The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-10-03
Further Defence of Its Chiefs and lis
Acts by George Wilkes.
Phil Sheridan Invoked as u
Witness.
The Commune rs q Government OF
Morality aAd Decency.
'Tolerancc :A-Ppsiisiea, Dsatb to Thieves, and
'Vive pHumaai.e" TIC Guiding Pria.
ejplss Of Its Administration.
PARIS, Sept. 8. 1871.

PARIS Sept. 8, 1871
40 TIE EDITOR OF TIE HERALD
Writing from this date, since oil the complaints
and suspicious upon which Parts took up arms nav
been fully justified by The usurpations OF Versailles,
we are spared the necessity or any argument to show
that Its citizens acted upon that highest warrant
men can have who are about TO be betrayed. Nay,
had they wished to become slaves they could not
have closed their eyes to tue fact that the first step
OF the Assembly toward the re-establishment OF
royalty was to be the reduction or the large crles
from their political importance. and especially the
subverson OF the capital from its decisive leadership
in political expression.
TIE CITIrs vIRsUs THE COUNTRY.
The history Of eighty years had shown to the roy
asts that this preliminary curbing OF Parts would
to necessary TO the success OF any reactonary pro-
gramme. To use the language OF a recent London
journal, There is, aud hi, been for many years, in
France a strong divergence Of views and Instincts
between the population OF the rural districts and
the multitudes OF the large cities. The town
IS ultra democratic ana revolutionary; the country
priestrldden AMI relclioaarY. In days or greas
and sudden excitement the tumutu0us cities, with
Paris at lner head, carry everything before them.
But on the morrow OF popular triumph, and a.
soon as matters are referred TO national repre-
sentatl0n, it Is found that the town has ventured
whore the country refuses to follow, and counter
revolution seis In" WGder the influence OF the
priests) 'lll society ia brought back to tho point
from which It started" This is precisely the case
OF the last six m0ni;ls and Paris therefore, acted
upon the conviction that the suppression or the
cities was decreed in order that the republic might
be supplanted by a .Rornish monarchy under the
darkest forms or Church and Stale. The capital
rose for this noble and patriotic purpose almost 10
man, and whatever lay be said to the contrary, Its
citizens exhibited no greater repugnanceftot the
draft for the common defence than IS usual
10 any conscripton for military purposes. It
Is obvious that nothing but a cheerful concord
ana common Inspiration could have enabled 1t to
put nearly two hundred thousand soldiers in the
neld and to fight them devotedly for two full
months. No amount Of lying by respectable au.
tnoriy can reason away these facts 1t must be
conceded therefore, that Paris was unit In the
movement Instituted Ivy the Commune, ana also
conceded that, when THEIRS and his Assembly ran
away. and took their regiments along with them
they lett 10 Paris all the attributes of government
which they abandoned far, at least, as the con-
troll Of her own population was concerned. She
wns, therefore, In every point OF view. De Jdcto
state with all the responsibilities OF protecting ule
property and order when devolye on power. yer-
saes, on the other hard, wns G degenerate fugt-
tive. which was glad to place itself under the pro-
section OF the Prussians. aud to recruit by their
operation, an army from the German prsons--an
army which was carefully selected fromthe French
provincial element, and dogged on its road nome pv
aetachmcnts OF the rural priesthood, inspire it to
a fearirs purpose.
TRs MURDER OF LECOMTE AND THOMAS
And now that the relative attitudes OF the two
Ssrtes 10 the massacre Of Paris have been properly
defined, let us inquire how they respectively be-
ord aiIv hat bar nm on
dalton for the numerous reports which have placed
the Commune before the world in such revolving
light. The first accusation made against 1t Is based
upon the alleged murder OF the TWO generals
Thomas and Lecomte. This act, however, has siuce
been shown to have taken place two days previous
TO the organiza~aon OF the Commune, and as the I'm
putatl6n was not established against any OF the
prisoners who were put on trial at Versailles, or
even put In the Indictment II must be considered as
sefuted Tie truth is Thomas and Lecomte were
generals OF the ultra stripe, who, being suspected
BIZ react,onary plots, and having lost caste during
the Prussian SIEGE fell sudden victims TO the jealous
mry or the populace. The Commune at once on ITS
formation repudtated and denounced these acts and
this was all which, In the first tnmuuous hours OF
It's birth. 1t had the power 10 perform
THE REPULsE or THE MEN or ORDER
! The next act for which the Commune has been
noisilg condemned was what is called the "wantOn
nring'' upon the "men OF orders from the rlace
Eendomc. II win be rccollected that after the fight
Of the Assembly 10 Versailles the Commune estab-
lished its military headquarters IN the Place Ven
dome, and put out scntres TO indicate lines within
which the public might not pass While thus
Installed portion OF the bon 0eoiste, who were ad-
herents OF Versailles, got up meeting In favor OF
q COMPROMISE and putting some rich men and
military persons at their head marched down
4 = ~
,fIurraa for order ~ they drove IN the sentries on
the Kue de la Paix and threatened 10 overthrow the
sroops which were sta toned In the Place end5me
This was an invasion which no military force ever
submitted to In the history Of actual operations;
nevertheless, the Communist troops fOrbore for a
long while, and would have fcrbOrnc still longer
mad not the "men OF order" In the arrogance
OF their "respectability," seized upon an ofcer
OF the Commune, who was trying to make his
way through their ranks into the square and by
way OF giving him proof OF their peaceful spirit,
stripped him OF his arms. This scene was observed
by gentlemen whose names have In my possession,
and who following the enragcd offlcer with their
eyes, perceived him furously turn an adjacent cor.
ner with tho view Of entering the square by an OPP
nositc direction. In Just aDout sufficient time for
him to make the dstosa and give an account Of his
tvnominous treatment the firing upon the MOI
commenced. am also informed by the same pa r
tics who gave me this information that General Phil.
sheridan who was also an eyewitness OF the scene
had declared In their presence that he had seen PTS
tol fred the Rue de la Paix from the ranks OF INC
socaIled men OF order" before any firing took place
from sho soldiers In The square. There were between
thirty and forty persons Killed By this retaliatorl
fusiliade hut the troops, instead OF pursuing IN
dying crowd, coDtented themselves with resumfnt
possession OF their Invaded lines. Win any one pre-
tend that they could have done less aud have main
iaued the authority and disc plne necessary TO TN
ptriicus responsibilities they naJ assumed
WAR KIND or MEN TIE COMMUNIST LEADER
REALLY WE'RE
II uiS been Illuminated through every organ "
Europe winch is opposed 10 the progress oi rcruD
lean IDEAS and every journal IN America winch 4
fond OF such respectable authority that the lead
era OF the Commune were men Of desperate. vulgaI
ana abandoned tvcs--in shcrt, for the most par
buganns atheists and thieves, and that their rule
WAS crnel, wanton and DISHONEST that they plun
dered public and private property sacked churches
torsadc me practice OF religion degraded the mar
rage ne promoted immoraiifv. ana, to crown the