, 1876-02-12
VICTOR HUGO.

HlCIOK HUuO.
HIS Address to tho ELECTORS OF the
Commune.
PARIS, Jan, 2o.-ricior Hugo publishes In the
Paris Adprts the following ohsractoris;lc ad-
dtesa:
>" Electors Of tho Communes hero is what
Paris expects OF you. Eba has suffered muci.
tao noble ,lai ctty. TIE had. hosevcr. accomplished
her by forco, aud, after dolns oyery.hng Viii 10 10
van4usah ller did everything 70 o1rrupt her.
10 corrupt Ia the real victory of dcspoH.-to de-
Rrado consoiences, eflenlinate hearta, dwarf
comes vice. aud rassos Into tho blood oi natons.
In =, given tno Cu:nasiam ends by making
maAes Tacitus Indignant. Violence degeue-
2nst yoke Pss7s endured twsnsy years. Tbs
poison had ttmo enough to succeed. Ono day,
fro years ago. deeming tho morisnt favorable,
thinking that tho "a Of December must have
eompleted ita work Of abssenent. .enclnies vo-
sa1c1 ensnsred Franco, and. after btoatblnR on
tho Empire which Unsupported. rushod on I'aras
They axpccted to fluid Bodon; they found
bpatts. What Sparta A sparta Of LOU, 900
1nen' prodigy aon'eshing history hat never
seen, Habyiou having tho horoiem OF saragossa.
4 Hayago Investment. bosnbardnent, every van-
dai brutality, FariB-thst Commune which IL
speaking to you At thia moment o Comm nne Of
fsance-ratis underwent al1 thoso; 20o0U00
men showed to shat degree the fatherjanl Is
rouf, for they had one henrt. Five months OF :
Polar winter. which thoae paop1oa Of tho north
seemed to havc brought With thena, passed over
tha resistance Of the pataIana without exhaust
Ing It. There VISA cold, thoto whs huugar people
were glad to feel that they wore naying tho
! honor Of Franco, aud that tho Paris Of 1871 WAS
continuing the Paris OF l78! aud tho day when
weak military ch!ofs uado Paris cspisuato every
! other city would have ratted cry OF Joy. pariY
uttered cry OF grief. How was thls city re-
~arded7 ny every insult, Nc, masty,dom waB
forth right to the Aro do Ir!ornphe, 1t was BY
tho Arc de Irion,phe that Franco, reprce.nled
BY IT'S Assembly. should hnve desired TO enter
Paris barcheaded. France should have wiehoa
xss doue. lam not Judging. an 1tatlng facts.
The future will pronounco ita verdict. 1iow~
ever this may bs. and without snsistlng on 1t,
Paris rhs nisjudged: Paris, sad 10 aay, had
woto hoapel on this Incompatible city, which
lad confronted daasteY, which had ar.
1ostel and. disconcertod Gcruany; and
which, aided bv tho intrepid md powerful
changed invasion into rout had tho zcsi.saucs
lasted much longer. On this raris, which do
] tcsVad evcry reverence, every nnront wa4 cayt.
Tie amount Of inslt lAylshod vaa measured by
however, By robb.ng Of her diadcm the capital
OF France. ber enemies unveiled the brow OF tho
! cspital OF the world. That broad forehead Of
| Pnria is entirely y.uihIe. tho more radiant be-
unanimously rocospizo parls ~ tho metropolis
Of The human race. Elootors Of the Communos,
| gross hour IL now striklngl The pcoplo ars
called on to speak; aud, SITTER go many combats
at this moment still struck by osracssm, comes
to 5ou. What does she ask sou Nothing for
herself, everything for the country. 84o asks
sou to, p!ace tho fususo beyond quss-
tra'a @ 'ss seeia a'ts sSq S fepna fSes. Hemee
rAcy, 70 found France. sle naLs you to pro-
duce from the Bolcmnity Of tho vote tho aatsA-
faction OF tutoreat as'l eonscronces, industry
| hopored And freed, taxation llinln!ahod III tho
whole and proportioned IN the detail, Hociai row.
| cuue extr1cated from parasit,slus, univorsat
suffrage completed, right for all. Electors OF
tho oommunesl Paris. tue highest coamuns,
canoe Of your choice; tho eul OF abuaes by The
| ndvent Of truths tho end OF monarchy by tie
I federation OF uatfous; this end OF fotsign war
by arbitration; the end Of civil war by amaestY;
Paris asks Of you tue closing OF wounds. At
| tbo lonr, when 30 many hostile forces arc still
erect and menacng. it asks you to giyo couii-
denco to progress to atfttn right before force.
darkness. You Wit do it. Une word
more. Let us diupeI Illusions dispcl tbeu,
without anger, with the cnl unness Of certainly.
THOSE who dream Of legally snolishipg tLs lio-
public A. Auy tine vhhtDyer arc deceived. The
kepubhc pee.e4ists. 1t IL OF natural right. Peo-
| pie DO not vote for or against the air they
breathe. TLs Law Of growth OF the I,uuon fnce
strings, may have q reason tor existence hs louS
ns tha na.lou u little. Arrived at coItain atat-
nte, tic nal.ou feels itself esEong enough to run
alone and walk. A i,epublc In a natiun whtcll
declares ttsclf Of age The French Revolution
is emAnciphtcd civiilzntioh. The truths arc aim
pls. 1rowt,, la dellverance, That deliverai,co
| depends on noooly, not even Tn you. Do you
] put to tho voto tho hour when you arc Il years
| of aON1 1hn Rranc}1 n ~ IN ni.
lfy its Constitutions possible. to alter ta Rgc not
10 intrust it to Monarchy would bs 10 put 1t
back uta lead!nR strings. It il too blg for tLat.
Let III sncept n,a,lluol. AfanhooA IL tho la-
hre 1t for othGt5. l4et uA NieA other peoples tho
full possession nf themselves. Lot ns ufos theill
that unshhkstlo bas,a o. poaee-fcderat,on.
Franco dccply loves tho nntions. fceilng herself
thclr elder a1nter She ts struck, tronted like ii.
/ anvil, but ahe spaEklen uhIer hatred. 10 those
WHO would wound her, sue ecndH a ttanh OF light
lit is her WAY Of retaliating TO mako ono fun
i'y Of the Continent. 10 releaso cou,snorco
hampetoA by. froutiers. industry pAralyxad by
prphlbiton4, labor cEipptsd by parastlBuis, prop
srsy loaded with ta4os. thought Jagged
BY de4posMms, couaeienee gaatttottea by aostuA !:
Yes. What franco IL now fouudug Ii the liberty
1 Ut uAtionn- Tho work is moru than uatlonal-
It IL coultnonthl. Europe iroe viii! DO Europe
imitaeusa. 6hc will havo no other toll than liur
| own prosperity, will httatn the highest stature
which human civilization ca.i reach. We nta ac-
cused OF lncdltkting reysngo. 1t is 60. Wo are
| 1neditattnG hresenEe,-ptofound reyange. Five
years ago Europe teomed to have but ono ides,
| Ito nbAse France. France now replica. aud slo
| also has but ono idea,--lu make Europe gtoAt.
Thu liapublic B nothing but y great dlBastnY'
| Aeut, to which thsr0 III but Que tnnultiou,--r1s
clpfoca! respoct ot right. What FEsncu villa
one word is enough to exprosH, "a sublime word:
-reace. From f,eaco will issue arbtEatlon. anu
| from arbitration ths necessary md legitimate
restatuslonB. We du not doubt it. Fraurs Wilt
iions pcaco In conscicnces by Justice, ia i's-
tesssts by progFess. among uAsions ny hAter-
nifty, This viii Ut fsA,ca IL youts: Comp'eta
tito foundation Of tho l1cpubilc. ifAae Hach .
choice for tho Aonato Ut FrnIHs that tho phaes
OF tho world will result from. il. 10 eonnuet IL
somsttAng, to paciiy ia esorythlus III tho
presence cf civilization contemplating you Mako
state Of siege without the Jus. Without exiles,
Without political galeys, without a military
yoke, without clerical yoke. a topu6lio Of