order of the department, because "they are centers of malevolence."
At Bordeaux, the municipality, considering that "alarming reports are
current of priests and privileged persons returning to town," prohibits
all reunions, except that of the Jacobin club.--Thus, "under a system
of liberty of the most exalted kind, in the presence of the famous
Declaration of the Rights of Man which legitimates whatever is not
unlawful," and which postulates equality as the principle of the French
constitution, whoever is not a Jacobin is excluded from common rights.
An intolerant club sets itself up as a holy church, and proscribes
others which have not received from it "orthodox baptism, civic
inspiration, and the aptitude of languages." To her alone belongs the
right of assemblage, and the right of making proselytes. Conservative,
thoughtful men in all towns throughout the kingdom are forbidden to
form electoral committees, to possess a tribune, a fund, subscribers and
adherents, to cast the weight of their names and common strength into
the scale of public opinion, to gather around their permanent nucleus
the scattered multitude of sensible people, who would like to escape
from the Revolution without falling back into the ancient régime.
Let them whisper amongst themselves in corners, and they may still be
tolerated, but woe to them if they would leave their lonely retreat to
act in concert, to canvass voters, and support a candidate. Up to
the day of voting they must remain in the presence of their combined,
active, and obstreperous adversaries, scattered, inert, and mute.
IV. Turmoil of the elections of 1790.--Elections in 1791.--Effect of
the King's flight.--Domiciliary visits.--Montagne during the electoral
period.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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