, 1880-08-29

elere. .Marat lived long tinp lin England
taught French in London and iEiinhnrss,' hs'Aae, ae,
ss0s saa"fs'ea n nat al Esh and pPS
fnans Ct slave9y" 13hs ana Pn et Grimjna}
The Convention was nor long in giving
! Paine q striking reeognition OF the consid,
raos, eraon n which it hed be hl One of i1s
| on tho constitution. This commission US.
composed S ct the ?, most dnisM3tngushna 1T men Of
Get, and the AGbt Seyas. The la1terwas alIs cnied
THE ''CoSsTiTuTION-MAkER,''
and the wits Of the time said that he always car
dr1twn on the slightest provocadon. 1t was be
who exclaimed In the Nauonal Convention, when
pGo9s. ws esfor1 % It waeh Seemed to lin
be free. but know not4hoW to bc just,
Or the nine members Of this remarkable COM
mission which devoted tsel1 to tue prepsration
3. four az them were guiotined, Vergnju I'd.
Gcnsonnc, Brissot, aud Danton. Condereet Cdt
nsne saeae en i Ptoe escapT es gss %
Paris, after being placed in accusation by the
National Convention. perished miscrably while
his bnAy was atterward found half eaten up by
| wolves. Paine, Sfeyes, and barere wers the
only members Of the commission who died q
natural deuth.
As Danton was the only man on the /commls-
sion who spukc English, it was through him that
Paine communicated his idcas- In the; Conven-
ton he sat with the most advanced Of tho Ja-
cob1ns. On the benches Of the Montague.
Though arterwurd becoming widely separated
from Danton IN the policy Ut the Revolution,
to have been disturbed. 1t was strange scene;
these two constitution makers. Paine and Dun
ton, met for the last time In the prison Of the
Luxembourg.
norm ron.Irv nreytHrn FOR TIE pro,1
Conversiug one day on tho n1uta tons of the
Revolution, forgetful Of the terrible role he had
played. nnd OF the "MussAcrc of September" til
Dan.on 81 satd 10 Pine Win, you have doe t"r
the happiness nnd liberty of tho people in your
own country have vainly endeavored to do in
mine. l hnve been less fortunate thau you.
They are going TO send me to the scaaold; very
we'll, will go gayly:n 49, r.
III 1876, the Minister OF the United States to
preserved In tho National Archives iii Paris.
fnund an extraordinary letter written in
English 7nas b. Pn1a nSc 10 bit o1 It hid
made part of nm official dispatch. and
published by the State, Department ut Wnsh-
inston in ls In Its yome assd fForsten he!a
{sccoud 4yeur OF the Republfcr' that Is to say,
i7o3, It's too long for this e7tsce, but IT'S full
student Of history. The date of the letter Is hut
little more thnu three weeks prfor to the events
Ut the 3lst Of May l7a3l, one Of the most dunn
ton, under the guns Of Heuroit, ana surrounded
by the mob Of Paris, nlutitated ITS representa-
tion. decrced the arrest, the forcrnnner If the
guil!otine.. of the "Twcnty-two Deputies" Of
When Paine wrote his letter, with prophetic
vision be beheLd before him the yuwning chasm
which WIS soon To cngulf France. Oppressed by
thnt revolutionary madness and fury of the hour
which was sweeping away the hopes Of all
patriotic men,
IN An ACCESS OF DESPAIR,
H.
II am exceedingly lts,ressad," he says. "at
the distractions, teAluusics discomfort, and un-
BUSINESS that reign among us, land which, II they
eontnue will bring ruin and dsxr1ee ~ sa; on TIE tha
ertat object Of European liberty accomplished,
ind my despair arises not fEpin the combined
foreign powers, not from the intrlEues Of nriS-
tocrayy und pricstcruft- hut from the tum1litous
misconduct with which the international affairs
Of the present revolution fs conducted ,..,.
While these internal contentious continue, while
the hope remains to the enemy Of seeing the
Republic full to pieces, while not only the repre-
sentatives Of tho Departments, put rcpresett,t-
been. and now Is, by the people of PMris, Or ut
least by the Trtbunos Aha tne1nyv will be en-
couragcd to hang about the frontiers and Wait
the event OF circumstances Tho
danger every day increases bf Ar11pture between
Paris und the Departments. Tho Departments
dig not send their deputies % to pars @ TO "a be H. H.
suit TO the Departments that elected and sent
thcn1."
Paine then says LQat tQ6 TEMeu1 1bF euEu u
state OF things Is to Tx the location OF the Con-
vcntion at Il distance from P4rts. and cites tho
e1nmple Of the United Suites. WHICH formed tho
project of building toxn W. 1nd saoin " It's sat o.
pul Jurisdiction. Hc expresses the most friend.
" feeling toward the "Twetts-tw two Deputies
{the Grondlns who were zen ot ntsenaH on tne th
Acquaintance stsar hi Tsrin :Eaa Convention aro=
among those who are in that list. aud know
there nrp not better men nor. better pdtrlots
than they are
TIE TRIAL OF LOUIS XVI
commenced before the National Convention On
the 18th day of December. l792. 1t is III the
progress Of this trial that the name OF Thomas
Paine first appears. On the motion OF Conthon
1t WIS decreed that the discussion upon the trial
be continued. to the exclusion of ntl other bust-
was not until the 1sth Of the following month,
1888. that Paine was able to obtain at
tention. and then only by filing az op:'ion sur
tho Convention. Paine says he could not get :he
floor, rs so many were inscribed for speeches
thai the debate was closed before his turn came:
The first sentences of this "Opinion" Of
Thomas Paine illustrate Its character:
My contempt and hatred for monarchical
government are sufficiently known: ny ,at c9m-
He alludes to the position he hnd taken
AZ aine" s hers,ofore s - aladed s to. that Louis
XVI, by his flight from Paris. bad abdicatcd tho
throne. and censures the Government for re-
cSLHOISQlut Qi11l III tuc pO"eF WulEu us EsA
bad suspended. He comes, he says, s. to recall
to the nation the error of that unfortunate day.
Of that fAtal error Of not having rejected Louis
XVI. from its bosom, and to plead In favor Of |
bis punishment
IN PREFERENCE TO THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH"
he continues:
.'A5 to myself. I ayow 1t frankly, when think |
Of tho str.ange folly of replacing him ut the heud
Of the sant.on. nlI covered Us he wns with PR |
|ures, | utn embarrassed to know which ought
10 despise the must, the Constituent Assembly,
Or tho Individual. Louis Cupct- But, ali other =!
apart there is in his life one cir
,,l1nstance which should cover up or lessen |
great number of crimes; and TINT
,amu circumstance should furnish the
French nntiun the occasion ut purgiug its terri
ory Of Kings without soillu0 it with Impure
blood. /. is to France entire, know 1t. that the
United States Of America owes the help by the 7
means OF which they have shaken on. by force
If arms, the unjust and tyranuicni domination
If George the Third. The energy and zeal with
which 1t furnished men and money WAS natu-
nj consequence Of its thirst for liberty -.
The United States should, then. be the safeguard
Ind asylum Of Lunis Cupet. There. hcnceforth,
ipliug shelter from the miserics and the crimes
If Royal life, he will learn by the continual u.s.
pect of the public prosperity that tho veritable
ystem Of government is not OF Kings, but Of
Paine closes bis "opiuion" rs follows:
:" In the particular case submitted IN this mo-
nent to our consideration submit to the Con-
'ent1on the following propositions:
" F1rSt-Thnt the National convention pro-
LOUNGES the bantshment Of Louis Cspet and his