appointment being once made and confirmed; he cannot decline; nor
resign; under penalty of being a 〃suspect;〃 he must be the hammer in
order not to become the anvil。 Whether he is a wine…grower; miller;
ploughman or quarry…man; he acts reluctantly; 〃submitting a petition
for resignation;〃 as soon as the Terror diminishes; on the ground that
〃he writes badly;〃 that 〃he knows nothing whatever about law and is
unable to enforce it;〃 that 〃he has to support himself with his own
hands;〃 that 〃he has a family to provide for; and is obliged to drive
his own cart〃 or vehicle; in short; entreating that he 〃may be
relieved of his charge。〃'63' … These involuntary recruits are
evidently nothing more than common laborers; if they drag along the
revolutionary cart they do it like their horses; because they are
pressed into the service。
Above the small communes; in the large villages possessing a
revolutionary committee; and also in certain bourgs; the horses in
harness often pretend to draw and do not; for fear of crushing some
one。 … At this epoch; a straggling village; especially when isolated;
in an out…of…the…way place and on no highway; is a small world in
itself; much more secluded than now…a…days; much less accessible to
Parisian verbiage and outside pressure; local opinion here
preponderates; neighbors support each other; they would shrink from
denouncing a worthy man whom they had known for twenty years; the
moral sway of honest folks suffices for keeping down
〃blackguards。〃'64' If the mayor is republican; it is only in words;
perhaps for self…protection; to protect his commune; and because one
must howl along with the other wolves。 … … …Moreover; in other
bourgs; and in the small towns; the fanatics and rascals are not
sufficiently numerous to fill all the offices; and; in order to fill
the vacancies; those who are not good Jacobins have been pushed
forward or admitted into the new administrative corps; lukewarm;
indifferent; timid or needy men; who take the place as an asylum or
ask for it as a means of subsistence。 〃 Citizens;〃 one of the
recruits; more or less under restraint; writes later on;'65' 〃 I was
put on the Committee of Surveillance of Aignay by force; and installed
by force。〃 Three or four madmen on it ruled; and if one held any
discussion with them; 〃it was always threats 。 。 。 。 Always
trembling; always afraid; … that is the way I passed eight months
doing duty in that miserable place。〃 … Finally; in medium…sized or
large towns; the dead…lock produced by collective dismissals; the
pell…mell of improvised appointments; and the sudden renewal of an
entire set of officials; threw into the administration; willingly or
not; a lot of pretended Jacobins who; at heart; are Girondists or
Feuillantists; but who; having been excessively long…winded; are
assigned offices on account of their stump…speeches; and who
thenceforth sit alongside of the worst Jacobins; in the worst
employment。 〃Members of the Feurs Revolutionary Committee … those who
make that objection to me;〃 wrote a lawyer in Clermont;'66' 〃are
persuaded that those only who secluded themselves; felt the Terror。
They are not aware; perhaps; that nobody felt it more than those who
were compelled to execute its decrees。 Remember that the handwriting
of Couthon which designated some citizen for an office also conveyed a
threat; and in case of refusal; of being declared 'suspect;' a threat
which promised in perspective the loss of liberty and the
sequestration of property! Was I free; then; to refuse?〃 … Once
installed; the man must act; and many of those who do act let their
repugnance be seen in spite of themselves: at best; they cannot be got
to do more than mechanical service。
〃Before going to court;〃 says a judge at Cambray; 〃I swallowed a big
glass
of spirits to give me strength enough to preside。〃
He leaves his house with no other intention than to finish the job;
and; the sentence once pronounced; to return home; shut himself up;
and close his eyes and ears。
〃I had to pronounce judgment according to the jury's declaration …
what could I do?〃'67'
Nothing; but remain blind and deaf: 〃I drank。 I tried to ignore
everything; even the names of the accused。〃 … It is plain enough that;
in the local official body; there are too many agents who are weak;
not zealous; without any push; unreliable; or even secretly hostile;
these must be replaced by others who are energetic and reliable; and
the latter must be taken wherever they can be found。'68' This
reservoir in each department or district is the Jacobin nursery of the
principal town; from this; they are sent into the bourgs and communes
of the conscription。 The central Jacobin nursery for France is in
Paris; from whence they are dispatched to the towns and departments。
V。 Jacobins sent to the Provinces。
Importation of a staff of strangers。 … Paris Jacobins sent into the
provinces。 … Jacobins of enthusiastic towns deported to moderate
ones。 … The Jacobins of a district headquarters spread through the
district。 … Resistance of public opinion。 … Distribution and small
number of really Jacobin agents。
Consequently; swarms of Jacobin locusts spread from Paris out over
the provinces; and from the local country…towns over the surrounding
country。 … In this cloud of destructive insects; there are various
figures of different sizes: in the front rank; are the representatives
on mission; who are to take command in the departments; in the second
rank; 〃the political agents;〃 who; assigned the duty of watching the
neighboring frontier; take upon themselves the additional duty of
leading the popular club of the town they reside in; or of urging on
its administrative body。'69' Besides that; there issue from the Paris
headquarters in the rue St。 Honoré; select sans…culottes who;
authorized or delegated by the Committee of Public Safety; proceed to
Lyons; Marseilles; Bordeaux; Tonnerre; Rochefort and elsewhere; to act
as missionaries among the too inert population; or form the committees
of action and the tribunals of extermination that are recruited with
difficulty on the spot。'70' … Sometimes also; when a town has a bad
record; the popular club of a sounder…minded city sends its delegates
there; to bring it into line; thus; four deputies of the Metz club
arrive without notice in Belfort; catechize their brethren; associate
with them on the local Revolutionary Committee; and; suddenly; without
consulting the municipality; or any other legal authority; draw up a
list of 〃moderates; fanatics and egoists;〃 on whom they impose an
extraordinary tax of one hundred and thirty…six thousand six hundred
and seventeen livres;'71' in like manner; sixty delegates from the
club of C?te…d'Or; Haute…Marne; Vosges; Moselle; Saone…et…Loire and
Mont…Terrible; all 〃tempered by the white heat of Pére Duchesne;〃
proceed to Strasbourg at the summons of the representatives; where;
under the title of 〃propagandists;〃 they are to regenerate the town。
… At the same time; in each department; the Jacobins of the principal
town are found scattered along the high ways; that they may inspect
their domain and govern their subjects。 Sometimes; it is the
representative on mission; who; personally; along with twenty 〃hairy
devils;〃 makes his round and shows off his traveling dictatorship;
again; it is his secretary or delegate who; in his place and in his
name; comes to a second…class town and draws up his documents。'72' At
another time; it is 〃a committee of investigation and propaganda〃
which; 〃chosen by the club and provided with full powers;〃 comes; in
the name of the representatives; to work up for a month all the
communes of the district。'73' Again; finally; it is the revolutionary
committee of the principal town; which;〃 declared central for the
whole department;〃'74' delegates one or the other of its members to go
outside the walls; and purge and recompose suspected municipalities。
… Thus does Jacobinism descend and spread itself; story after story;
from the Parisian center to the smallest and remotest commune:
throughout provincial France; whether colorless or of uncertain color;
the imposed or imported administration imposes its red stigma。
But the stamp is only superficial; for the sans…culottes; naturally;
are not disposed to confer offices on any but men of their sort; while
in the provinces; especially in the rural districts; such men are
rare。 As one of the representatives says: there is a 〃dearth of
subjects。〃 … At Macon; Javogues tries in vain;'75' he finds in the
club only 〃disguised federalists;〃 the people; he says; 〃will not open
their eyes it seems to me that this blindness is due to the physique
of the country; which is very rich。〃 Naturally; he storms and
dismisses; but; even in the revolutionary committee; none but dubious
candidates are presented to him for selection; he does not know how to
manage in order to renew the local authorities。 〃They play into each
others' hands;〃 and he ends by threatening to transfer the public
institutions of the town elsewhere; if they persist in proposing to
him none but bad patriots。 … At Strasbourg;'76' Couturier; and
Dentzel; on mission; report that: 〃owing to an unexampled coalition
among all the capable citizens; obstinately refusing to take the
office of mayor; in order; by this course; to clog the wheels; and
subject the representatives to repeated and indecent refusals;〃 he is
compelled to appoint a young man; not of legal age; and a stranger in
the department。 … At Marseilles; write the agents;'77' 〃in spite of
every effort and our ardent desire to republicanize the Marseilles
people; our pains and fatigues are nearly all fruitless。 。 。 。
Public spirit among owners of property; mechanics and journey…men is
everywhere detestable。 。 。 。 The number of discontented seems to
increase from day to day。
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