National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-29
BLANQUI'S BURIAL.
!. eoMMuNIsT,c DEMONSTRATION.
Revolutionary RaHtings Unchecked By the Aathori'
ties--Address of Louise Michel Beside the Con-
spirater's Open Grave-Ganbetts I'm
fortunate In His Friends.

was the occasion marked an Grain French politics.
itwas the first time popular government ever al
| lowed pacific manifestants opposed to them to
hoist any and every banner that they pleased.
/ The red flag waved in front of Blanqui's hearse,
| and the multitude who went behind looked, with
scarlet pennons like field oyerrun with peoples
No great political funeral ever. believe, went of
more quietly. Not only were Socialists allowed to
hoist their standards, but they covered them with
| Inscriptions which would year ago have &C.
casioned the repressve interference of the police.
| Socialists also let of any sentiments they were
pleased to utter by the grave of Bianqui, whose
| existence one of them described as long
martyrdom. The Citoyen Susini, Marseil-
! lais, said: 40 venerated father, per-
| severing and heroic martyr! May thy name serve
raying point to the promoters of the Socialist
revolution which is destined to sweep off the Or
| ganized iniquities against which thou madest
war by thy voluntary immolation during thirty
seven years" Louise Michel in the way of an
| orator was the great attraction. She was in the
shabby clothing which she wore the day she re-en-
tered Paris from New Caledonia and had wrapped
around her shoulders the faded Paisley shawl with
a red ground, at which the reporters of The Con-
servative press made merry. am convinced there
| is "a bee in her bonnet Nevertheless she is a
| woman of native greatness. She has power and a
soul that is full of sympathy with those who suffer-
4
| terrific when she was being pulled through the
crowd. But when she stood on the mound of loose
earth beside the grave there was an universal
| Hush She said:
| To those who give their lives for the people,
whether by allowing the earth to drink their blood
or by suffering in prison. the people are ready to
give majestic Qualification. The more the martyr
is hidden out of sight the more his principle viii
dominate in the heart of the human family. Every
time that Blanqui was cast into Jail he felt the
| work of emancfpation 10 which he devoted for
tune, domestic bliss, and his life, had taken step
forward. The torch which he lighted famed the
| st. Michel. and now its light penetrates to
every country in the world Let French youth
ism and ' virtue Which Blan9ui has left them.
Let their hearts be warmed as his was by
sublime pity fer erusheddoyn human brothers
si SION an irresistible love of duty. Blanqui
drilled his body to subsection TO his grand con-
science and his noble passions, and broke in youth
with all that is sybaritish in modern civilization.
| Let the youth Of France also be inspired by the
! example of Russian youth, which is in advance of
it in selfsacrifcing power and iirmness of will;
Without the power to sacrifice SELF great ideas Will
never bear fruit. When this power is acquired the
appreciation of the conscience is sweeter than any
reward prosperity can afford. The supreme reward
| is to be glorifed after death by loving and a
grateful people. Let us swear, here in Pere la
Chaise, where so many victims fell at the close of
| the muTderorS week OF AayIlet Us swear before
! the shades Of FeTTe and the other martyrs OF the
Commune, 10 clear France of Opportunism, which
would stife the Socialist revolution and which
| wars against it by corruption.
| A FORMIDABLE 4" BRAVO"
was raised as Louise retired to make way for
| Paule 3Iincke, vixenish sort of woman with a
| "gift of CAB" and no warming eloquence. The
shrewish character of Paule's oTatory is expressed
| in her face, which is most unwomanly face, and
yet not at all masculine. But IS Madame Mincke,
| who represented many South-ofFranee trades
unions, was unable to advance through the dense
mob. Louise, who is her fast friend liifcd up her
voice in her name and threw some red immor-
| telles and handful Of earth on her behalf into
| the vault which yawned to receive the coffin.
The oratress was listened TO with transport. She
had great difficulty in making her way to the gate
of the cemetery. There she got into hackney
carriage. Her admirers, pereeiving her, precipi-
| tsted themselves toward her. They wanted 70
carry her in triumph upon their shoulders.
Louise, Directing to this said: i" But, my good
! friends, am no babe, you see. 1t would not be
seemly for woman ofmy years to be thus borne
along" There was then a cry to unharness the
horses and fcrcitizens TO take their place When
! am dead she said, 81 win let You draw my
hearse, if you have a mind. But in our Socialist
Republic abDegation must not take the form of
abasement. II must never be brought against
Louise Michel that she allowed her fellew-citZenS
to take the place of beasts of burden. This decla
ration produced its effect. But new corners who
had not heard it were swarIning toward her, she
would have probably been ovated i'll non-repub-
lican fashion If police commissary had not come
to her relief He powerfully-built man, and
opened lane for her. Mademoiselle," he re-
specially said, ALLOW me to be your escort
When she had got some distance from the space in
front of the cemetery gate he hailed eab into
which Louise nfmbly stepped. Before it drove off
she held out her unsloved hand and said to him
an rofiicier de Paix, allow me TO thank you.
Really you are very polite (yraiment vous etes
tres gentiD.
IT WOULD BE HARD TO SAY
whether Rochefort OF Louise Michel was the most
lionized. Owing TO the Roehefort Reinach con
troYersy and the late attack on the gas company in
rIaAGasigeaat, the Lanternier has regained the
popularity which he appeared 10 have lost forever
Reinach made war on him in Gambetta's name in
a contemplate manner. All Rochefort's weak
nesses were attacked, and his claims on popular
gratitude overlooked. Ii did not matter that il
defending himself against Reinaeh he lied. The
popular feeling was that he had done works o.
supererogation in attacking the empire and knock
ing it down, which should be set off against the
falsehoods intowhich his nerves precipitated him
during the controversy. Rochefort showed an
essentially Partisan temperament. He was moi
estimablc, but he was syFlpathiQae, and Reinach
who was reared in a very low stratum of Frankfort
Judaism, was neither one ner the ether. Roche
fort is TO the people OF Paris what John Wilkes q
hundred years ago was TO the London mob The
dolatTy of which he was the object at Blanqui's
funeral
BODIES I'LL FOR THOSE
municipal councillors who were ON the side Of the
gas company in proposing TO secure it a monopoly
which would only expire fifty-five years hence
The AFnaUd family, with whom Gambetta is SC
intimate were represented by ROchefortas having
through him secured for the gas company. Of
which they are the most influential members, the
Opportunist vote in the Municipal Council. We
may assume that they have aimed at getting the
monopoly prolonged through the great orator
Bat whether he lent himself to their corrupt de-
signs or not Roehefort has not been able to prove
Madame AfIIaud has, out of gas company shares
an income of 90o,000 francs yeaZ, and being
EloaeyIoving woman, she is not satisfied with it
There are clauses in the gas charter which would
prevent the public being squeezed as il has been
if the Municipal Council did IFS duty The monop
oily drops i'll fifteen years. The object in getting il
prolonged at once was 10 secure the company
against the rivalry of the Menlo Park Wizard
Lawyers say the Municipal Council has no right
to grant fresh lease until twenty -four months be
fore thc existing one drops. 1 am sorry that The
great name of Gambetta has been dragged into
this unsavoFy gas affair. The President of the
Chamber is unfortunate in his friends. Reinaeh
enabled Henri Rochefort to refresh his popularity
and the greed of the Arnaud family gave him a
pretext for associating the name OF Gambetta with
amunicpal job to which. repeat, do not think
he was Il party.
Case or Water Cure.
Some witty Frenehman excuses his devotion 10
wine by saying that he doesn't like water because
ever since the food il has tasted of sinners Up al
the McFlirpeys boarding house, on Pine street
they recently found the same objection 10 the
liquid with which they washed down their daily
nash In fact so Objectionable the sinner ingredi-
ent became that an examination was made of the
tank on the roof, in which was discovered the
body of Mrs. McFlippcy's wo-ser half who had
| fallen in and been drowned The widow said She