New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-14
A GOOD WORD FOR FALLEN MEN.


Bismarck asserted in his speech before
the German Parliament that every
French revolution had some degree of
justification to redeem it. This is true of
the revolt in Paris. The real merits of
the communistic outbreak are not to be
discovered in the actions of the revolu-
ton, but in the declarations of the revolu-
tionists. There were thousands of de-
voted and honest people engaged in up
holding the commune as the only safe
guard against imperialism Bonaparte is
dreaded by the liberals of Europe as
their most dangerous enemy. They
credit him with the ability to cheat the
world into the belief that he is moving
toward liberty and civilization, when he is
in reality debauching republicanism and
demoralizing the people. They felt
that the empire had been the
means Of defeating and almost destroying
France, and they prepared to sacrifice
themselves rather than submit to re-
turn of this destructive rule These were
leading men, with honest ideas and patri-
otto purposes. They led the revolution
in the name of republican France. In
fortunately their lead was followed by
mob of men and women who had con-
fused notions about liberty, and who be-
Heved that their own freedom could only
be made perfect by their destroying all
the evidences that another condition of
society had existed before their time.
They attempted to wipe out the records
that made the past great and noble. They
did not detest courage, patriotism, glory
iberality, religion or science, but they
detested these qualities as they were rep
resented by the monuments about Paris.
These monuments testified that monarchy
and imperialism had glorifed France in
war, in science, in literature and in wealth.
They were the signs of that past which be-
longed to the aristocracy. The commune
sought new departure. 1t demanded the
extinction of history in order that the de-
mocracy of the present might not be APP
palled by the heroism of its past, nor made
by the triumphs of its noble pre-
decessors. The destruction which it de- !
creed against the Vendome Column was |
pronounced in the name Of all the people
If these men Of the commune failed |
and were driven from the head of their
own revolution by the brutal and selfish
leaders of the mob, who mistook the OBJ
jeet Of the revolt to be one of selfshness,
that does not lessen their title to our COM
miseration. We can still feel that they
were honest, that they gave their lives to
the peril of the strife, and that they
from the enterprise when it be-
came wild and desperate struggle for
personal benefits. We must still further
them that it was only
through the fearful ordeal Of the COM
revolution that France was
brought forth republic. However much
we may defame the disturbances of Paris,
they must be credited with forcing
Theirs to declare in favor of re-
public in France. Without the re-
volt which has been confined to Paris,
we might have seen a triangular civil war
IN France, with Bonapartes on one side,
The Bourbons and Orleanists on the other,
md the republicans on the third. Such
/ disturbance would have extended to
every department of the State, and its
Tres might have lasted for years.
Therefore, while it is fashionable to
condemn the commune in unmeasured
erms, let it not be forgotten that the
communists had some ideas which are
lot altogether horrible to consider, and
hat it forced one result which we are all
United in mplimenting. If republican
SIN succeeds in France, it will owe its
delivery from monarchy and imperialism
o the fearful revolution essayed by the
communists.