The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-15
BLANOUI INTERVIEWED.
Talk with the Famous COnspirafOr and
RevOlutlOnlst In His Prison.


visited Blanqui in his prison at Clarvaux,
and thus describes him:
"Never have | witnessed a greater contrast
than that between the man saw before me
few weeks created. There entered snort,
thin, gray man in the strangest garb. he
wore light Sabots over dark SOCKS; coHee-
colored trousers, a coarse, unstarched linen
shirt without collar, q knitted waiStcoat but
toned at the neck, but with no other button;
d silk skull-cap the worse for wear, from Pc
meath which was yelloWfsh cotton handKer-
chief nearly covering his forehead, ana some
of the fringe OF which was scarcely distl sun
guishable from his thick white hair. Clutched
ID his trembling right hand was small
Ratchet, which he had just used for chopping
wood, and which he let 40 only toward the
end Of our interview. His physiognomy
euriously supplemented this fanciful garb.
His head Is short at the lower part, broad to-
ward the temples, and set off with bristly
white beard His complexion is clear and
rosy, his forehead broad, but low, and slightly
compressed at the temples; his ears are rather
thin at the top, broad and square below; his
mouth wide his lips red and his expression,
though sometimes lit up with an agreeable
smile, usually show kind OF cynical curiosity
When, however, nj. DusSerre told him who
was, and that had come to talk with him, he
lifted his singular dress with his left hand, still
grasping the Ratchet with his right, began
to smile, and after moments surprise, said
to me: Then every door Is open to you, and
you have come here to satisfy the Unsuitable
| replied; 1T Is not mere curiosity which
brings me hither. Your name Is every
where, and | came to ascertain from yourself
the truth respecting YOU The Governor and
The political opinions Of the aged conspira-
tor may be gathered from the portion OF the
conversation which follows:
Il am not professor of politics or social
ism; am man OF action. What exists is
bad something else must take its place, and
gradually things will become what they ought
to be. The revolutionary party will apply
the necessary reforms. First and foremost
France must be unchristianized. She must
be rid, not only OF Catholicism but OF Chris
tianity. The Catholics are now the masters.
We have still the Inquisition. 1t no longer
burns, but it imprisons. The magistrates
sentence according to its orders. Journalists
are condemned because they turn religion
into derison. 1t ought to be allowable to turn
religion into derision in the name of reason.
he had said there was no force without mat
ter and no matter without force. It Is abom
Unable. The real conspirators are the Catho-
lies and the clericals. See how they are con-
be enforced. From the bishop to the bpadle
they are all astir. The pastors sala-
ries must be abolished; that will be
a beginning Do. you. then. admit
an atheistic Slater why not? The
It III Is not atheistc L does es not arm but It
does not deny We'll, the State should be
atheistic, for | maintain that the law is So
Would you allow believers to pay the expen-
SEES Of. their Worship Yes, but not by sub
openY Yes, but watch the preaching But
what substitute would you find for Worship
'Voltaire has already answered, II rid them
of monster and they ask me what shall
put in Its place." But your measures against
Catholicism are not enough to form pro
gramme.' You are always thinking Of q
programme. l have no programme. A thing
is bad, / substitute something else, to see to
the application OF 1t. Taxation 10 bad, 1t must
be modified. He who works must be relieved,
he who possesses taxed salaries being at the
same time augmented, and then you restore
the equilibrium. But then you destroy pro-
perty.' No; / chiefly tax capital, and 1
forbid the reconstruction of large pro-
perfect freedom OF the press and public meet
ings to discuss all the reforms That is to
say. you would cover France with a network Of
tyrannical clubs, which would destroy liber-
ty, and with a press which would advocate
utopias.' 1t Is always with these phrases
that concessions are refused to the spirit OF
the revolution which Is the spirit Of modern
times DO you share the theories OF those
who desire the abolition of standing armies,
the community OF goods and all those mon
btIOuS tOcIIIueE WHICH Will HOU D0dI 6AdLuIIih-
ton P 1 think the expenditure must be re-
duced and pensions abolished, and armies are
a cause of crime and a menace to liberty.
Yes, but would you advise France to disarm
In existing circumstances No; but she
must be armed differently DO you believe
peal of the country? No; the army must
not be mob, but France must be armed diff
ferently.' Would you abolish titles I? j
think 1t ridiculous to style a Minister "His
No. shD st at hs wGrd
remember that In 1S48 Cttriuari had a carl
ture OF two men, one OF whom said to the
other, Monsieur. je uous defends de
m'aPpeler citoyen," while the, other Re-
piled, "Gtoye,s De roos defends de mappeler
speak much IN public? Yes e IL if there her. ARE are
clubs; otherwise / do not care about it.
Have you often spoken in publicy Yes: dur
ing the siegeI was much listened to- boy
write much2' No; in prison q manuscript
is never your own DO you think the Chamber
will confirm your electionY know nothing
about it. Individually the Chamber perhaps
has intelligence, but as whole it is very
poor, and so was the National Assembly, I
tanned superior men -Thiers. Louis Blanc, De
Broglie, Buffet, Jules Simon He stopped
me ironically, You call Jules Simon an in
telligent man; man who ascends the tribune
to submit programme, and tn country
where the press, the electors, the elected, the
entire nation, is divided into Republicans and
Conservatives, says, amid heapplause Of that
Assembly: 81 am profoundly Republican, but
profoundly a Conservative That ought to
destroy q man; it is 50. ridiculous He
meant that he was not revolutionary That
is what / reproached him with You
vii soon sse probably be released I do
ious to keep me- No; I think you
will leave, but not before the third
OF Of June All, they want to prevent my be,
ing Deputy Well, you want to prevent
them from governing; It Is very natural they
should " not make you eligible; but after the
t mi of June believe you will be liberated
IVY, VINO knows If even then they will let me 60?
t put they are wrong not to amnesty every
ooay, Tor the thing will have to be begun over
again !, = ~ II you We're Deputy, what would you
aos 10Y would propose the unlimited amnesty,
Of the Commune or federation alton we YOU Would Would
s aEhen, nobody with you in the Chamber
:. ih ere are very lew indeed; but by degrees
turn revolutionary majority, and then