New-York tribune., 1871-04-11
pUTE DF RUN.

tions arising from the presence ol tiiS tliiu
narty whose interests demand prompt actlon,
the civil conflict in France might be brought 10
an end. by the temporizing policy advocated Dy
NJ. Theirs, without further serious bloodshed'
THE assault which has been resolved upon In
consequence Of the German attitude, VIII
douhtless be bloody; but it is not by any
means certain that the long investment, which
NJ Thicrs contemplated in his desire 10
avoid bloodshed, would not have resulted
in excesses in Paris by which the innocent
mon. women. and children, alike-wOuld have
Suffered torture and death. The temper OF
the Communists has already brought piilagc,
imprisonment, and massacre now IL threatens
wholesale slaughter. These fellows are not, rs
they believe themselves, OF that INSPIRED
"rabblen with which Dumouriez turned bacK
the German invasion during the Revolution;
but rather The Anarchists, whose excesses III
the capital drove the old Jacobin warrior
70 declare a Constitutional Monarchy the
only salvation Of France from msrule.
The Paris mob is now, as then, the WORST
enemy of the Republic; and again drives
France to accept the Generalization OF personal
government as a refuge from the horrors Oh
no government. Paris is in less danger nom
Government shells than from Communist
DEGREES; bombardment can destroy no more
churches than the mob has already pillaged;
and an hour of unbridled license within the
city may cost more lives than days struggle
on its ramparts. The assault which prevents
these threatened horrors and ends this anarchy
will not, therefore, be wholly an unmixed evil.
And what terrible misrule of month 1t
tlrOuUl
treason of the most trusted Guards OF the
city and the republic, the Commune has
thriven only by prescription and MURDER
Civil authority has been exercised by Com-
mittee, one-half OF which early denounced
and imprisoned the other half; ana TINS 1ac-
ton has since been superseded Ill power by
secret tribunal, which dcnounces on mere sus-
picion and condemns without trial. The right
of national property has been abrogated
debt has been abolished landlords have been
proscribed as enemies of the State, and 2OO,O5O
citizens have been compelled to flee for no
other offense than being richer than their
neighbors. How many others have been Sc
cretly denounced and imprisoned, or have
fallen victims to private vengeance, when
goes authorized as public executlOner,
Heaven only knows. Prisons have been filled
with priests and nuns guilty OF declaring
themselves Servants of a person called God"
Old soldiers of the Republic have been shot
as spies and loyal citizens have been mas
sacred for public demonstrations III FAVOR OF
order and the Republic.
1t was not reasonable to expect that Gov
crnment which had adopted such civil policy
as this could long sustain itself 10y arms. The
conduct of the defense of Paris by the Com
munists has been simply ridiculous judged
from any military point of view. They had
a large proportion of the 10000 National Guards
intrusted with arms by the Germans to main
tain order, rs basis for an army. These have
been increased to 100000 in numbers, but
weakened by accessons only of undiscipined
rabble and by the appointment to command OF
unskiled soldiers. This hastily collected mob
WAS marched against Versailles on April
Sunday having been chosen as the occasion
possibly through contempt OF rehglon), and
its right wing encamped west of Fort Mont du
Valeren, though it was held by garrison of
Government troops. No previous efforts to
reduce this work or to seduce the garrison
from its duty were undertaken; the insurgent
commander appears to have thought that
the Government troops tOuld refuse
to fire upon their brethren. Their error
was disclosed early the next morning,
when the fort opened fire upon the.
insurgent camps and dispersed the right wing
in short time and with little loss. Finding
themselves between two fires, they made their
way, as best they could, behind the fort again,
and nearer Paris. Their left column had
meantime encountered opposition south OF the
city, and they soon found themselves re-
stricted to the forts which they had previously
occupied. The Government right wing Occu-
pied the positions held by the Germans on
the flights of Sceaux, and from there they
have neither advanced nor been driven.
The left wing of the Government army fol-
lowed up the success of April 3, and advanced
from Fort Mont du Valerien toward the Seine,
near the Bridge of Neuilly. The advance of
this part of the line was accompanied by sew
eral affairs of no moment, and by vigorous
bombardment of the southern forts by the
right wing as feint. But on April (Thurs-
day lasD the left wing, having got into posi-
ton, carried the Neuilly bridge and passed the
Seine The insurgents left fled to the walls
and erected barrcades at the Porte MaillOt,
the entrance by the Neuilly road to the city.
The right wing of the Government troops
advanced into the Bois d6 Dou1ogne, its
advance occupying Sablonyille, a suburb ada
cent to the walls and near the Maillot gate.
The barricades of tho latter have been demol-
ished and breach in the adjacent walls has
been effected by the fire of Mont du Val6ren;
and it is here doubtless that the assault is to
be made. The fleet has reached Paris and is
anchored just below the Neuilly bridge, to
take part in the bombardment of the Porte