The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-22

tor Of Ivry. In the next reign the
great Cardinal who wrested La Rochelle
from under tho guns OF an English fleet,
would have smiled TO hear that his own will
had Il local habitatlon, or that the system
he devised would over be indissolubly linked
with the banks Of the Seine. That it's per-
manence by no means hinged on the good
pleasure of the capital seemed sufficiently
attested in the Fronde, when under the guild
aHce OF DE RETz and other astute agitators,
the burghers made themselves a laughing
stock The troubles of the Fronde, however,
were not forgotten by tho young King, and
the colossal structure which he built at YER
sailcs brcamc the official dwelling place Of
Louis XIV. For u hundred and thirty years
Versailles remained the focus Of the old mon
archy, until that memorable day when the
rabble OF Paris brought LOUIS XVI. TO the
Tuileries rather as a hostage than as O SOW
eregn.
1t was the republic which definitely local
ICED tho scheme of Capitalization, which
swept away the last dykes surviving in such
institutions as the Parliamcnts of AK, Of
Dion, and Of Brittany, and which seemed
to make Paris the brain, the heart, and
tho lungs of France. Not easily was
the task accomplished, and more than
once the odds were tremendously UNI
equal. In all the legislative assem-
bles which, under divers names, swiftly
followed one another the Jacobins were In
a minority. Until much Of their work was
done, they managed to hold Paris with
grip Of steel, but Monarchsts or Feuilants
or Girondins, prepondcrated in the depart
ments. At one moment, indeed, ROBES
PIERRE had to cope not only with half OF
Europe. but with two-thirds of France Out
Of that struggle Paris brought her sangui-
nary vouchers OF leadership, and these were
confirmed and fortified by all the tendencies
Of the NapOeonc era.
When France emerged from its military
deirum in 1914, all its vital forces, all the
springs OF its social and civic machinery,
seemed to be concentrated within the capt.
tai city. It was the fatigue and disaffection
of Paris, for example, which had frustrated
the victories OF NAPoLEoN's last campaign.
1t was the apathy of the metropolis which
rendered irremcdiable the defeat at Water
loo. 1t was the resentment OF the Partisan
population which drove CHARLES Y. into
exile. and which, later, overturned the mon
archy OF July; and finally. it was the voice
Of Paris which rose like whlrlwind after
the disaster at Sedan, and drowned the spu-
rious Second Empire in scorn and impreca-
| tion.
At first sight these precedents appear
conclusive, but upon close inspection the
supremacy OF Paris appears to be by no
means unquestioned or unlimited The will
OF its people has been repeatedly set at
naught by strategic ability and a ruthless
| purpose on the part OF a military COM
mander. II was in vain that the popuace
supported RoBEsPIERRE on the 9th Thermi-
dor against his enemies in the Convention.
No more formidable movement is recorded
in tho history OF the capital than that
uprising Of the sections on the 18th Ven
d6maire which the young Gen. BONA
PARrE blocked with his artillery. The abor-
tive Instructions Of 1892 and 1884 were bet
ter organized and more formidable than the
outbreak which had lifted Louis PHILIPPE
TO a throne. The days of June had no ter
rors for Gen. CAvAIGSAc, and the marvel is
| that n representative system which with
stood such an upheaval should have sue
cumbed to the reactionary plot Of the Second
OF December. Indeed. the whole existence
OF the Second Empire demonstrates how
easily the spirit Of Paris can be bridled by
military restraints.
Will it be said that an instrument so ef
flcent in bad cause will be useless in a
good one2 That an army so servile to the
will OF disreputable conspirators will dis
obey tho guardians Of good order, and the
organs OF lawful rule Can 1t be that the
means Of resistance and coercion will be
wanting 10 those who represent the resolves
| and convictions OF three-iourths OF the whole
country against the feverish schemes Of an
urban proletarat ? We can find no such
lesson in the history Of France. The one
apparent precedent is the case Of the Giron-
dlsts against RoBEsPIERRE, and their cause
was tainted with disloyalty to a father
land struggling in the grasp of foreign foes
Thrice has Paris found itself opposed to
the deliberate purpose of the rest OF
France, namely, in the days OF the League
at the epoch Of the Fronde, and under
the Commune OF 1871. In each instance
1t succumbed and remained for many
years discrowned and discredited. The
last experiment. especially, was well cal.
cuated to dim, for at least a generation
the prestige OF the capital. Without discuss
ing the political theory upheld by the more
reputable supporters OF the commune, VT
may say that their intentions, clearly, raj
counter to the wish Of France, and that
France proved herself abundantly able tC
coerce Paris While men remember what
was done by the raw leves of Versailles, tbs
nation will not be likely TO allow It's destiny
to DO shaped by Il rising in the Paris sub
urbs, and the lawful heads Of the French
Government will probably be sustained in 4
rigorous enforcement of their authority.
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