In the midst of all these troubles, in which every one is borne along,
without any knowledge of where he is drifting—with the Central
Committee making proclamations on one side, and the Versailles
Government training troops on the other, a few men have arisen who have
spoken some words of reason. These men may be certain from this moment
that they are approved of by Paris, and will be obeyed By Paris—by the
honest and intelligent Paris—by the Paris which is ready to favour that
side which can prove that it has the most justice in it.
The deputies and maires of Paris have placarded the following
proclamation:—
“RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE.
“LIBERTÉ, ÉGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ.
“Citizens,—Impressed with the absolute necessity of saving Paris
and the Republic by the removal of every cause of collision, and
convinced that the best means of attaining this grand object is to
give satisfaction to the legitimate wishes of the people, we have
resolved this very day to demand of the National Assembly the
adoption of two measures which we have every hope will contribute
to bring back tranquillity to the public mind.
“These two measures are: The election of all the officers of the
National Guard, without exception, and the establishment of a
municipal council, elected by the whole of the citizens.
“What we desire, and what the public welfare requires under all
circumstances; and which the present situation renders more
indispensable than ever, is, order in liberty and by liberty.
“_Vive la France!_ Vive la République!
“_The representatives of the Seine_:
“Louis Blanc, V. Schoelcher, Edmond Adam, Floquet, Martin Bernard,
Langlois, Edouard Lockroy, Farcy, Brisson, Greppo, Millière.
“_The maires and adjoints of Paris_:
“1st Arrondissement: Ad. Adam, Meline, adjoints.—2nd
Arrondissement: Tirard, maire, representative of the Seine; Ad.
Brelay, Chéron, Loiseau-Pinson, adjoints.—3rd Arrondissement;
Bonvalet, maire; Ch. Murat, adjoint.—4th Arrondissement: Vautrain,
maire; Loiseau, Callon, adjoints.—5th Arrondissement: Jourdan,
adjoint.—6th Arrondissement: Hérisson, maire; A. Leroy,
adjoint.—7th Arrondissement: Arnaud (de l’Ariége), maire,
representative of the Seine.—8th Arrondissement: Carnot, maire,
representative of the Seine.—9th Arrondissement: Desmaret,
maire.—10th Arrondissement: Dubail, maire; A. Murat,
Degoyves-Denunques, adjoints.—11th Arrondissement: Motu, maire,
representative of the Seine; Blanchon, Poirier, Tolain,
representative of the Seine.—12th Arrondissement: Denizot, Dumas,
Turillon, adjoints.—18th Arrondissement: Léo Meillet, Combes,
adjoints.—14th Arrondissement: Héligon, adjoint.—15th
Arrondissement: Jobbe-Duval, adjoint.—16th Arrondissement: Henri
Martin, maire and representative of the Seine,—17th.
Arrondissement: FRANÇOIS FAVRE, maire; MALOU, VILLENEUVE, CACHEUX,
adjoints.—18th. Arrondissement: CLÉMENCEAU, maire and
representative of the people; J.B. LAFONT, DEREURE, JACLARD,
adjoints.”
This proclamation has now been posted two hours, and I have not yet met
a single person who does not approve of it entirely. The deputies of
the Seine and the _maires_ of Paris have, by the flight of the
Government to Versailles, become the legitimate chiefs. We have elected
them, it is for them to lead us. To them belongs the duty of
reconciling the Assembly with the city; and it appears to us that they
have taken the last means of bringing about that conciliation, by
disengaging all that is legitimate and practical in its claims from the
exaggeration of the _émeute_. Let them therefore have all praise for
this truly patriotic attempt. Let them hasten to obtain from the
Assembly a recognition of our rights. In acceding to the demands of the
deputies and the _maires_, the Government will not be treating with
insurrection; on the contrary, it will effect a radical triumph over
it, for it will take away from it every pretext of existence, and will
separate from it, in a definite way, all those men who have been
blinded to the illegal and violent manner in which this programme is
drawn up, by the justice of certain parts of it.
If the Assembly consent to this, all that will remain of the 18th of
March will be the recollection—painful enough, without doubt—of one
sanguinary day, while out of a great evil will come a great benefit.
Whatever may happen, we are resolute; we—that is to say, all those who,
without having followed the Government of Versailles, and without
having taken an active part in the insurrection, equally desire the
re-establishment of legitimate power and the development of municipal
liberties—we are resolved to follow where our deputies and the _maires_
may lead us. They represent at this, moment the only legal authority
which seems to us to have fairly understood the difficulties of the
situation, and if, in the case of all hope of conciliation being lost,
they should tell us to take up arms, we will do so.