The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-11-12
SOCIALISM IN FRANCE.
The Anarchists, the BinnIuist., the Coiiec.
styIOs

PARIS, Oct. T.-Tho events which have
succeeded each othor SO rapidly in some Of tho
manufacturing centres Of France during the
past fortnight will doubtless have been made
known by telegraph TO the reader. lie will havo
read that IL furious aud cXaspciated mob Of
miners at Montccau- es-NIines attacked the
house of n notary spoiled church. toro down
cmblcms Of religions, and committed ether acts
OF violence. He will have read OF humorous
arrests made among the rioters. all of them ig
norant mon. "roughs." and turbulent lads. 10
Will have received summary reports of the trial
in which the representatives Of justice. accord
ing TO tho Fronch custom, cndeavorcd to in
voivo tho accused in some vast conspiracy
some terrible plot such rs the Nihilsts Of Rus
STA are credited with organizing Furthermore
the telegraph viii have announced the oiscov
cry last week Of now plot organized by the
sect OF anarchists for the purpose of provoking
civil war all over the country. The telegraph
will have vauntcd the perspicacity Of the pro-
Vincinl Ministers of Justice. who wcro ingcn-
ious enough to suspect q plot. get Il clue. trace
the ringleaders. arrest til en-. and then nip in the
bud the projected coup d'Gtat Of tho Socialists.
day or two after the arrest of tho anarchist
leaders, Emile Gautier. Cri6. and tue rest the
telegraph announced their liberation. and Mt
the same time the occurrence Of new acts of
into n cafe and people are wounded by the OK
plosion; at Amiens. fires arc reported all over
the town. and bundles of rags stepped in pc
troleum are reported TO have been found.
Threatening letters arc addressed to big fac
tory owners. anarchist broadsdes are seized in
the great industrial centres dynamite makes
its mysterious appearance in several places.
The telegraph hints at the alIliation OF tho
anarchists with the Russian Nihists. accuses
them OF having provoked the disturbances Of
Montcoau- les Mines. and finally reports u panic
in tho provinces. At Lyons tie cellar vent
holes are bricked up the vent holes OF tho
basement of the Stock Exchange are bricksd
up. certain houses are guarded by soldiers and
gondarmcs in ono night all the theatres of
Lyons put together olly take 500 the second
capital of Franco is i'll "A state Of panic tcrrorl
Distance doubtless exaggerated the impor-
TANGO OF these events: it may have been imag-
med that the socialist revolution. "a sociaie
was ready TO break out INF France from one day
10 another. In Paris itself we began TO look
forward to the appearance of dynamite. The
terror, however has not been of Ions; duration
For u day or two the press appeared n little
wild. and tho public were mystiiiod. Now that
both press and public are II little calmer wa
may attempt to get at the facts of the case.
They are these: In arresting Gautier Crie.
and the other anarchists" The Govern mcnt
committed n gross violation o! liberty and had
recourse to the preventive means in vogue
during the empire, but which are inadmiss Bile
under rcnublic. There L. no roason 10 be-
due 10 any other immediate cnusc than the ai,-
grcssiyo higotry and religious tyranny Of the
Cha.ot family. the great local family: there is
no redSon 10 believe that an anarchist plot on
isted OF was in course Il formation now any
more iAan ut any time during the last eighteen
TO believe that this grand revolutionary con-
splracy L. q fiction lnvonted by an clete Cabi-
Cahnn, has simply covered itself with rilicuio
ana shame, by resuscitatins an imaginary
rny aG tine 1pkG 9 anf nyn p@2' d
miners OF Aloniceau-lcs, Mines. anil that the
trial WAS about 10 end in nothing at all. the
Government has caused the case to be adj
j3urhed W neNt session. some three months
prison and their wives and children left to
starvc. II is the unanimous opinion of the
and the condemnation OF the Duclerc Cabinet.
Meanwhile arrests arc still being made at
Amicn7, Saint Etenue. and Lyons, and prac-
teal JokcrS are taking advantage of tho panic
Of the bOWgeoiS to spread broadcast anony
nous letters, incendiary proclamations. and
ON the other hand. while there seems no
ground whatever for surprising the existence
that there is a social question In France. as
there is IN every other country al tho present
actively propaeatinE the gospel of verltabc
liberty. equality. and fraternity: More than
TWO years ago, IN july. 1850, | gave IN the
column, of The sun brief review OF the
organization and objects of the French Social
lists, and sketch If the framework or skeleton
organizations into which the amnested Com
munists. then on their very back. would bo ahlo
immedi4teiy to enter on their return. At that
workingmcn's syndcal chambers, cooperative
clubs, Sc were divided into some siN fedora.
lions, with a central directing commilte at
Ialis. This organization comprised about u
hundred suh-committces which together with
al
s"ni"! at the Congress Of 1850.
Balwg.n !he ldooiy repression Of the Com
younger generation Il French Socialists who
had 'prnn@ ~ since 1870 were 50 much occu-
that they had not devoted much time 10 tho
elaboration of definite programme. Since
III" amnesty, on the contrary the question Of
ends and means has been tho absorbing tonic
Of n" party. Already at the Congress- Of 1851
above rciorrcd TO-, At IT," Congress of the
present year the division between the various
Socialist srcis became rloro and NOR. pro-
found the Socialist newspapers are now more
NJ variance than ever the charges OF treRchery
are more frequent than ever: tho Socialist
meetings are now as remarkable for disorderly
ana unseemy disputes ~ they are for violent
In n, In short, it is at the moment when
the Frcnch socialists are most divided that We
are told that they have organized vast plot for
reEolntpniIn@ The country!
Owing to- tho division that exists in the ranks
ana tho mutual dis trust occasioned thereby it
IS dilicull TO form an estimate of the forces
ana lIll''h u IIIt 1TtIcll SOCIALISTS. pna
TACT can affirm: their number has in creased
very considerably since 1850. and. thanks to
| the perfect liberty Of speaking and writing now
in force, they have carried their propaganda SIN
| lar and wide, more C-neciuliy in the manufac
| turing centres The financial sid. of the or.
| SaniHntiOn is also better managed than fot =
| merry. and funds are forthcoming for the print
| ing and distribution fpropngandlst Journals IN
| the provinces. like the 7euatUr of Lyons the
| Don Soctai OF Saint Etienne,, the Etl.da,d BE-
| uo"H'OHph'c Of Lyons, &c. The local suh-com-
mittecs have increased in proportion. But as
! to estimating the Socialist forces it is almost
impos,i ble One OF their own orators, the
other day estimated that. in case Of a unan-
nous uprising ngdinst the bourgeois. they
would be 900 600 strong.
But. leaving asile all conjecture as to num-
herS. and conicnting ourselves with the state
mcnt that the organization continues TO be- as
in 1880, a system nj regional f"dorntons with
local suD-cOminittecS and affiliated or adhcr-
ent corporations Of vaGiOns kinds. let us exam
inc what changes have taken place in the ideas
and aims Of the French Socialists. As | have
said above. since 1850 tho elaboration of "A pro-
gralnrLa and the discussion Of ways and means
has largely occupied the attention Of the So
calists both in their local study clubs. in their
newspapers. and in their general congresses.
Tho result OF these discussions has boon to do
yelop three leading sects, namely: the nco-
lectivists," the anarchists" and the Han-
Quists." II is perhaps saving too much to
speak of three leading secls. should rather