The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-12-23
lp15m tno London Daily News,

lRlom tho London Daily News
The story of the Paris commune,
and of the events which has made the
name comuRrg once more as terrible
as IL was hlJoo,H medieval history or
France, has Wgen told again by Gene
raj Appert. II any one could olsen
tangle the embodiment of the spring
months of 1871, and see clearly through
the smoke of the burning capital, ana
of the retalatory platoon fire to the
actual facts of the case, 1t should be
General Appert. A. man no longer
Young, who must have wearied out all
vndictie passion in the tedious inves-
legations 80 more than four years, he
has presided over the courts martial
which try the communists, and now
gives To the world mn abstract OF his
researches. Possibly he may be under
the influence of unconscious prepos'
session, and we therefore tell the story
after him, without necessarily adopt
ing all his conclusions and estimates
TO English readers the commune has
possibly seemed like n power born IN
one moment of popular distress, shame
and social jealousy. We are apt to
suppose that the movement suddenly
took shape, aud proved itself an
organization, after the populace had
seized the gun on Montmarte, and
murdered Generals Lecompte and
Thomas. But General Appert declares
that distinct and eager revolutionary
propaganda, thing apart from the
government OF the fourth of Septem.
Der, had existed from the evening OF
that memorable day. BY the eleventh
of September, central republican
committee Of vigilance and National
defense was formed; 80 early was this
house divided against itself, and n re-
public formed within the republic.
This second republic, through all its
changes, preserved one constant fea-
ture--it was founded on the support of
the armed part of the people. Its ad-
ministrators were persons who were
for the people, and who looked on the
working men of Paris-at least on such
of them as held revolutionary opin-
ions--as essentially and exclusively
the people. The words "National de-
fensc,n had little real meaning, unless
we choose to look on Paris, or on such
of its children as obeyed the commit
tee, as n Nation, or u fatherland In IT.
self. 1t happened, by what must have
seemed almost lucky chance, that
the people at this juncture had arms
in its hands. The nation (of Paris)
consisted, as the nation used to do
among our Saxon ancestors, of the host,
the men alarms. "rhe Central Com
mittee of the Republican Federation
of the National Guard was the Upper
House in this curious commonwealth.
There was u council of the legion, an
assembly of the battalion, and the
lowest association, the political unit,
was the company. Here was rcpub-
lie militant indeed, and it was happy |
thing for France that the central com
mittee did not carry out the promising
idea ofopposing the Prnssian entrance.
The shade of old Martial Vorwarts
might have rejoiced ut such An at
tempt, and muttered his famous
"What u town to plumber" But civ !
ilization would have had to deplore an
even greater ruin than the hands of
the republic militant afterWard
wrought in the city that claims to be
the capital of civilization.
When the rrussians had departed
peacefully, the Central Committee
seems to have had an instructive
knowledge that its moment for action
had arrived. The charming preteXt
that on the authority Of the state with
in the state, that only the people in
the technical sense, should keep the
cannon which it had originally remov-
ed from the sacrileglous path of the
apeogiGns, becamse the ,grourd Of
quarrel. These cannon were pointed,
in General Appert's opinion, at all
supporters of all institutions which
had existed before the republican fed
Grafton of the National Guard came to
regenerate, by means of virtuous pla-
cards, a world which certainly sadly |
needed regeneration. Another revolu-
tionary body, which had seen its best |
days, and was looking about for sup |
poaair,, rs blended with the republican
federalism of the national guard. The |
international had suffered severely |
during the siege No money came in |
from affiliated branches without the |
circle of the forts of Paris. Supscrip- |
tions could not be looked for; aid, on
the other hand, was demanded from
members wit hin Paris who suffered
from the paralysis of trade. A paper
called the Lutte Outrance was start
ed and was failure. Now, there is n
story told of a certain Frenchman OF
letters to the effect that he was the
stormy petrol of journalism When
ever newspaper ceased to
have subscribers and advertisements,
when the most improper novels would
not attract readers, and offers of gold
watches as prizes failed to draw sub
scriptions, this gentleman's signature
always appeared Mt the foot OF AN arti-
Gle filled with indignant virtue-so
much so, indeed, rs to be dangerous to
moral order. He denounced the shock
ing robbery called property, we may
presume, the selfish exclusiveness of
the homogeneous family, the shameful
corruption Of the Emperor, King, Pres
ident, Marshal, or whatever he might
be, of the present. Then the minons
of the Marshal, President, King or EN-
peror, suppressed the insolvent print,
which fell decently, like Caesar at Pom
pey's statue, uttering cries of virtue to
the last Now, the Lutte Outrance
was driven to contemplate the same
sort of suicide, in the shape of an APP
peal to the army and an honorable sup
preston. Headed off in their attempts
to be journalists, the chiefs of the in
ternational nowg got themselves elected
delegates to the Central Committee of
the Republican Federation and so on,
and 1t became clear that what with
the international, and what with the
federation, lawful governmentmust as
sert itself by some vigorous action.
This action, as every one will remem-
Der, was to have been the Selling Of