The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-09
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1870.
THE OUTBREAK IN PARIS.

DESPITE the sensational character of the
cable dispatches forwarded from Paris, it is
not probable that the insurrection in that
city will assume formidable proportions
The whole tendency Of modern improve
ments and events has been 10 increase the
obstacles to the success of such outbreaks
Napoleon has been profound student OF the
revolutionary demonstrations in his capital,
and he has spared no pains or expense to
make revolt impossible. Not only has he
increased the efficiency of the police and the
strength of the military force stationed in
Paris to such an extent that resistance is we'll
nigh hopeless, but he has destroyed, by his
changes in the plan of the city, the strongholds
of the Observation-Disclosures, and rendered their
best efforts puerile if not totally ineffective.
AS long as he can be assured of the fidelity of
his army he will have little to fear from such
demonstrations as we're made yesterday. The
natural desire to avoid unnecessary bloodshed
has prevented his soldiers from using their
firearms prematurely, but if the contest be-
comes sufficiently serious to justify an aban-
donment of this scruple, the mob will be mas
sacred or dispersed. The Emperor is anxious
to suppress the demonstration by the
police alone, and although they were
repulsed from one barricade, they
made many arrests, and as several
of the barricades we're not defended, the zeal
of the insurgents seems to be already waning.
Meanwhile the military are out in force, and
ready at any moment to act deoisively if the
police should be overpowered. II is only
restrained by the desire of the Government
to act with prudence and humanity, to use
the phrase chosen by M. Olivier, and by
NapoIeon's wish to avoid the reproaches which
would be heaped upon him if he slaughtered
thousands of his own subjects. The irrepres-
sible Rochefort, whose arrest was the imme-
diate cause of this outbreak, is rather news
paper hero and lover of sensations, than a
veritable leader of genuine revolution. He
lacks eitherthe courage or the capacity, or per-
haps both, to organize armed resistance. His
weapons are the pen and tongue rather than
the sword and rifle. 1t is his object to make
figurative rather than real martyr of him
self, and he has none of the spirit of the
heroes who demand liberty or death. The
cable despatch says that when he was arrested
''he made no resistance and no appeals to the
crowd, although there was great crowd of
people present, and on previous occasions he
evinced O similar disposition to avoid com
plicity in forcible antagonism to the empire.
While his own followers cannot fail to
notice, sooner or later, the contrast
between his words and actions, he is hated
and distrusted by all the moderate opponents
of Napoleon, and the fear that he might esta
blish red republic on the ruins of the en-
pire if it was overthown, is one of the most
serious obstacles to thorough reform of the
French Government. Under the circum
stances, the new demonstration will serve
only as another protest of the radicals OF
Paris against Imperialism, and it is as likely
to give increased strength to the NapoleoniC
dynasty as to weaken it.