Diary of the Besieged Resident in ParisLabouchere, Henry Du Pré
History
Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris
Labouchere, Henry Du Pré
Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871; Paris (France) -- History -- Siege, 1870-1871 -- Personal narratives
are worn out and demoralised he will demand a fresh plebiscite on the
question of a capitulation, and then he will say that the people, and
not he, capitulated. ("True, he is a Jesuit.") We must make an end of
these speculators and traitors. ("Yes, yes, it is time,") We must have
the Commune. We have not more than eighteen days of provisions, and we
want fifteen of them, to revictual. If the Commune is not proclaimed in
three days we are lost ("True. La Commune! La Commune!") The orator
explains how the Commune will save Paris. It will establish domiciliary
visits not only among the shopkeepers, but among private persons who
have stores of provisions. Besides, he adds, when all the dogs are eaten
we will eat the traitors. (Laughter and applause.) The Commune will
organise at the same time a sortie _en masse_, the success of which is
infallible. From statistics furnished by Gambetta it results that at
this moment there are not above 75,000 Prussians round Paris. And shall
our army of 500,000 men remain stationary before this handful of
Germans? Absurd. The Commune will burst through this pretended circle of
iron. It will put an end to treason. It will place two commissaries by
the side of each general. (The evening before, at the club in the Rue
Blanche, one commissary with a revolver had been proposed. At the
Marseillaise two were thought requisite. This evening, probably at the
Club Favie, in order to beat La Villette, three will be the number. The
position of a general of the Commune will not be an easy one.) These
commissaries, continues the orator, will watch all the movements of the
general. At the first sign he gives of yielding, they will blow his
brains out. Inexorably placed between victory and death, he will choose
the former. (General approbation.) The hour is getting late, but before
concluding the sitting, the President announces that the moment is
approaching when Republicans must stand shoulder to shoulder. Patriots
are invited to give in their names and addresses, in order to be found
when they are wanted. This proposal is adopted by acclamation. A certain
number of citizens register their names, and then the meeting breaks up
with a shout of "Vive la Commune de Paris!"
_January 19th._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account