Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 401, March 1849Various
Science
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 401, March 1849
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
In spite of the denegations of the Red-republican party, and the
counter-accusations of their allies the _Montagnards_ in the Assembly,
the question of all Paris, "What's on foot now?" was soon answered; and
the answer, spite of these same denegations, and counter-accusations,
was speedily understood and believed by all France. A conspiracy of the
ultra-democrats, Red republicans and Socialists, (all now so shaken up
together in one common dark bag of underhand design, that it is
impossible to distinguish the shades of such parties,) was on the
point of breaking out in the capital: the 29th of January had been
fixed upon by the conspirators for their general insurrection. The Red
republicans (to include all the factions of the anarchist parties under
that title, in which they themselves rejoice, although the designation
be derived from "blood") had felt how strong and overpowering had
become the clamour raised throughout the land against that National
Assembly which had run its course, and was now placed in constant
opposition, not only to the president of the republic, as represented
by his ministers, but to the general spirit and feeling of the country
at large; they were aware, but too feelingly, that, should the Assembly
give way before this clamour, in spite of its evidences of resistance,
and decree its own dissolution, the elections of a new Legislative
Assembly by that universal suffrage which had once been their idol, and
was now to be scouted and despised, would inevitably produce what they
termed a reactionary, and what they suspected might prove, a
counter-revolutionary and monarchic majority; and they had determined,
in spite of their defeat in June, to attempt another revolution, in the
hope of again surprising the capital by a _coup-de-main_, and seizing
the reins of power into their own hands at once. This conspiracy was
affiliated together, in its various branches, by those formidable
_sociétés secrètes_, which, long organised, had been again called into
service by the persevering activity of the party, not only in Paris,
but in all the larger provincial towns, and for which fresh recruits
had been zealously drummed together. A general outbreak all over the
country was regulated to explode simultaneously on the 29th of January,
or during the following night: that monomania, which has never ceased
to possess the minds of the frantic chiefs of the Red-republican party,
and which still entertains the vain dream that, if they rise, all the
lower classes, or what they call "the people," must rise at their call,
to fight in their wild cause, gave them support in their designs.
Pretexts for discontent, at the same time, were not wanting. The
project of the government for a general suppression of the clubs--a
measure which they declared unconstitutional, gave a colour to
disaffection and revolt; and hopes that fresh allies would join the
insurrection gave the party a bold confidence, which it had not
possessed since the days of June.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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