The New York herald., 1871-03-24

Our special and other dispatches from
Paris reveal q state of things which has had
no parallel since the Reign of Terror. A
special despatch Of our own, to be found
elsewhere In these columns is deserving of
very particular attention. II would seem
that on Wednesday evening fresh outbreak
took place ia the city Of Paris. An alterca-
tiol Between two men men Created excitement,
gathered 9 sroxd and brought 9ut tee armed
insurgents, who fired recklessly on the crowd
in the Place vend6me, killing not fever than
FIVE persons and wounding many. Large
crowds Of respectable people began to assem-
BILE on the Boulevards des Italiens and des
Capucines, and on the open space before the
Grand Opera House. The crowd was un-
| armed; but, having made some demonstrations
| in favor Of order, the insurgents fired upon
them, killing and wounding large numbers.
The result of the fire, according to our
special, was that the Rue de la Paix was
covered with dead and wounded. On the
mass, which retired in confusion along the
Street of Peace the firing was continued, and
hundreds of all sexes and of all ages were
nlercilessly destroyed. Our other dispatches
are alarming and horrible in their details.
The Rue de la Paix, we are told, is pool of
blood, and no mans life is safe in Paris. The
insurgents have SO overawed the authorities of
the Bank of Paris that they have obtained one
million of francs against the deposit Of for
NAL Treasury bond. A demand had been
made upon the Rothschilds, which was per-
emptorily refused.
The most important piece of intelligence
which we print this morning is contained
in the letter which Jules Favre read to the
| Assembly from Count Bismarck. The Count
| claims that the events which have taken place
| in Paris have already resulted in violations OF
the treaty Of peace, He demands that the
telegraphic line which communicates with the
city and the Germans and which has been
destroyed, be restored within twenty
four hours; if not restored, the
forts occupied by the Germans win open
fire upon the city. The wretched condition of
the government and Of the National Assembly
is revealed in the answer Of Jules Favre, who
stated that ''the government had no means Of
repairing the telegraph, but would ask the
Mayors Of the ACCOMPLISHMENTS through which it
passed to have it restored and put in working
order. A special despatch from Versailles to
the London Daily Meas says ''the letter of
Count Bismarck created sensation in the
Assembly, and that NJ. Favre in his remarks
limited that if the insurgents did not yield, the
government would cooperate with the Ger
mans"
This is certainly lively budget Of news
What are we TO think Of it? What can we
think Of 1t but this THAT France has afresh
revealed the spirit which has made the years
1902, 1898, 1874, immortal in the history of
crime; that she has for the fourth or fifth time
since 1889 given proof that she is absolutely
unfit for self-govcrnment that the breed has
so 5egenerated that to-day there is no man
who can take up the lapsed reins and curb the
fiery steed of Revolution that. to speak
plainly, the Grande Nation, the land of Cor
nellie and Moliere, of Bossuet and Fendlon, OF
Richelieu and Mazarin, the land Of philoso-
pliers and statesmen, Of warriors and phi
lanthropists, Of writers and poets, is to be re-
garded as nothing better than an offensive
ulcer on the body polite Of the world? In
the present condition Of Paris we see revived
those horrible scenes which were repeated at
intervals from the storming of the Bastile in
July, 1893, up until the fall Of Robespierre in
1894. This shooting down Of the populace by
the populace warrants US to expect another
Reign of Terror. We have had what may he
compared to the massacre OF the Swiss time
only is necessary to give us the massacres on
the Champ de Mars, the butcheries in the
prisons, the midnight fusi!lades and noyades,
the guillotine and other becoming fruits of
revolutionary tribunal or of Committee of
Public Safety. One thing, however. is i'm
possible. The revolution of 1889 marched
through blood and sorrow to strength and
victory and glory. The revolution Of 1871 has
no such prospect before 1t. 1t is
this prospect which now animates the
the ''reds, which sustans their hopes, which
incites them to deeds of blood. France is no
longer France in the ancient sense. In COM
parison with her former self she is dwarfed,
stunted, insignificant. In addition to all this
Europe mas paSseu uHuer elttrely new Couui-
tons. United, France was more than match
for any of her neighbors. Now she is sur
rounded on all hands by neighbors more
powerful than herself And, what is more
important still, Germany has her foot upon
her, and word only is requisite to make all
the rebellous elements submissive to the will
OF the conqueror. Nothing, therefore, but
misery can result from this wild and lawless
movement.
We are unwilling to hold France responsible
for the sin and folly of Paris; but France has
been too slow in her movements to put down
the rowdy elements Of the capital city. It is
possible that the men now in power are more