书城公版The Origins of Contemporary France
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第329章

- "Archives Nationales," F7, 3215 (May 17,1791, Deliberation of the council-general of the commune of Brest. May 17 and 19, Letters of the directory of the district). - Mercure, March 5, 1791. "Mesdames are stopped until the return of the two deputies, whom the Republic of Arnay-le-Duc has sent to the representatives of the nation to demonstrate to them the necessity of keeping the king's aunts in the kingdom."[21] Moniteur, X. 132. Speech by M. Labergerie, November 8, 1791.

[22] At Montauban, in the intendant's salon, the ladies of the place spoke patois only, the grandmother of the gentleman who has informed me of this fact did not understand any other language.

[23] Moniteur, V.163, sitting of July 18, 1791. Speech by M.

Lecoulteux, reporter.

[24] Moniteur, XI. 283, sitting of February 2, 1792. Speech by Cambon: "They go away thinking that they understand what is explained to them, but return the following day to obtain fresh explanations. The attorneys refuse to give the municipalities any assistance, stating that they know nothing about these matters."[25] The same may happen when a subordinate is promoted to be placed in charge of his or her former equals and colleagues. This is why it is often preferably to transfer someone who is recognized as being of superior talent whenever a promotions is to take place. (SR.)[26] Law of May 11-15, 1791.

[27] Minutes of the meeting of the Electoral Assembly of the Department of Indre-et-Loire (1791, printed).

[28] De Ferrières, I. 367.

[29] Suzay, I, 191 (21,711 are eligible out of 32,288 inscribed citizens).

[30] Official report of the Electoral Assembly of the Department of Indre-et-Loire, Aug. 27, 1791. "A member of the Assembly made a motion that all the members composing it should be indemnified for the expenses which would be incurred by their absence from home and the long sojourn they had to make in the town where the Assembly was held. He remarked that the inhabitants of the country were those who suffered the most, their labor being their sole riches; that if no attention was paid to this demand, they would be obliged, in spite of their patriotism, to withdraw and abandon their important mission; that the electoral assemblies would then be deserted, or would be composed of those whose resources permitted them to make this sacrifice."[31] Sauzay, I. 147, 192.

[32] For the detail of these figures, see vol. II. Book IV.

[33] De Ferrières, I. 367. Cf. The various laws above mentioned.

[34] Constant, "Histoire d'un Club Jacobin en Province"(Fontainebleau) p.15. (Procés-verbaux of the founding of the clubs of Moret, Thomery, Nemours, and Montereau.)[35] Later to change and become socialist and communist parties everywhere. (SR.)[36] Cf. The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (except the first phrase, which is a catchword thrown out for the European philosophers). - Jefferson proposed a Declaration of Rights for the Constitution of March 4, 1789, but it was refused. They were content to add to it the eleven amendments which set forth the fundamental rights of the citizen.

[37] Article I. "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights common to all. Social distinctions are founded solely on public utility."The first phrase condemns the hereditary royalty which is sanctioned by the Constitution. The second phrase can be used to legitimate hereditary monarchy and an aristocracy. - Articles 10 and 11 bear upon the manifestations of religious convictions and on ******* of speech and of the press. By virtue of these two articles worship, speech, and the press may be made subject to the most repressive restrictions, etc.

[38] The International Bill of Human Rights of 1948 is quite different from the one approved in 1789. In 1948 there is no more any mention of any "right to resistance to oppression", there is a softening of the position on the right of property and new rights, to free education, to a country, to rest and leisure, to a high standard of health and to an adequate standard of living have been introduced. (SR.)[39] Stalin and his successors organized such a system of "clubs"world-wide which even today remain active as "protectors" of the environment, refugees, prisoners, animals and the environment.

(SR.)

[40] Buchez and Roux , XI. 237. (Speech by Malouet in relation to the revision, August 5, 1791.) "You constantly tempt the people with sovereignty without giving them the immediate use of it."[41] Decrees of September 25 - October 6, 1791; September 28 -October 6, 1791.

[42] Impartial contemporaries, those well qualified to judge, agree as to the absurdity of the Constitution.

"The Constitution was a veritable monster. There was too much of monarchy in it for a republic, and too much of a republic for a monarchy. The King was a side-dish, un hors d'?uvre, everywhere present in appearance but without any actual power." (Dumont, 339.)"It is a general and almost universal conviction that this Constitution is inexecutable. The makers of it to a man condemn it.

(G. Morris, September 30, 1791.)

"Every day proves more clearly that their new Constitution is good for nothing." (ibid. , December 27, 1791.)Cf. The sensible and prophetic speech made by Malouet (August 5, 1791, Buchez and Roux, XI. 237).

[43] Taine's vivid description is likely to have encouraged any radical revolutionary having the luck to read his explicit description of how to proceed with the destruction of a na?ve corrupt capitalist, bourgeois society. (SR.)