The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-07-13
Secret Societies In France.

paRIs. JUNE 23-I have lately travelled through
France from north to south, from east to west.
have seen things with my own eyes, and formed
Judgment on them for myself. was present at the
instructive trial Of the Marianne" consprators az
Anglers, and afterwards saw the Commune Rey0-
lutionnare' at the bar OF the court OF Angouieme,
and the "Mtante'' at that OF Bordeaux. In the
course of my tour have conversed on politics with
many OF the most eminent men IN this country. Thc
result Of what have seen and heard Is a decided
conviction in my mind that France Is at this moment
sleeping. in false confidence, on the brink OF vol.
cano. Secret soc :ies increase and multiply in all
directions. The Emperor is seriously uneasy at the
irrefrag gable evidences Of their progress which he
receives daily from the prefects Within the space
ster prosecutions, in the course of which truly
alarming revelations have been made. These soce-
ties are bydrabeaded. No sooner does the govern
ment fancy it has crushed them at one point than
they start up at another. It is all Ia vain thas few
struggling disciples are made prisoners here and
there; the immense majority OF the affiliated
and almost all the ringleaders battle re-
search and defy pursuit. The utmost that
the most active surveillance and the most
energetic measures do IL to reprcs5 Instruction
for time. The government is radically impotent
to find out the living heart OF the conspiracy. IL Is
within my knowledge that high parsonage, who
sees every morAing the reports from the gendarme-
RE- has been heard to confess that secret societies
have taken root in no less than 65 departments.
But what is terrible still for the goyernme mt,
il the certainty which it has acquired that "a very
active propaganda is going on in the ranks of the
army" The "Hautes Ventes," as the central com
mittee called, know perfectly well that they can
do nothing against the army, but they hope to do
great deal by and with it. In consequence, their
main efforts are now turned In that direction, and,
as it would appear, not without success Several
prvates of the "Douane" force were among the
members Of the "Miitante" tried at Bordeaux. But
a much more serious fact is this-It has been lately
discovered that the leaders Of the Paris central com
mittees have secret relations with parties high in
government Offices, and loarn from them every move
ment of troops thai 3 decided upon at the
Ministry of War. For many months past, not
a regiment has left Paris for the provinces
but the revolutionary chiefs in the neighborhood
Of its fresh quarters knew that 1t was coming,
and were furnished with list of the names OF all
the men with whom they might communicate in
safety for the purpose of continuing the work OF
propagandism. Since this discovery was made the
most severe orders have been issued to prevent the
degree of success am not ut this moment able to
say. 1t is impossible to state with anything like
precision how many secret societies there are in
France. They are continually changing their
Names in order to thwart the unremitting efforts OF
the police to track them. There are, however,
three well known principal societies, which pro-
badly the parents OF most OF the others mean
the Marianne" the !. Mtante," and the Com,
mune Revoutonnaire." The most considerable and
important of these is beyond all question the Ma
ranne," (this word, In socialist slang, means the
guiotine) which finds its recruits principally among
processes those doctrines Of communism Sgaliiaise
which citizen Blanqui teaches, and would carry into
practice II he could Blanqui is the high priest the
recognised chief Of this society Of completes. All
the old founders of different revolutionary sects have
seen themselves deserted by their disciples. The
t" Phalansterians," the adhercnts Of the " Atelier
egalitaire" Of Louis Blanc, of the TRADE humuni-
Icarians" Of Father CADET have all gone over with
arms and baggage TO follow the standard Of Blanqui
His name Ii the only one which now carries author
ity among socialists and communists Of all shades
md fottn MAR -l.wv
Blanqui has attained this supremacy over all his
rivals. In the first place, his long and hard cap
tiyity has enlisted sympathy in his favor. Next
and this j. very cogent reason he has never been
in power. But what more than anything else has
contributed to invest him with undivided authority
over the party which he now wieds b the fact that
he Is the Incarnation OF the revolutionary tradition
Of 1871. Bianqui Is, so to speak, the apostocal
successor Of BabGuf, having received imposition OF
hands from bis pupil, BGonarott He is the direct
heir OF the master, the living depositary, the or
dained teacher OF his doctrines The Mariannistes
were the first who openly broke with all those revo
utionists Of the school OF the National who see In
very popular movement nothing but an opportunity
o get places for themselves Whether the " Ma
rianne' people will be more virtuous when their
day comes, we shall, perhaps, live TO see. How.
ever, they can find no terms strong enough T.
express their contempt for those gaats jaunes,
those faions rouges, those rose water intr
guers" who think everything Is we'll as long
as they bave the power in their own hands.
The "Mariannistes" profess TO desire power not as
an end, but as a means TO establish their social sys
tenn. Asst what these means would be they are very
frank. The poinard, the torch, pilage and condsca
ton ore all lawful in their eyes, far may be
necessary to insure the triumph OF the good and
holy cause. The affiliated bind themselves by the
most terrible oaths to shrink from none OF these
means. The form ofthe oath has varied frequently
according TO circumstances. In the beginning the
rovice swore to strike with the poniard whoever he
should be ordered 10 strike. IL was afterwards n
sidered that this formula was too vague, and
pledge IN terms to ,assassinate the chief OF the
State was substituted for IT, Alta still later period
the engagement taken was 10 "assassinate the gov
ornor'- that any man, no matter what his title
whether emperor, king or president Of the republic
was 70 be devoted 70 death for the single reason
that he personi6ed supreme authority. The me-
rianne" seems TO have borrowed many OF its lead
ing rules from the Jcsuits. The affiliated member
no longer belongs 70 himself. Perinde w cad1rer
II strictly the motto Of the society Join 1t, and you
swear 10 become . piece OF mechanism, obey
ing the band that touches the spring. Think
not 10 betray the secrets OF this new Web.
me. II you do, the poniard on which you have
free to die but not to bet-ay the secret An ex.
ample OF the working OF this cruel alternative oc-
cured at Anglers the other day. young appren-
tce, cited as witness by the president Of the tri
bun9l appeared In court during the first two days
Of the trial, but on the third day when he was to
have been examined he committed suicide. II was
afterwards ascertaned that he was a member Of the
Marianne The " Militanten Is young swarm
tulaDhtlUE ffOm parSut iuNcs Tue mAIlAuht.
II was founded In 1885, and In the short space Of
little than two years IL has extended its rant
fcaiions into every principal point OF France Its
votares especially numerous In the west, at Bor
deaux, Nantes, Anglers, Mort, Chsteanneaf, La
Rochelle, Angouleme, Cognac, DC. The very nu.
merous members Of this society are all under the
orders Of one supreme central committee, whose
headquarters is always In large town. Subor-
dinate 10 this directing committee there are many
minor ones called decures or centuries, composed
OF either ten or q hundred original members Of the
society. Bordeaux, where only fortnight ago one
Of the many prosecutions lately instituted against
suspected members OF the Miitanter came TO a
trial IL the residence Of one OF the directing commit
tees, which corresponds with the central committee
at Paris, and also with the dscues stationed In the
country districts within certain distance around Bor
deaux. Correspondence IL carried on either through
emissaries or by letters couched In
mercial phraseoogy, according TO q key agreed
upon. Il has been discovered thsf the expressions
merchandise" travellers" Shares" &c mean
"arme," "emissaris," Subscription and 30 on.
OFTEN on anemergency the electric telegraph il used
and the unsuspccting wires being from Bordeaux