional　maxims　of　1789　give　way　to

radically　opposed　maxims　；　instead　of　subjecting　the　government　to　the

people；　the　people　is　made　subject　to　the　government。　　The　hierarchy

of　the　ancient　régime　is　re…established　under　revolutionary　terms；　and

henceforth　all　powers；　much　more　formidable　than　those　of　the　ancient

régime；　cease　to　be　delegated　from　the　depths　to　the　summit　and　will

henceforth　instead　be　delegated　from　the　summit　to　the　bottom。



At　the　summit；　a　committee　of　twelve　members；　similar　to　the　former

royal　council；　exercises　collective　royalty　；　nominally；　authority　is

divided　amongst　the　twelve；　it　is；　in　practice；　concentrated　in　a　few

hands。　　Several　members　occupy　only　a　subaltern　position；　and　amongst

these；　Barère；　who；　official　secretary　and　mouthpiece；　is　always　ready

to　make　a　speech　or　draft　an　editorial；　others；　with　special

functions；　Jean　Bon　St。　　André；　Lindet；　and　above　all；　Prieur　de　la

C？te　d'Or　and　Carnot；　confine　themselves　each　to　his　particular

department；　navy；　war；　supplies；　with　blank　signatures；　for　which　they

give　in　return　their　signatures　to　the　political　leaders；　the　latter；

called　〃the　statesmen；〃　Robespierre；　Couthon；　Saint…Just；　Collot

d'Herbois；　Billaud…Varennes；　are　the　real　rulers　providing　overall

direction。　　It　is　true　that　their　mandate　has　to　be　renewed　monthly；

but　this　is　a　certainty；　for；　in　the　present　state　of　the　Convention；

its　vote；　required　beforehand；　becomes　an　almost　vain　formality。　　More

submissive　than　the　parliament　of　Louis　XIV。；　the　Convention　adopts；

without　discussion；　the　decrees　which　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety

present　to　it　ready　made。　　It　is　no　more　than　a　registry…office；　and

scarcely　that；　for　it　has　relinquished　its　right　of　appointing　its　own

committees；　that　office　being　assigned　to　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety；　it　votes　as　a　whole　all　lists　of　names　which　the　Committee

send　in。＇119＇　　Naturally；　none　but　the　creatures　of　the　latter　and　the

faithful　are　inscribed；　thus；　the　whole　legislative　and　parliamentary

power　belongs　to　it。　　　As　to　executive　and　administrative　power；　the

ministers　have　become　mere　clerks　of　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety；

〃they　come　every　day　at　specified　hours　to　receive　its　orders　and

acts；＇120＇　　〃they　submit　to　it　〃the　list　with　explanations；　of　all　the

agents〃　sent　into　the　departments　and　abroad　；　they　refer　to　it　every

minute　detail；　they　are　its　scribes；　merely　its　puppets；　so

insignificant　that　they　finally　lose　their　title；　and　for　the

〃Commission　on　External　Relations〃　a　former　school…master　is　taken；　an

inept　clubbist；　bar…fly　and　the　pillar　of　the　billiard…room；　scarcely

able　to　read　the　documents　brought　to　him　to　sign　in　the　café　where　he

passes　his　days。＇121＇　　Thus　is　the　second　power　in　the　State

converted　by　the　Committee　into　a　squad　of　domestics；　while　the

foremost　one　is　converted　into　an　audience　of　claqueurs。



To　make　them　do　their　duty；　it　has　two　hands。　　　One；　the　right；

which　seizes　people　unawares　by　the　collar；　is　the　Committee　of

General　Security；　composed　of　twelve　extreme　Montagnards；　such　as

Panis；　Vadier；　Le　Bas；　Geoffroy；　David；　Amar；　La　Vicomterie；　Lebon　and

Ruhl；　all　nominated；　that　is　to　say；　appointed　by　it；　being　its

confederates　and　subalterns。　　They　are　its　lieutenants　of　police；　and

once　a　week　they　come　and　take　part　in　its　labors；　as　formerly　the

Sartines；　and　the　Lenoirs　assisted　the　Comptroller…general。　　A　man　who

this　secret　committee　deems　a　〃suspect；〃　is　suddenly　seized；　no　matter

who；　whether　representative；　minister；　or　general；　and　finds　himself

the　next　morning　behind　the　bars　in　one　of　the　ten　new　Bastilles。　　

There；　the　other　hand　seizes　him　by　the　throat；　this　is　the

revolutionary　tribunal；　an　exceptional　court　like　the　extraordinary

commissions　of　the　ancient　régime；　only　far　more　terrible。　　Aided　by

its　police　gang；　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety　itself　selects　the

sixteen　judges　and　sixty　jurymen＇122＇　from　among　the　most　servile；　the

most　furious；　or　the　most　brutal　of　the　fanatics：＇123＇　Fouquier…

Tinville；　Hermann；　Dumas；　Payan；　Coffinhal；　Fleuriot…Lescot；　and；

lower　down　on　the　scale；　apostate　priests；　renegade　nobles；

disappointed　artists；　infatuated　studio…apprentices；　journeymen

scarcely　able　to　write　their　names；　shoemakers；　joiners；　carpenters；

tailors；　barbers；　former　lackeys；　an　idiot　like　Ganney；　a　deaf　man

like　Leroy…Dix…Ao？t；　their　names　and　professions　indicate　all　that　is

necessary　to　be　told：　these　men　are　licensed　and　paid　murderers。　　The

Jurymen　themselves　are　allowed　eighteen　francs　a　day；　so　that　they　may

attend　to　their　business　more　leisurely。　　This　business　consists　in

condemning　without　proof；　without　any　pleadings；　and　scarcely　any

examination；　in　a　hurry；　in　batches；　whoever　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety　might　send　to　them；　even　the　most　confirmed　Montagnards：

Danton；　who　contrived　the　tribunal；　will　soon　discover　this。　　…　it　is

through　these　two　government　institutions　that　the　Committee　of　Public

Safety　keeps　every　head　under　the　cleaver　and　each　head；　to　avoid

being　struck　off；　bows　down；＇124＇　in　the　provinces　as　well　as　in

Paris。



This　has　happened　when　the　existing　local　hierarchy　was　replaced　by

new　authorities　making　the　omnipotent　will　of　the　Committee　present

everywhere。　　Directly　or　indirectly；　〃for　all　government　measures　or

measures　of　public　safety；　all　that　relates　to　persons　and　the　general

and　internal　police；　all　constituted　bodies　and　all　public

functionaries；　are　placed　under　its　inspection。〃＇125＇　　You　may　imagine

how　the　risk　of　being　guillotined　weighed　upon　them。



To　suppress　in　advance　any　tendency　to　administrative　inertia；　it　has

had　withdrawn　from　the　too　powerful；　too　much　respected；　department

governments；　〃too　inclined　to　federalism；〃　their　departmental

dominance　and　their　〃political　influence。〃＇126＇　　It　reduces　these　to

the　levying　of　taxes　and　the　supervision　of　roads　and　canals；　it

purges　them　out　through　its　agents；　it　even　purges　out　the　governments

of　municipalities　and　districts。　　To　suppress　beforehand　all

probability　of　popular　opposition；　it　has　had　the　sessions　of　the

sections　reduced　to　two　per　week；　it　installs　in　these　sections；　for

about　forty　sous　a　day；　a　majority　of　sans…culottes　；　it　orders　the

suspension　〃until　further　directives〃　of　all　municipal　elections。＇127＇



Finally；　to　have　full　control　on　the　spot；　it　appoints　its　own　men；

first；　the　commissioners　and　the　representatives　on　missions；　a　sort

of　temporary　corps　of　directors　sent　into　each　department　w