The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-16 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16,1187

THE Paris electors are not amongst those popular
bodies who cannot make up their own minds. Their
decision and consistency at least are worthy of ad-
miration. During the Empire they enjoyed perfect

freedom of choice, for the Government knew better

;han to interfere with them; and the more experience

they gained the more revolutionary were their
selections. In 1857 the Paris deputies were mostly
Republicans ; in 1863 they were all Republicans ; in
1869 the moderate representatives of the party were
turned out to make room for more Ultra and Red ad-

vocates. But no choice under the Empire can com

pare with the remarkable batch of deputies the
Parisians have just sent to Bordeaux. During
the counting of the votes it became known
that the Reds had carried the city ;
and it • now appears that the result is
Redder than was hoped even by ROCHEFORT in his
Mot 4' Ordre. No such a collection has been seen in
a representative Assembly :since the days when
DANTON thundered against the Girondists
from the Mountain. GAMBETTA, the advo-
cate of war a outrance, LOUIS BLANC, the
COMMUIIiSt, GARIBALDI, the hater of kings
and priests, ROCHEFORT, who publishes a paper
of which "Regicide is the motto, VICTOR
HIJGO, who has for so many years fulminated in exile
in favour of democracy—these are some of the
moderate members of the list, The rest are political
fanatics, orators. who have nothing to recommend
them but violence, nominees of the International
Association which hopes to *makes of all Europe
one loving Socialist community. It is a
serious event. We might be contemptuous
of PEAT'S indecency, of MILLIERE'S brutality, of
GA3IBON'S buffoonery ; but different considerations
present themselves. There can be no doubt that this
list has been carried by the exertions of the Inter-
national Democratic Association. The result shews

that the Paris Reds possess a power of organisation
which compensates to some extent for the injury
they do themselves by their illogical extravagancies.
They may make speeches in the clubs which read
like the effusions of maniacs, but they hold together
in pretty good order when it is necessary to give
their extravagancies practical effect.
It can hardly be expected that 100,000 voters of
this type will keep themselves quiet now that their
opportunity, as they think, is come. They have se-
cured an appropriate body of leaders in the National
Assembly. The restraints upon their action may
speedily be removed. The Germans will leave Paris
as soon as peace is made ; and at the same time the
National Guards will be disbanded, and the pay which
conciliated the workmen during the siege will cease.
Trade will languish for many a month after
this war. The building of boulevards,
which M. HAUSSMANN kept up for the
purpose of preserving order amongst these masses,
can no longer be continued by the new rulers, who-
ever they may be. When bread is wanting to the
artisan legions whom the late vote represents, we
may see results of the Red organisation of a
character far more impressive than sending outrageous
representatives to Bordeaux. The object of these
men is to bring about, not merely a revolution, but
such a revolution as will make common property
of everybody's possessions. Nowhere can they com-
mence under such favourable auspices as in Paris.
There they are strongest; there the Government will
be weaker, the contrast between poverty and wealth
. greater, than anywhere else. The danger is one
I, which the previous history of their country warns
moderate Frenchmen not to neglect. In
- France revolutionary deeds l'ave more than