Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-05-30
Policy of the Paris Commune.

The Commune of Paris are distin-
gaished for their extremely radical
views on what they are pleased to
call social reforms, seeking TO entire
ly revolutiouize society, social econ
omy, and reduce to common level
all classes, without regard to proper
ty or intelligence. Had Red Repub-
licaus tho power they would destroy
all national boundaries, and recon
struct society on the principals of
communism that is no individual to
have any private property of his
own, but all things to be held in
common as national estate. Labor
ers would be classified and organized
into companies, regularly Differed
and paid like soldiers, while their
earnings are steadily flowing into
the public treasury, to be used at the
discretion Of those in charge Of the
same. Religion would be discarded,
and marriage reduced to a social
contract, to be made by mutual agree
ment and broken at the option of
either party, at any time that they
might think proper to do so, with
the privilege Of reunion and separa-
ton as often as they choose, without
any molestation the feeding, cloth
ing and education of their posterity
to be left to the State.
French Communism is in many
respects similar to the Oneida Com
munity in our own country. The
adherents of the Commune are most
ly of that class who have nothing to
lose but everything to gain by pros
ecuting the insurrection to a success
full termination, having neither
wealth, property or character to i'm
peril, but hoping to obtain means of
subsistence by forcibly wrestling
from the unwilling grasp of their su-
periors, money and food and every
where within their reach they are
plundering stores, robbing banks,
sacking churches, and, in fact, taking
everything of value without consult
ing anybody, and if resistance is Of
fered the proprietor is either simply
shot or forced into the insurgent
army.
On the other hand, the constitu-
ents of the Assembly are the bone
and sinew of the nation, men of
wealth and property, and conserva-
tive in their schemes for social inn
provement, with the additional Gle :
ment of all free holders, whether
poor or rich, most of whom are eth
err identified with religion or in sym
pathy with the church.
The two parties hate each other
with bitterest hatred, and well may
the landed proprietors and personal
property holders despise clique
who would rob them and their fami-
lies of honestly gotten estates. Much
rather would they see Napoleon re-
stored to power than to witness the
tyranny of the Commune, and it need
not surprise any one to learn that
such is the case not many months
from the present writing.
Those engaged in the present re-
bellion are the very class who caus-
ed Napoleon so much trouble during
his administration ofthe government,
and in order to keep them quiet he
employed large numbers of them in
tearing down and rebuilding por-
tions Of the city of Paris and now
being out of employment, except
such as the present conflict affords
them, they are DESTROYS of prolong-
ing the civil war so long as they can
possibly do so, or until they succeed
in establishing an absolute Repub-
lic' on principles alluded to above.
That they will signally fail in their
tanatcal undertaking, few people
can for moment doubt, but they
may cause great deal Of trouble to
legally constituted authorities before
the faction is thoroughly crushed.