The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-03-23 00:00:00

ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARIS SOCIAL

REVOLUTION.

COF,II

On Monday night it was intended to celebrate the
establishment of the Social Government of the 18th
Marsh, in Paris, by a public meeting at St. George's-
hall, Langham-place, London. The meeting was said
to be " under the auspices of members of the Inter-
national, the Democrats of London, and the refugees
of the Commune." The names of several members
of the Communal Goveznment were announced
as amongst the speakers. Before the hour
mentioned (eight o'clock) for commencing the
proceedings, the door was surrounded by some
hundreds of persons, mostly foreigners, mixed with
, whom were some policemen. The hall, however, was
ominously dark, and the door was shut. Eight o'clock
had come and long passed, when at last the expectant
and impatient cro vd seemed to come to the conclusion
that it was not intended to open the doors at all. It
is said that the proprietor, apprehensive of the result,
declined to give the use of the hall for the purpose
intended. After giving expression to their indignation,
the crowd dispersed in various directions, singing the
" Marseillaise."

The Daily News thus describes the proceedings at another
meeting.' the Communists, or" Communalists," as they prefer
to be called
- - -

The new Hall of Science in the heart of the City of
London, was on Monday evening the scene of a meet-
ing, in which ex-members of the Communes of Paris
and Marseilles were the leading actors. They met to-
gether to celebrate their exploits of a year back, and to
appeal to the sympathies of those who were somewhat
vaguely styled Internationalists.

The -room itself is a meeting-place for discussions of
advanced opinions generally, and when not so occu-
pied it is used as a dancing academy. In an adjoin-
ing room working-men meet together to smoke and
drink and play at games less exciting and dangerous
than those of the Communalists. The latter word is
used with an object. The ex-members of the Commune
protest against being addressed or treated as Commu-
nists. One of the speakers prefaced his speech with an
explanation that while Communists desire to establish
a new system of social and political economy, they, the
Communalists, aim at founding municipal institutions
in es cry great city, and in making every city act to-
gether for the common good of the country. To all ex-
ternal appearance the Communalists and their friends
are neither bloodthirsty ruffians nor pitiless brigands.
The worst of them have the air f attorney's clerks ;
the best that of members of liberal professions.
One of the earliest acts before the meeting WAS con-
stituted was to hoist a red flag on the platform. This
flag was irreverently called "a dirty rag" by an Eng-
lish working man, who professed himself generally
favourable to the objects of the meeting. After this
flag had been duly placed in front of the table, before
which M. Dupont, the chaiman, an ex-member of the
Paris Commune, was seated, the latter appealed to
the meeting to appoint assessors representing the
different nationalities of Europe, ending by express-
ing a hope that a German might be included, "if
that were possible." This request was rendered into
English by Citizen Smith. The proposition did not
appear to take the English part of the audience
by surprise. One of them rose and proposed an
English assessor, who deprecated the honour,
I whereupon Citizen Lcw, the proposer, on being
I appealed to, showed himself ready to represent his
country, and mounted the platform amid the
plaudits of admiring friends. Citizen Fagan
promptly undertook the same duty for Ireland. A
gentleman, whose name soui.ded like Shaw, stood
forth as a natit e-born Spaniard to do duty for his
country. A gentleman, with an appropriate name
ending in ski, took upon himself to care for the
interests of Hungarian Poland. an act of patriotism
which elicited from an English throat a 'Shear for
Poland." The German representative could not be
found, in spite of an appeal in French and German for
any German in the audience to exhibit himself.
However, it was intimated that the German section
was coming in a body at a later period, and this satis-
fied the occupants of the platform. A spectator, whose
appearance was rather that of a capitalist than of
a working man, and who regarded the proceedings
with a cynical sir, betrayed his sentiments by expres-
sing his wonder that no representative of the Isle of
Dogs bad been chosen. Of the three Kingdoms, Scot-
land was the one that had reason to complain, were
she not too sensible to consider the matter a grievance.
No representative of the Scotch nationality was called
for. One was present, that is, if the Glengarry cap be
the token of the Scotchman. Perhaps, however, the
audience would not have been satisfied with the
genuineness of the gentleman unless he had figured in
While these tedious preliminaries were in pr4.gress,
the audience increased in numbers, till between four and
five hundred were present. Avery alight sprinkling of
the fair sex diversified the audience. These were the
wives of Communalists, and where by no means
ill-
favoured or unintelligent. They were dressed with all
a Fern ;la woman's neatness. But they looked care-
worn and anxious ; the struggle for existence was con-
spicuous in their features. The English mothers with
her offspring was there, almost as a matter of course,
and the child soon began to manifest its dissatisfaction
with the preeeedings.
In the chairman the meeting was fortunate. He had
none of the dare-devil in his face or speech. His fair
hair, full light moustache, clear eyes, and earnestness
of manner favourably impressed the beholder. Hie

opening address was brief and pointed; was well de-
livered and well received. He told his hearers how the
isms wrote history, and the conquered hail to
submit le calumny. He said that but two countries,
Switzerland and England, ha I given an asylatu to the
refugees, and he denounced in language which was
certainly strong but not exaggerated the unfair-
ness of those who wished to render their exile alike
more difficult and more bitter by stigmatising them as
robbers and assassins. That they might have robbed
and slaughtered half Paris he said was true, but he de-
nied that that they had been half as criminal as the
supporters of order, who made Versailles their base of
operations. Then followed the speech of the evening,
that is, the most purely French speech of the whole. It
was delivered by Citizen Landeek, a delegate from the
Commune of Marseilles. He sketched the history of the
rising, and, with all the fire and gesticulating emphasis
of a Southerner, magnified his own party and dis-
paraged the one opposed to him. The chief point he
made was to the effect that the Prussians were chiefly
responsible for the outbreak of the 18th of March.
Had they not entered Paris the people would never
have overturned the Government ; but he failed to ex-
plain how Lyons and Marseilles, neither of which
directly suffered from the incapacity of the Govern-
ment of National Defence, nor were entered by
Prussian troops, should likewise have established the
Commune. To the charges brought against the members
of his party, and that which concerned the hostages in
particular, he replied by saying that no order was given
to slay the hostagee, and that had it been given, the
act would have been one of simple justice. As for the
burning of Paris, the demolition of the houses, the
battering of the Arc de Triomphe, conduct of which
not even the Prussians had been guilty, he cited them
to show the vile character of the Versailles party.
Chiefly, however, did he glory in the overthrow of the
column in the Place Vet:Aline, that standing insult to
the principles of international union and good feeling.
This speech, long though it was, was listened to with
attention even by those who did not understand it.
Indeed, the general behaviour of the audience was
remarkable. Whether they were chiefly animated
with curiosity, whether they did not care much about
the subject, or whether they bad heard so much about
the matter as to he not easily roused to enthu-
siasm over an old story, I cannot tell ; but the
calmness of their demeanour was notable. Each
one had paid twopence for admission. Some pa-
tronised a bookstall at which the pamphlets of a
highly-flavoured character were sold. The lad
who presided over the stall was vociferous in re
commending his wares; shonting out in succession the
" ' Age of Reason,' one penny," and " ' Republicanism
in London,' one halfpenny." Some of the pamphlets
slid duty in the Chartist days, and one of theaudience,
who notified to a select circle that he was an old
Chartist, expressed himself by no means in favour of
the French Democrats. He seemed to have prospered
since Chartism was the rage among those who had
little to lose and everything togain ; and, his circum-
stances having altered, his opinions had undergone
corresponding modification.
Despite the unpleasant associations connected with
the Communalists, their meeting together as they did
last night could do no harm to any human being.
Their programme is summed up in the words which
not a few English working men can easily compre-
hend, "Liberty, Equality, Solidarity, Fraternity."
The several speeches were tilled with appeals to justice
and with expressions of a belief that posterity woulddo
justice to the conduct of those who had been maligned.
One speaker was careful to impress upon his
hearers hat in reality the Communalists only
did what English revolutionists had done in 1688, that
municipal liberties were what they desired to obtain,
and that arson, pillage, and murder were what they de-
tested. I learned that the majority of those who have
taken refuge in London are engaged in earning their
daily bread by hard labour. Some have obtained places
of trnst in foreign houses of business. The artisans have
for the most part found employment. A certain pro-
portion live no oneknows how; that is, they manage to
exist. If theirpublic proceedings are always 11Stemperate
in character as the proceedicgs of that evening, their
presence and political action in London need excite no
apprehension. The truth is that the celebration of
the "Communalist Revolution of Paris" was
eminently orderly. It would even appear a trifle dull
to any who attended in the hope of witnessing a fiery
performance and hearing sanguinary speeches.